The week began with some high-flying times with family and close friends for the Berkeley Kite Festival on what felt like the windiest day of the year. Even if you did not have a kite of your own, there were many beautiful and dynamic kites to see. Some highlights included the kite candy drop; pony rides provided by African American cowboys (more on this later), and bike parking provided by Richmond Spokes, since auto traffic was rough. Note to self for next year: do not bring cheap kites because they will get smacked down in the first 10-minutes of your arrival and you will be laughed at by strangers (trust me on this one). View more pictures

On Tuesday evening, Outdoor Afro joined up with Memorial Tabernacle Church in North Oakland, California for National Night Out to share resources, books, and local programs

for the church and community members to connect with the outdoors in new ways. As much as I enjoy the digital conversation, I recognize not everyone can be reached online, so it’s always enlightening to speak with people directly about their experiences and barriers to the outdoors. I was especially heartened to hear about how Memorial Tabernacle was already leading hikes to Muir Woods, one the most dazzling National Forest sites in the area. View more pictures

Finally, I was interviewed by ABC local affiliate for its Sunday morning show, “Behind the Headlines” that examined the topic of Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv, who wrote the ground-breaking book, Last Child in the Woods. It was great to be on the show with friends from Bay Area Wilderness Training, and San Francisco’s Chrissy Field Center. For my first time doing a television interview on this topic, I think it went pretty well and I had a blast! I can’t wait to share the video embed and link with the community as soon as it becomes available.

This upcoming week I am looking forward to the Children and Nature Network’s  Grassroots Gathering in Princeton, New Jersey to be on a panel discussing diversity, and social media strategies to connect more people to the outdoors with some of my closest friends and pioneers of this movement from across the country.

No matter where you are, I hope you are finding ways to enjoy your summer. It’s still not too late to get out and make some warm weather memories for you and your loved ones. Check out the Outdoor Afro community site to get some ideas and find people in your area to connect with. There were also many fun ideas discussed on the Outdoor Afro Facebook page and I’ll publish some of these suggestions later this week to inspire you to get outdoors!

What did your community do for National Night Out?

What other Faith Based Organizations do you know that are connecting people to the outdoors?

Outdoor Afro had the wonderful experience this past weekend to be a part of Outdoor Nation, a youth summit designed to reconnect America’s youth to the great outdoors and inform organizations of what youth care about most. This was also the first official listening session as a part of Obama’s Great Outdoors Conference this past spring.

The event began with a mixer Friday night sponsored by Backpacker Magazine. Leadership from The North Face, VF Outdoors (TNF parent company), The Natural Leaders Network (Children and Nature Network), New York Restoration Project, Student Conservation Association, Bay Area Wilderness Training, New York Parks Recreation, Sierra Club, American Hiking Society, and many others gathered on the rooftop of the Arsenal Building in Central Park. Everyone seemed to enjoy the warm summer sunset, great libation, and engaging conversation that expanded networks, considered the barriers of outdoor engagement, and anticipated the hundreds of youth set to arrive the following day.

Saturday’s events began at noon in the park and the public turnout was amazing! Thanks to much local publicity, many hundreds of people, including several families with children, came and participated in rock climbing, kayaking, trampoline jumping, and hoola-hooping, as part of a treasure hunt to engage with the activity vendors and the various orgs. Each interaction earned stamps in the event’s passport booklet to win prizes. I had a blast working with Kyle McDonald, CEO and founder of Bay Area Wilderness Training at The North Face Planet Explore table to share with the public how to use the social network to connect with regional and local organizations’ events and activities.

Later that afternoon was the official start of the Youth Summit in an outdoor tented area of the park. Nearly 600 youth from all over the Unites States came to town representing several organizations to share what they cared about related to the outdoors. About 35% of those youth were youth of color, many visiting New York City for the first time. Outdoor Afro connected with Brother Yusuf and his stunning youth group from Albany’s (NY) Green Tech High Charter School, Mickey Fearn, Deputy Director of the National Parks, and Bay Area friends Steve Hagler of the Stewardship Council, Zakiya Harris of Grind for the Green, Ernesto Pepito of the Crissy Field Center, and many others for an impromptu reunion.

After an introduction and welcome by event organizers and sponsors, such as North Face CEO Steve Rendle, the youth were divided into various organizational themes or “tracks” to help guide their brainstorming process. Themes such as Diversity, Health and Active Lifestyles, Media and Culture, Careers, Service, and Recreation/Education were matched with issue experts who helped guide conversations that revealed a depth of thought and sophistication these youth had when contemplating how they care to engage with the outdoors – or not. Importantly, ideas generated by these youth can help them to apply for the newly minted Explore Fund,  a $2,500 grant to spark and sustain outdoor youth participation where these kids live. The evening concluded with a youth pizza mixer at the North Face offices hosted by the Sierra Club and Juan Martinez and the Natural Leaders Network contingent.

The following morning, White House officials from the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Labor and the National Parks facilitated the listening session to brainstorm answers to core questions; identify opportunities, and there were more in-depth track discussions to review and prioritize the top ideas of these sessions. Check out the Outdoor Nation website for more details about the conference outcomes.

It was a tremendous opportunity to hear youth voices, such as the African American young lady from environmentally impacted Bay View Hunters Point (San Francisco, CA) who lamented that she grew up thinking that asthma was normal because “every child in the community had it,” she said. With so much disheartening news related to the Gulf and its recovery, it was affirming to witness a return to the conversation of outdoor engagement among youth as one important step to help ensure a future of environmental recovery, sustainability, and justice.

A very special thanks to The North Face for making it possible for Outdoor Afro to take part in such an important and ground-breaking event.

The Obama Administration is recognizing the importance of the outdoors to people’s health and well-being, with two important new programs: The White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to eradicate childhood obesity.

The White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors will be held Friday, April 16. C&NN President Cheryl Charles, C&NN Associate Rue Mapp (Outdoor Afro) and other movement leadership will be in attendance. President Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks to the group. The conference will be led by Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The conference will address the challenges, opportunities and innovations surrounding modern-day land conservation and the importance of reconnecting Americans and American families to the outdoors.

“America’s outdoors are part of our national identity. They are the farms, ranches and forests that we take great pride in, and the neighborhood parks, trails and fields where we spend memorable time with our families and friends,” said Chair Sutley.

“Across the country, Americans are working to protect the places they know and love, from the streams they fished as children and the parks where families gather together to the battlefields and buildings that tell America’s story,” said Secretary Salazar.

The conference will bring together leaders from communities across the country that are working to protect their outdoor spaces. Participants will include working ranchers and farmers, sportsmen and women, State and local government leaders, Tribal leaders, public lands experts, conservationists, youth leaders, business representatives and others who view the outdoors as integral to their communities.

Secretary Salazar will lead an afternoon panel, Connecting People to our Lands, Water and Wildlife, which will include New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and REI C.E.O. Sally Jewell, among others.

C&NN will be blogging about the conference as it happens, so be sure to follow along. The Let’s Move campaign will be featured in the next brief.

About the Author

Suz Lipman has more than 25 years experience as a writer, editor, social media manager, community builder, and advocate for getting children into nature.

Why Highway to a Husband now?

Well, I have been single a LONG LONG LONG time, and granted, I spent most of my time working – giving 100% to the TV news industry, but during the time that I have been here in the South Florida area almost fourteen years, I can honestly say that I have not had a real, honest to goodness “date”, in which a man calls me up, asks me out, and executes something we are going to go do, in over four years!

I just felt like there must be some sort of disconnect between men and women, because there are all these great, single, attractive, smart, professional, successful, NORMAL women out there, who say they NEVER get dates (me included), and when we speak to guys, they say, “oh, we can’t find any good women.” Something is amiss. I feel like I am watching perhaps some of the best years of my life pass me by, with no dates, no partner, no companionship, and I thought, well, I can’t just sit here and wait for someone to find me, I need to do something to expand my pool of people, expand my chances, put myself where lightening may strike, in order to boost my chances of finding my “Mr. Right.”

Tell the Outdoor Afro community a little about yourself

I grew up in Northern California, graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Economics, got into the TV news biz in 1988 (wow, a lifetime ago!), and have called SFLA home since 1998. I love to travel, love the outdoors, bike, run, weight-lift, ski, snorkel, cook, and yes, I even know how to knit!

What are some of the responses to your site thus far?

Overwhelming positive response! The majority of women we tell about our journey say, “OH, TAKE ME WITH YOU!” The men just give us an odd look and the conversation ends. Online, we receive a number of e-mails, expressing appreciation in what we are doing, in that the women who have written say they are in the same boat: mid 40′s, professional, good quality women, and NO DATES IN YEARS. There is something CRAZY going on out there and we want to figure out why and what.

Julia in Beautiful Alaska

Several men have written and said they feel like women do not give them room to express their chivalry, therefore we (women) miss out on some of the good guys, because we are so independent. Other men have said I am trying to hard and just have to be patient and let it come. (my response to that: I’ve been waiting patiently for ten years – NOTHING – what am I supposed to do???) Other comments: women say men are no longer “HUNTERS” and wish men would take more of a lead. Men say, they appreciate strong, independent women, but once they start dating, want us to become “softer”, and let them take over. (somewhat of a contradiction, but we have heard that from many men). Other men have said, “good looking AND smart women are just too intimidating.” My response: where does that leave those who fall into that category? Do we dumb ourselves down???? (it’s crazy!)

What are some of the goals you have for your site?

By blogging, we are able to share our journey with those who are in the same boat. Not only can they find validation that they are not crazy in their frustrations about their dating situation, at the same time they can enjoy the trip across the country with us – through our blog and photos. Here is one of many videos we will share on our site:

Our ultimate goal: to engage more women and men in dialogue to get to the bottom of this, and help me find a HUSBAND!

Share your dating tales and ideas with Julia, who may be coming to a city near you soon!

Momma and Miss J

I’m talking about Ms. Bar B., fellow Cal student and mom extraordinaire. I credit her as a key instigator who opened a window into the world of “blogging while black”, but most importantly she helped to re-awaken in me what was there all along: a genuine desire to connect people with resources that make a positive difference in their lives. Since starting Outdoor Afro almost a year ago, she has represented a steady stream of encouragement and support; from commenting on my posts (when nobody else would), to catching my embarrassing typos and telling me about them!

So, while she has given me an award on her own blog: A Place of Comfort,  I have to say this is one we both share!

Here’s back at YOU Ms. Barbara! Thanks for being so wonderful — even when you don’t think anyone is looking!

Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of the Outdoor Afro Blog Carnival!

Wooo hooo….confetti falls…

NOT a Ferris Wheel!

It’s about the youth…

Speaking of fans…DNLee is someone I have followed for the last several months, and I was thrilled to share her blog during my presentation at the Breaking the Color Barrier Conference in Atlanta last fall to a crowd who was wowed by her efforts to expose more people to the practical wonders of STEM. Today, she presents Urban Science Adventures! ©: Adventures from Summer Camp posted at Urban Science Adventures! ©, described as, “a recap (full of pictures of little OutdoorAfros) of my experiences as a day camp urban nature camp counselor. I think I had as much fun as the kiddies”

Photo: Olena Zhadko

She was so excited about this carnival, DNLee decided to share more of her wealth of knowledge from her blog:  Urban Science Adventures! ©: 100 + Things You Can Do Outside! saying, “Okay, this is really old, but the things I recommend for kids, families, and individuals to do outside never gets old. How many of these things have you done?” And she is right! See for yourself!

Brown and Green

Dianne Glave presents Mother, Lumberjack, and Turpentine!? posted at Rooted in the Earth: a companion blog to her forthcoming book Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage coming out in August 2010. She talks about the ambivalent relationship between African Americans and trees, and weaves in her own family history that notes some generational shifts relating to trees and the outdoors:

Trees as a means to earn a living

Getting Outside

axel presents Traveling And Personal Growth posted at axel g., a journal of travels all over Africa, that provides vivid detail of his personal experiences in each region.

Appalachian Trail

Scott Amundson gives us a turn-by-turn evocative tour of the Appalachian Trail with his post: AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM: THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL from the HIKING ADVENTURE blog. The Appalachian Trail is now definitely on my list of go-to places!

Jehan taking youth outdoors

Jehan became a fan of the Outdoor Afro Facebook page and I found her blog, and fell in love! Here is her post: A Walk in the Woods posted at “She pulled in her horizon like a great fishnet…” that chronicles the stirrings of love for the outdoors she experienced as a child; feelings that guide her to this day.

Gloria Ware’s Blog is another blog-crush of mine. She adds to the mix: Leading The Way Into The Wilderness: Re-Engaging Black Folks With Nature posted at Black and Into Green, saying, “Let’s get out there!”

Gloria

Her other wonderful posts related to gardening, spirituality, and healthy food will keep you (like me!) coming back for more.

~*~*~*~*

Look for future editions of the Outdoor Blog Carnival that push the envelope regarding what it means to get outdoors.

You can submit a blog article to the next edition of Outdoor Afro Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Wanna know your style of Outdoor Afro? Need some new ideas for outdoor fun?

Answer five easy questions to find out!

Outdoor Afro is now published using WordPress and the Blogger site is now a relic of the past.

So why make the change?

As several of my blog friends know, I went to a WordPress Word Camp event last Spring here in the San Francisco Bay area and was inspired by the ways the WordPress platform had options to design and expand the Outdoor Afro site. Blogger was very easy to use, but it felt limiting on the design and functionality side, and I wanted more technical involvement with the development of the site.

There was a bit of migration pain involved however, because a lot of the links pointing to the site were giving readers 404 error messages as the site settled into its new host, which took a couple of days. This downtime cost some precious Google rankings loss, and more importantly the opportunity to connect with the community.

Thankfully all has stabilized and patience has paid off. Special Thanks to J. Hererra and Jen at Blue Yonder Design for fielding my late night text messages and emails. Now I can refocus on my favorite part of Outdoor Afro: YOU — and produce content that inspires folks to get out of the house, and into the Great Outdoors.

You should know by now that I am passionate about the outdoors, but I also go nuts over social technology that connects people with the messages they care about. The combination of these two non-tangible loves of mine was the genesis for this blog. And this week has been especially inspiring and productive for me around both topics.

On Thursday, I met with Dr.Carol Finney, a dynamic Professor in the College of Natural Resources at Berkeley. My jaw hit the floor after learning from her about all the many unsung African Americans who share our enthusiasm for the outdoors. For example, Audrey and Frank Peterman have been writing about the outdoors in a newsletter and leading tours of the National Parks for decades. A forthcoming blog will share more about this adventuresome couple and others like them in the coming weeks.

Yesterday, I attended Word Camp because I was thinking of moving Outdoor Afro from its current Google platform to Word Press, and wanted to learn more from developers and users about what was possible. Word Camp gave me the technical answers I was looking for and dozens of its attendees expressed enthusiasm for my advocacy of African American participation in outdoor activities.

Right now I’m sitting in TWTRCON, the convention for Twitter, which has quickly become the fastest way to connect with tons of people at one time. Thanks to panelists like MC Hammer, I have some new perspectives on how to use Twitter as one more tool to help black people get outside, 140 characters at a time.

I am deliriously excited about using social media to share the mission of Outdoor Afro, and am grateful you have decided to join me.