National Outdoor Leadership School Looks to Inspire Minority Youth in Outdoor

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is taking steps to inspire African American youth to get outside, be active and become stewards of wild places. NOLS is working to achieve this goal by running the first predominantly African American expedition to the summit of Denali.

The venture is entitled Expedition Denali: Inspiring Diversity in the Outdoors and is designed to foster engagement in the outdoors with a 2013 summit attempt, plus outreach and educational initiatives.

Expedition members include diversity champions, change leaders in the youth and outdoors movement, education reformers, writers, business leaders, photographers and mountaineers who have made other historical ascents. All participants are linked in their dedication to connect African American youth to the outdoors, mitigating health risks from inactivity and inspiring outdoor stewardship.

NOLS has been a commercial outfitter on Denali since 1971 and is proud to spearhead the first predominantly African American team. To make the summit, the team will have to conquer the strenuous five-mile round-trip summit day hike.

To commemorate the day of the summit NOLS plans to partner with other organizations to mobilize youth of color nationwide to take their own “10,000 steps to Denali” on that day in June 2013. These individuals will use pedometers and hike 10,000 steps in a wild place near their homes.