Colour The Trails
Colour the Trails was launched in 2017 to improve access to outdoor activities for BIPoC (including those who lay within the intersection of BIPoC and 2SLGBTQAI+ community) adventurers after seeing a severe lack of representation of racialized individuals in the outdoors space. With chapters across Canada, CTT has reached over two thousand individuals through various intro clinics and mentorship programs to equip folks with the knowledge and skills to feel confident, safe in the outdoors, while working alongside Indigenous outdoor organizations to stand in solidarity and further ongoing reconciliation.
How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business?
The $10,000 will be used to help launch or Wellness in Colour programming across Canada. Wellness in Colour is a Colour the Trails initiative that aims to cultivate and promote wellness for Black Indigenous and racialized folks. Our well-being encompasses not only our physical health but also our mental, emotional, and social well-being. Creating a safe space to amplify and support the community of Colour is essential for healing and promoting well-being. Each event will be tied to a specific healing modality such as meditation, yoga, therapy, art therapy, mindfulness practices, or traditional cultural healing techniques.
What is your big goal for the future of the business?
Within three to five years, we hope and believe that participation and interest in the programming will have grown to enable us to move from single event programming and into a mentorship program for Wellness in Colour. Mentorship enables us to support community members by offering workshops or training opportunities based on interest and focused on personal growth, professional skills, and community advocacy. We would also then pair individuals in the community with experienced mentors who can provide guidance, support, and encouragement on a more ongoing basis. Ultimately, we would operate this with a “pay it forward” approach and expectation for participants to reinvest in the community using their newfound skills.
