The late Zoe Lewis, local Beyond Boarding member, will be remembered through an educational and engaging youth workshop on January 24. To honour Zoe, the event will focus on social and environmental justice – two issues which she was extremely passionate about.
Zoe actively worked with the local not for profit, Beyond Boarding, and contributed to many of their efforts. Having grown up on the North Shore, she had a deep connection to her surrounding environment, including a growing desire to protect and sustain the rapidly declining ecosystem. After receiving a Marketing Degree at Capilano University, she further pursued her environmental interests through BCIT in the Forest and Wildlife Recreation program – she was in her first year, and studying to be involved in research to create proactive solutions for our forests and wildlife.
Beyond Boarding is organizing monthly hikes in Zoe’s memory for youth to actively decolonize together. Each hike will be sponsored and lead by a guide indigenous to the local area, in an effort to share stories of their traditional land and water. The inclusion of the guide will aid attendees in fully understanding the ancient history of the unceded locations that have been occupied. The organization hopes the hikes will empower young people to further develop their connection to nature and become aware of social and environmental justice at large.
“Zoe was involved with Beyond Boarding since day one. She’s inspired many of us to go play outside but also understood that those good times come with a responsibly for all of us to take care of it,” says Tamo Campos, Beyond Boarding Co-Founder. “So much of environmental organizing happens inside so the idea was to create an outdoor space to network, brainstorm, learn and celebrate a life lived for stewardship and enjoyment of the outdoors.”
The hike will be held on January 24th at 10:30 AM on Mt. Seymour with snowshoes being provided by event sponsor, CPAWS. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/beyondboarding
About Beyond Boarding: Founded in 2012, Beyond Boarding is a grassroots collective dedicated to combining snowboarding with social and environmental justice. The organization effectively merges snowboarding with artistic mediums in an effort to reach target audiences, address privilege, oppression and climate justice at large. The group has extensive experience supporting grassroots indigenous resistance to large-scale industrial development on unceded territories. Beyond Boarding actively aims to create a platform for the voices leading this systemic change through the development and release of films, articles and online content. www.facebook.com/beyondboarding
