Five Charities supporting the Outdoors
Here are just a few of the charities working to help protect the delicate mountain environment, improve access to the great outdoors, and encourage as many people as possible to make the most of spending time in awe-inspiring nature.
This is a feature from Issue 18 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
1. Snow Camp
Since 2003, Snow Camp has been harnessing the power of skiing and snowboarding to break down barriers, broaden horizons and address the biggest social issues facing young people today. Through its award-winning 12-month snow sports journey delivered at artificial slopes & in the mountains, young people gain invaluable life skills, qualifications and positive vocational opportunities in the snow sports industry and beyond. Now, in Snow Camp’s 20th anniversary year, there’s never been a better time to get involved and support its life-changing work. Find out more.
2. Pow UK
Protect Our Winters helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change, turning outdoor enthusiasts into climate advocates. Set up by pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007 in the USA, there are now 14 branches globally and the POW UK community is loud, energetic and insistent in its drive to influence climate policy. Both businesses and individuals can get involved, and the charity encourages its supporters to put pressure on policymakers and influence systemic change. Find out more.
3. The European Nature Trust
Dedicated to the protection and restoration of wild areas in Europe, The European Nature Trust’s (TENT) mission is to ensure that Europe’s rich biodiversity is preserved for future generations. Established by Paul Lister in 2000, it focuses on environmental and educational projects in Scotland and Romania, but is expanding its remit and impact across Europe through travel, film and events. Its flagship project is the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, a pioneering re-wilding and ecotourism initiative. Find out more.
4. Mind Over Mountains
Offering professional mental health support, Mind Over Mountains (MOM) brings together walking in nature, mindfulness and time with the charity’s experienced coaches and counsellors in an unhurried, unpressurised setting outdoors. For anyone feeling the need to escape into nature, MOM provides a range of options, from one-day hill walks to weekend retreats, in some of the UK’s most special places, and can provide bursaries for those who need them. MOM believes that time in nature, coupled with professional support, is a powerful way to build resilience, talk without pressure and re-find stillness. Find out more.
5. Leave No Trace
Using pioneering science and providing proven, research-based solutions to the protection of the natural world, Leave No Trace is a US-based non-profit that delivers innovative education, skills, research and science to help people care for the outdoors. It focuses on educating people – rather than costly restoration programmes or access restrictions – as the most effective and least resource-intensive solution to protecting the wild open spaces and national parks, not just in the USA but in several countries around the world too. Find out more.
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