Self Discovery in the Outdoors: One Woman’s Reflection on Her Experience with GirlVentures

Yvonne is a California native and an alum of GirlVentures. She participated in the Transitions program as a middle schooler and was excited to share her experience with others. The Transitions summer course aims to guide and support students to develop their physical, emotional, and social skills in order to be successful on the course and in life. Skills learned on their 14 day backpacking expedition encourages participants to be brave, resilient, and committed to their community. We caught up with Yvonne 10 years after participating in the Transitions summer course to see how GirlVentures has played a role in her life.

I wasn't used to the outdoors. Growing up, that wasn't something that my family did and I just didn't see the value in it. My mom was a single mom and there wasn’t a lot of time to go and take a weekend or a few days to go camp and just be in nature. I don't think it even crossed her mind. It didn't necessarily cross my mind either. But Avalon, a friend of mine who was enthusiastic about the outdoors, was very convincing and very passionate about signing up for a GirlVentures program together. Her persistence paid off and after some convincing, I gave in and agreed to sign up for the Transitions program.

Little Yvonne & Avalon

When I first was planning to sign up, my mom was hesitant about the whole ordeal. She couldn't conceive of the idea of me spending two weeks away from home. She would ask, “What is this? What are you going to be doing?” It took a lot of convincing because we were so used to being together all the time. Making the initial decision to apply and to join the program was one hurdle. The second hurdle came when we started to think about the costs associated with outdoor education. How and what were we going to have to pay for this program?

GirlVentures envisions a world where girls and women lead inclusive, resilient communities, and where nature is accessible to everyone and conserved for future generations. To ensure that all girls have the opportunity to participate in our programs, we offer sliding scale tuition. As a non-profit, GirlVentures subsidizes the tuition of all participants. Yvonne was able to attend Transitions utilizing this financial assistance program.

Participating in GirlVentures really made us all aware of those things that are hard and awkward to talk about. We learned that these types of conversations are natural and they're a part of being able to figure out what's going on with our bodies and say, “Hey, am I weird or is this normal?” GirlVentures allowed me to articulate everything that I was going through and everything I was feeling. My voice, feelings, and contributions were validated and allowed me to feel seen and heard.

Adult Yvonne & Avalon

Growing up in a single parent low-income household, these are opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Had it not been for this opportunity, perhaps I would have found out the hard way that there are conversations that women should be having and that should be normalized. It can be rare to find these spaces. Whether it's emotional, physical, etc., normalizing those kinds of conversations only make us better women in society, and better advocates for the kinds of things that everybody goes through.

It started with me, but it doesn't end with me and I think that's really what's really cool. 

GirlVentures gave me access to something that I otherwise wouldn't have had access to. Not only were we able to experience really super awesome rock climbing adventures, and the beauty of the outdoor experience, but also I developed the ability to talk about personal things with other girls in a diverse group. GirlVentures is able to provide access to this opportunity for self discovery and outdoor education to families and to girls that otherwise might not have the opportunity. This was a chance for me to grow and to see what else is out there. I still think about that to this day. 

I always thought that people who had money were the only ones who could go camping. GirlVentures disrupts that narrative along with so many others. This is for everyone, and this can be for everyone.

Since her time with GirlVentures, Yvonne has worked at Uber as a member on their diversity and inclusion team. She has also worked at A2Z Media Group as an events and experiential marketing coordinator and currently works at Healthline Media as the Internal Communications Manager. Yvonne is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and representation in the workplace and beyond and is working to further help support and represent her community.