Using stories to create an enviroment where everyone belongs
Dr. Mandi Baker's new book, Inclusion and Equity in Outdoor Leisure, looks at how some people feel they do not belong outdoors
On Dec. 16, the Office for Equity Transformation and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management are hosting a webinar to celebrate the launch of a book titled Inclusion and Equity in Outdoor Leisure. The book co-edited by FKRM Assistant Professor, Dr. Mandi Baker.
Baker says the new book explores how many people feel they do not belong outdoors. She says people with diverse bodies, unique physical abilities and health conditions and different genders and sexual identities often fall outside of the usual ideas about who enjoys outdoor recreation.
“Lots of people who want to be outdoors in lots of different ways, and they don’t see themselves represented,” says Baker.
The webinar will include an overview of the book, how it was created and some of the personal stories it includes. These stories show how people have dealt with experiences of being left out of outdoor recreation.
Telling honest stories
Dr. Mandi Baker
Each chapter of the book details the experiences of various groups who have historically been excluded. They talk about race, age and disabilities in outdoor recreation. Baker says it was important to her and co-editor, Dr. Neil Carr, that the book told the “real and raw” stories of people who have felt excluded.
“What has it been like to have to be discriminated against, to be left out or to be treated unfairly and unkindly?” says Baker. “How do you get through it? Or if not, how can we help tell the stories of people who haven’t figured it all out and are just talking about how messy or hard it is just to be a person in these situations.”
Baker says they received over 70 applicants for the book, ranging from academics to business owners. The project was Baker’s first time editing a book. She says much of her previous work has been about the theory of leisure, but a part of her “never felt at ease” until her work was being used in real life.
“In academia, we can often talk to each other and forget to speak with the real people doing these things every day,” she says.
Connecting research to everyone
This is why Baker says the book focuses more personal accounts than the technical side. She says while the academic discussions try to represent everyday people’s stories, they can get so technical that the feels in the research are lost.
“I think when we tell stories there’s a connection between people,” she says. “Storytelling is relational and about connecting with real people and where they are actually in their lives.”
Baker hopes the book connects with emerging leaders and decision makers in the outdoor industry. She says the diversity of voices will help decisions makers understand the unique problems facing marginalized communities.
The Inclusion and Equity in Outdoor Leisure webinar happens Dec 16 at 2:00 p.m. Dr. Baker will be joined by contributors to the book including Hazel Maxwell, Kate Dashper, Steve Sassman, Richelle Olsen, Natalia Ospina, Mohadeseh Mahmoudi, Elise Wilts, Nicole Peel, Chelsea Rendlen and Geoff Cooper.