The Minneapolis Summit started out on Friday with a lot of excitement. While some delegates were going on very little sleep, all of them were pumped to be there even though they weren't quite sure what to expect. The Minneapolis Summit was hosted by the University of Minnesota.

We started out by going over Outdoor Nation's Declaration. Soon afterwards the delegates dove into talking and voting on Rights and Responsibilities. Everybody was impressed by how much say they had and how they got to shape their own Rights and Responsibilities. The evening concluded with a very inspiring performance by New Wilderness Project

The next day began with a discussion on issues and solutions. After putting a lot of hard work and effort into the conversation all the delegates went for a canoe paddle with Wilderness Inquiry on the Mississippi River. While on the river we got to see Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, other birds and traveled through a lock and dam system. Despite the high humidity, everyone had a good time! The evening finished with The North Face campfire discussion with TNF professional climber Cedar Wright and Juan Martinez. Hearing their stories was a great experience for everybody.


The last day rocked as solutions were presented and voted on. All the delegates worked very hard on their presentations and were very enthusiastic when talking about them. The four projects that were voted as top solutions and granted $2,500 are briefly described below. If you are interested in more information or in helping out with the projects please feel free to email the contact person!!!

Outdoor Nation Expedition
This project reconnects high school youth with the outdoors through an outdoor experience that inspires confidence, continuing education, and a passion for the outdoors and environment.
Contact: Lindsey MacDonald, lindsey.e.mac@gmail.com

Take Congress Camping
This project is a tool kit to create an advocacy network to empower people and give them the resources to impact decision-makers.
Contact: Emilie Colby, emilie.colby@gmail.com

Campus Club Mentorship Program
Using the framework already in place through the Outdoor Nation Campus Clubs, the project would connect college kids with elementary school kids with the goal of sharing outdoor experiences together.
Contact: Mike Dahlheim, mddahlheim@yahoo.com

Greenspace
A project that would engage Chicago neighborhoods to turn unused, discarded lots and areas into green spaces that would be for community use.
Contact: Darrick Scott, darrickscott@yahoo.com

The enthusiasm throughout the summit was incredible from start to finish. We even had a few musical performances including a karaoke performance of Miley Cyrus' The Climb and and ukulele version of the song One. It was a pretty amazing experience! GTFO!

-Garrett Genereux, Outdoor Nation Ambassador