Miho Aida: Special Guest Speaker at Women of Color Fundraiser

The Balanced Rock Women of Color All-You-Can-Eat-And-Drink Fundraiser is this Saturday, March 26 from 3-7:00pm at Sol's (Sustaining Ourselves Locally) in Oakland (1236 23rd Avenue).Besides all-you-can-eat korean BBQ tacos, beer and other beverages, music, a silent auction, backpacking treats for sale, guides Chelsea Griffie and Elizabeth Sy have ALSO coordinated a special guest speaker. We're honored to announce that Miho Aida will join us to talk at 5:00pm about her project "Empowering Women Through Outdoor Role Models."Miho was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. In 1999, she left Japan to study environmental education and natural sciences at the Teton Science School in Wyoming. Since then, she has dedicated to educating young people, especially urban youth and those with limited access to nature, about the natural world at the Headlands Institute in Marin Headlands. Simultaneously, she gained opportunities to learn climbing, surfing and many other outdoor sports that have empowered her and helped her connect with the natural world. In 2003, she joined the staff of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) as a backpacking and rock climbing instructor to give others the same opportunity she had.Along this journey, she has become aware of the lack of support for women, especially women of color, to pursue environmental work and outdoor adventure. To change that, she founded two awards winning project called "If She Can Do It, You Can Too: Empowering Women Through Outdoor Role Models." Since 2008, Miho has traveled to four continents and documented images and stories of diverse and remarkable outdoor women from around the world. Her project shares these images and stories so that women, especially women of color can see what's possible. Today Miho will share her experience in the outdoors and these diverse women she met along her journey.The Balanced Rock annual Women of Color Backpack retreat began in 2004 and remains the only program of its kind in the country. All monies raised from this event will go towards scholarships for this year's trip which runs from August 10-14, 2011.Event is $15-25 suggested donation at the door.RSVP required by March 21: Email elizsy@gmail.com or info@balancedrock.org to RSVP.Warm thanks to our event sponsors for this event: Lagunitas Brewing Company, Sol's, Trumer Brauerei, Black Orchid Bakery, and New Belgium Brewing.Can't make the event but still want to donate? Click here.