By Mallory Rutigliano, Co-Chair, Education Committee
It is no secret that Sierra Club’s calling card is outdoor programming. In addition to all the far-reaching legislative, political, and activist work that the nationwide volunteers do, getting people outdoors is a staple of what it means to appreciate the natural world in which we live. This is the founding driver of this old organization, but it has never been truer than now. It is one thing to tell someone why they should care about the environment around them, the living creatures, the plants, the weather (especially if the surroundings look like asphalt). It is totally another thing to show them, to captivate their imaginations and instill a sense of wonder.
Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) programs help bring young individuals into new experiences in nature and through adventure, whether that’s on a hike, through a climb up a mountain peak, or planting saplings for a service event. Each year, New York City’s ICO branch partners with its longstanding collaborator, CatRock Ventures, to fundraise for its outdoor youth programs that go on in schools and communities all year long. These programs provide students with new experiences that teach them the environment is more than a backdrop or setting. It is a dynamic character in our stories. A student skiing for the first time, like in the recurring ICO-CatRock winter trip to Jay Peak, Vermont; a child venturing past New York City’s concrete boundaries into lush upstate trails; a young adult learning to lead peers in wilderness safety and navigation. These are twists to the stories of our lives, and they are why environmental work with youth is so important. These stories, these people, are what compel us all to support, volunteer, and give. They show us why and how to care.
For this year’s fundraiser, intrepid volunteers planned and organized its annual film festival held at the SVA Theater in downtown Manhattan, working with the Colorado-based 5Point Adventure Film Festival to show real-life short movies of adventure across the world in an evening of fun auctions, sponsored giveaways, and mingling meet-and-greets with like-minded environmentalists eager to see such stories on screen. What inspires people to show up to the film festival, or any Sierra Club event, really, are the stories that bring us all together. At this year’s fundraiser, we watched skateboarding girls in Cairo, listened to mountain-biking jazz, and even met a local celebrity from one of the films.
It is important to remember that the story of environmental work in urban places is not just one of frustration and despair, but one of joy and community. The film festival uplifted the audience with the poignant stories of adventurers and the feeling of being in a room with others who care, while reminding us of how we can support the next generation in bringing adventure and purpose to their own stories. See NYC ICO for more on how to volunteer or get involved, or to find out how to get alerts for next year’s film festival.