BY ELIZA WORRICK

Many of us might take our ability to access Acadia National Park for granted.

Having the resources, geographical proximity, and comfort level to be able to go for a hike, camp in a campground, or bike along a carriage road are not a given for everyone.

This can be especially true for youth from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities who grew up in cities like Chicago, Illinois or Charlotte, North Carolina, where exploring the outdoors might not feel as possible.

Fortunately, organizations like Park Journeys, Inc. (PJI) exist to build up young peoples’ comfort levels in the outdoors through experiences that eventually culminate in a trip to a national park. Since 2012, PJI has been bringing participants to Yellowstone National Park. While this had been very successful, they were eager to expand to Acadia because of its east coast location and increased accessibility through Acadia’s multiple entry points.

Students from Tuskegee University practice teamwork on a low-ropes course at Camp Beech Cliff. (Courtesy Kareem A. Dieng)

PJI’s director Michael Solot first approached Friends of Acadia’s Conservation Projects Manager Paige Steele to see if he could bring a group to Acadia. Their conversation led to Friends of Acadia’s first Urban and Diverse Youth Grant.

This first group was made up of youth from Charlotte, North Carolina who had spent the summer building up comfort in the outdoors closer to home.

“After school and summer are the most vulnerable times for students to get into really serious trouble,” said Paige. “Having these kinds of programs available during these windows of time is critical for their well-being and development.”

When the group arrived in Acadia, Paige checked in with them to make sure they were having a positive experience.

“At the time, Friends of Acadia was in the backseat; I met with them once, handed out Friends of Acadia hats, and wrote the grant check—that was the extent of it,” said Paige.

She quickly saw this as an opportunity to go beyond the traditional grant model by cocreating the experience with the next group, Groundworks Bridgeport from Connecticut.

“Every group is different, so it’s about meeting them where they’re at,” said Paige. “Some folks show up expertly prepared for the outdoor activity, and others may arrive wearing flip flops and a faux fur coat. If that is the case, we need to be prepared with gear. We need to be ready with a variety of options for where they want to lodge, what they want to eat, etc. so that they feel supported.”

Support also comes through sensitivity and validation.

A guide tows kayaks in preparation for a day of paddling during Juneteenth Downeast’s “Weekend on the Water.” (Paige Steele/Friends of Acadia)

“Some groups include black youth whose parents are from the global south where mosquitos carry diseases,” said Paige. “When they get swarmed by these insects in Maine and panic, the local group leader shouldn’t dismiss their discomfort. Even though mosquitos in Maine don’t generally carry disease, program participants may have family members who were afflicted by malaria or something similar, and calming their worries is an important step towards them relaxing in the outdoors and enjoying Acadia.”

When building new connections between organizations, Paige always asks, “Who’s around to be a bridge builder?”

For instance, when Groundworks Bridgeport first arrived, Paige connected them with Acadia National Park Ranger and Bridgeport native Christie Anastasia. “This showed participants that there are rangers from their hometown,” said Paige.

Paige also looks beyond the park to build up these community liaisons. Kareem A. Dieng, a local Maine guide and the Director of Outdoor Education at Camp Beech Cliff, meets as many groups as he can with members from the black community to take them out hiking, kayaking, and more.

“Kareem’s outdoor leadership has been invaluable to building relationships and meaningful experiences with new groups visiting Acadia,” Paige said. “It truly makes a difference when youth see a part of themselves in their trip leader.”

The growth of the program has been intentionally slow to build quality relationships with new partners, and to be mindful of Friends of Acadia and Acadia National Park staff capacity. But even with the brake pedal partially applied, the initiative has experienced a phenomenal 400% growth since 2017.

Participants and volunteers from Juneteenth Downeast’s “Weekend on the Water” prepare to sea kayak alongside Acadia National Park. (Paige Steele/Friends of Acadia)

In 2023, Friends of Acadia welcomed 10 groups to the park—and will exceed that in 2024. This shows there is a huge appetite from various communities to visit Acadia when they feel that the park is accessible.

One highlight from 2024 was the arrival of a group from Tuskegee University in September, marking the first time that a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) was officially welcomed to Acadia.

The grant program has mostly focused on participants who identify as BIPOC, including Wabanaki groups, “but we just launched a new relationship with Queerly Maine, who plan to visit Acadia next year,” said Paige.

She also cited a possible expansion to work with local organizations dedicated to supporting neurodiverse individuals, Latino populations, veterans with disabilities, and more.

Students from Casco Bay High School work to identify a crab during a intertidal crab survey, part of their multi-day experience at Schoodic Institute. (Shannon Bryan/Friends of Acadia)

While many of the grant participants have been younger, Paige is excited about the intergenerational groups who have come up to Acadia. Members of Full STEAM Forward, a New York City-based organization that provides free after-school Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) programming to young girls of color from underserved communities, brought their parents with them to Acadia. Paige emphasized that young people who bring an adult relative with them “have a higher chance of returning to a natural space near their home when they have that intergenerational support.”

While 2017 through 2021 were focused on relationship and culture building, and this program paused during Covid, Paige is thrilled to carry the strong momentum from 2022 forward.

“Acadia National Park belongs to all Americans, and all Americans should feel welcome visiting here,” she said. “My colleagues and I have been pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones to help open Acadia to new communities and it is working, which is really exciting.”

ELIZA WORRICK is Friends of Acadia’s Digital Marketing Manager.