Franke Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) Oral Presentations
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Deena Mansour
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Mansfield Center
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Exclusion from outdoor recreation reflects legacies of oppression of marginalized communities and makes access to the outdoors not equally available. In the United States approximately 38% of Black Americans and 48% of Hispanic Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020. This is compared to 55% participation among Caucasian Americans. Many other intersecting identities are actively excluded, including people with disabilities, fat populations, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community; furthermore, class-based hierarchies are shown through the restricted outdoor access of low income populations.
While numerous studies show lack of diversity in outdoor recreation, there has been little to no research conducted on the experience of marginalized groups in higher education settings globally, and at the University of Montana (UM) specifically. The first part of our proposal includes an event inviting outdoor community groups within the Missoula and UM community to connect with students and share their resources. We will also perform an anonymous survey of students at the University of Montana to better understand their experiences with outdoor recreation and the barriers in place. Participants will be asked a series of questions about their recreation experiences and participation with various outdoor groups within the Missoula community. They will also be asked questions relating to the barriers they may face to outdoor participation, with responses including quantitative answers and open-space personal reflections. The main objective of our research is to better understand the experience of and identify the barriers to outdoor recreation for various marginalized groups at the University of Montana, so that we may identify how best to promote community awareness.
Category
Franke Global Leadership Initiative
Barriers to Outdoor Recreation for Marginalized Communities at the University of MT
UC 220
Exclusion from outdoor recreation reflects legacies of oppression of marginalized communities and makes access to the outdoors not equally available. In the United States approximately 38% of Black Americans and 48% of Hispanic Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020. This is compared to 55% participation among Caucasian Americans. Many other intersecting identities are actively excluded, including people with disabilities, fat populations, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community; furthermore, class-based hierarchies are shown through the restricted outdoor access of low income populations.
While numerous studies show lack of diversity in outdoor recreation, there has been little to no research conducted on the experience of marginalized groups in higher education settings globally, and at the University of Montana (UM) specifically. The first part of our proposal includes an event inviting outdoor community groups within the Missoula and UM community to connect with students and share their resources. We will also perform an anonymous survey of students at the University of Montana to better understand their experiences with outdoor recreation and the barriers in place. Participants will be asked a series of questions about their recreation experiences and participation with various outdoor groups within the Missoula community. They will also be asked questions relating to the barriers they may face to outdoor participation, with responses including quantitative answers and open-space personal reflections. The main objective of our research is to better understand the experience of and identify the barriers to outdoor recreation for various marginalized groups at the University of Montana, so that we may identify how best to promote community awareness.