The Oath aims to create a sustainable and inclusive future for the planet and for the outdoor community.
January 19, 2022 – Today, a collective of change-makers and thought-leaders launched The Outdoorist Oath (The Oath), an organization/education model for all outdoorists to unlearn, learn, and be in community with others advocating for people and the planet. The Oath and its founders believe individual outdoorists hold the power, privilege, and opportunity to collectively shape the future of the outdoors.
The pillars of The Oath are Planet, Inclusion, and Adventure. The Oath encourages individuals to ask; how can I be a better steward of the landscapes I recreate in? How can I play a part in making the outdoors feel more inclusive to all individuals? In what ways does my everyday life support the protection of outdoor spaces for years to come?
Founded by outdoor advocates José González, Pattie Gonia, and Teresa Baker, and led by Gabaccia Moreno, The Oath’s mission is to activate the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. The program invites individuals and communities to come together to learn about, sit with, and enact necessary change within the outdoors.
“The Oath came about as a WHOLE-istic approach to ally both people and planet.” said Pattie Gonia, The Oath co-founder. “The Oath hopes to provide people with a map to the current state of our planet/the outdoors and then help people identify their unique compass to guide them to take action.”
“Often we don’t know where to start when it comes to allyship or we are afraid we’ll do the wrong thing. Our aim is to provide a starting line and be safe space-makers for people to access free education on allyship in the pieces that make up our industry and our environment — planet, inclusion and adventure – however that’s defined by you,” continued Pattie Gonia.
To participate in The Oath, individuals are asked to sign up online, and participate in a free 2-hour educational session (available online this winter/spring and online as well as in person come summer 2022). The Oath workshop will inform and excite individuals to make actionable change in diversifying, protecting, and accessing the outdoors. Following the completion of the educational session, the individual is then eligible to “sign The Oath”, adding their name to the list of those who are taking the first steps towards a better outdoors.Oath signers will be part of a growing community of change-makers, and will receive ongoing communication and information about opportunities to enact change, be a part of The Oath community, and continue their education.
A major part of the program will be to expand the vision of who can be considered an outdoorist, which is, according to The Oath, everyone. For too long, the outdoor industry focused on a distinct segment of outdoor adventurers — namely high energy, high discipline, high difficulty-focused individuals — and shaped the industry to fit this distinct mold. The Oath plans to expand the notion of what it means to “adventure” in the outdoors beyond this one definition, and truly make the outdoors a space for everyone.
“We’re not here to simply ‘burn it all down’ but to do a controlled burn of what doesn’t serve us anymore,” said José González, The Oath co-founder. “Our industry is made up of talented, passionate and dedicated individuals, so it is important how we approach this work and provide support for this community. The Oath will hopefully be that foundation and framework on which the outdoors industry can step into its leadership in terms of inclusivity, action and positive change within the world.”
“It’s time to get to work but let’s have some fun doing it,” said Teresa Baker, The Oath co-founder. She also states “We must give people the opportunity to try, fail and try again, without judgment. That’s the only path to progress.”
The Oath is available for brands/corporations to financially invest in via charitable donations. Funds will be utilized to support Oath staff members and always to offer The Oath’s education/community offerings free of cost to outdoorists. The Oath will also be available as a paid service to corporations and organizations, as well as outdoor education programs.
The Oath is launching with support from its founding members, Tommy Caldwell, Lesford Duncan, Leah Thomas, Eliot Jackson, Katie Boue, Cj Goulding, Chris Burkhard, Alison Désir, Whitney Clapper, Vasu Sojitra, Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Agnes Vianzon, Dani Reyes-Acosta, Ryan Montgomery, Spencer Scott, Emilie Hernandez, Jordan Daniel, Juju Kasiama, Cindy Villaseñor, Alexis Martin, Kristen Trudo, Evelynn Escobar, Sydney Williams, Martha Garcia, Serene Cusack, Justin Tucker, Marjana Perry Cohen, Sanni Honnold, Traci N., Bri Doste, Kristy Drutman, Courtney Sanford, Rebecca Caldwell, Eugenie Bostrom, So Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Jeremy Jensen, Tori Duhaime, Carlos Miranda, Francis Mendoza, Jaylyn Gough, Geo Soctomah Neptune, Christopher Chalaka, CJ Jerard, Tracy Ross, Liz Thomas, Alexis Krauss, Ambreen Tariq, Brody Leven, Chris Perkins, Diandra Marizet Esparza, Jess Johnson, Ron Griswell, Sabrina Katz, Samara Almonte, and Sasha Digiulian.
The Oath launches January 19, 2022, and will present during the media conference at Outdoor Retailer on January 26, 2022.
Media Contact: Jess Fiaschetti, [email protected], 415.565.9530
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About The Oath
The Oath is the genesis of José González, Pattie Gonia, and Teresa Baker. After spending a collective 30 years consulting with brands around their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, these three realized there was a strong desire from the greater outdoor community to learn about ways that they can be better allies to people and to the planet. The Oath was formed as a way to provide an educational foundation, as well as a framework for individuals to be able to create a new wave of outdoorists that are committed to creating a healthier and better outdoors.