GO! Girls Outdoors

GirlVentures runs an interesting and by all accounts effective leadership program for girls who have participated in one or more of their courses over the years.  They bring the older girls back in an Assistant Instructor role, and have found that the girls relate very well to role models close in age to themselves.  This creates an experience that is good for both the girls on the program and the young woman learning to be a leader - and encourages young women to become involved in the outdoor industry.  Anna Fry-jung Hoff is a GirlVentures alumnae who gained valuable leadership and outdoor skills training as an Assistant Instructor while she was still in high school, loves the outdoors and hopes to pursue a career in the industry. 

Anna is currently in her third year at university, close to gaining a major in Environmental Biology and Management and a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  She says that she always loved science and is happy to be studying something that incorporates her love for the outdoors.  She hopes to become an outdoor educator in the future and will spend this summer as an intern for Outward Bound.

Anna’s mother introduced her to hiking when she was in first grade, and she went on her first backpacking trip when she was in middle school.  She says that her mum has been (and is) a huge influence in her life, introducing her to the outdoors when she was little and providing her with many opportunities as she’s grown up. 

Anna still loves hiking and backpacking, but now adds rock climbing to her favourite activities.  She has spent every summer since 2001 on an extended trip, either with GirlVentures, Outward Bound or NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School).  Anna took advantage of the Assistant Instructor opportunity at GirlVentures  to get some good experience, and now works as a Teaching Assistant for the rock climbing PE course at her university.  Last summer she received a scholarship for a 50 day Outward Bound instructor’s course, which has led to her internship this summer.

Anna says that she loves to share positive physical activities with others, and is building up her experience as an instructor and as a participant in her chosen outdoor activities.  She has been exposed to lots of female role models in her outdoor activities, both through GirlVentures and through her NOLS and Outward Bound courses.  She says that some of her female instructors are among the most inspirational people she’s met, but her path in the outdoors hasn’t been affected by men.  Like many other passionate outdoor women, Anna says she’s out there because she loves what she’s doing and she surrounds herself with people who feel the same way regardless of whether they are men or women.

Anna’s advice is to get out there, go for it and have fun while you’re at it - an attitude that will no doubt inspire other young women to follow in Anna’s footsteps, as Anna has been inspired by her own role models.  Good luck to Anna as she starts her career path in the outdoor industry - may it be a long and prosperous one!

For more information about GirlVentures, read the GO! Girls Outdoors profile here.

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