Las Vegas (April 24, 2017) REI Boca Park Outdoor School and Skye Canyon host Force of Nature, a public-facing effort to advance gender equity in the outdoors and encourage people to embrace the outdoors as “the world’s largest level playing field.” The event is Saturday, May 6 – Sunday, May 7, 2017, at Skye Canyon Park and includes a panel discussion, hiking, yoga, cycling, an overnight campout, navigation, and outdoor cooking workshops, among other events. (A full schedule is below.) It is free and open to the public; registration is at www.REI.com/forceofnature.
REI recently launched the Force of Nature campaign nationally, and the event at Skye Canyon is one of more than 1,000 events happening across the United States. As a part of the co-op’s national effort, throughout the summer, REI Boca Park will offer a variety of programs supporting the Force of Nature mission, including “Force Wednesdays” that will happen monthly.
REI published a national study commissioned to better understand the role the outdoors plays in women’s lives and how the outdoors is perceived today. The study revealed that seven out of 10 women believe that women are under more pressure to conform than men and that they also view the outdoors as an antidote to that pressure. Additionally, the study found that 73 percent of women say they would like to spend more time outdoors and more than 85 percent of women see the outdoors as the key to better physical and mental health. Slideshare PPT here.
Event Schedule
Saturday, May 6
10:00 a.m. Check-in
11:00 a.m. Women’s Panel Discussion
12:00 p.m. Lunch, Hand’s on Activity
1:30 p.m. Women’s Hiking/ Women’s Map and Compass/ Stewardship Opportunity
4:30 p.m. Dutch Oven Cooking Demo/ Paint Night/ Sangria
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. Sunset Movie/ Smore’s/ Popcorn over the fire (jiffy pop)
9:30 p.m. Campfire Stories/ Hot Cocoa/ Tea
10:30 p.m. Lights Out
Sunday, May 7
7:00 a.m. – Breakfast DIY Oatmeal Bar/ Coffee Bar
8:30 a.m. – Cycle Femme Ride
10:00 a.m. – Event Finale
About REI’s Force of Nature Campaign
REI believes 2017 is going to be a landmark year for gender equity in the outdoors. REI’s mission: We inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
Across the co-op, we are focusing our effort on creating more opportunities for women to take part in life outdoors. Why? Because we believe the outdoors is and should always be the “world’s largest level playing field”. We are launching an expansive public effort called Force of Nature, which will fun for the rest of the year. It’s all about the outdoors being a place to opt out of cultural pressures to conform, the “supposed-tos” and “should: that underpin outdated stereotypes, especially for women. Force of Nature aims to ensure that women and men are equally inspired an equipped to embrace life outside.
We’re committing $1 million to support organizations that create opportunities for women and girls in the outdoors.
About Skye Canyon
Skye Canyon is a 1,700-acre master-planned community in Northwest Las Vegas located on US Highway 95 at Skye Canyon Park Drive. Offering entry-level, move-up and luxury neighborhoods for individuals, couples, families and active adults who share a passion for outdoor activities, wellness and immersive living, it is the first master-planned community to break ground in Las Vegas in nearly a decade. Skye Canyon includes unique amenities like Skye Canyon Park that features Skye Center, the community’s social hub with an open-air bistro and indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and Skye Fitness, a state-of-the-art workout facility and outdoor junior Olympic size swimming pool that is exclusive for residents. Among the many other amenities offered are designated bike lanes and an extensive network of hiking and walking trails. Shopping, office space, and gaming will be offered at Skye Canyon, which at build-out will include 9,000 home sites.
Skye Canyon is a product of leading developer Olympia Companies, joined by Stonehill Capital Management and Spectrum Group Management LLC. For more information visit www.skyecanyon.com or connect with Skye Canyon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.