Girls Advisory Board starts again in 2012!

Here it is--the Spring 2012 GAB Activity Schedule! Print it out, cut it out, cover it in highlighter and stick it on the fridge because you don't want to miss these bang-up events!

SPRING 2012 GAB SCHEDULE

January 28-- Rock Climbing at Boulder Rock Club
February 11--Snowshoeing in Left Hand Canyon
February 25--Primitive Skills Workshop (no-match fires, etc.)
March 10--Indoor Ice Skating in Boulder
March 24--Cross Country Skiing in Nederland
April 7--Archery in the Denver Area
April 21-- Service Day (Habitat for Humanity?)
May 5--Cinco de Mayo Celebration BBQ, Frisbee Golf and Slack-Lining

We've tried to get out and active as much as possible this spring with a wide variety of activities. Hopefully there's even something that you've never done before. What better way to try something new? Every week, or as soon as we know all of the details, we will send you an email about our next meeting. This will have driving directions, cost (if any), what to bring, etc. We will try to stick to this schedule as much as possible, but please know that it is subject to adjustment.

We have a new policy this semester: If you are planning to attend, RSVP by email or phone by the Thursday night before the meeting. If we have not heard from enough girls by that time we may cancel. If you miss the RSVP deadline, call Taylor at 612-720-1318 to learn if it is still possible to join that week. Due to the come-when-you-can nature of GAB, please RSVP every week you want to join us. Thank you for your help in this!

Rock Climbing at Boulder Rock Club January 28
Due to popular demand, we are going rock climbing again on Saturday, January 28th! Please note that this is a different location than last fall's event. Meet at Boulder Rock Club (2829 Mapleton Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301) at 9:00 AM with a water bottle, snack, comfortable clothes, and completed GAB Participant Forms. (Please fill them out at home as we will only have a few extra copies with us on Saturday.) We have negotiated a discounted $8 entry fee as we will be using Women's Wilderness shoes and equipment. Please RSVP by Thursday, January 26th with your shoe size so we can have the right equipment available. We will be finished at noon.

If you have any questions about this week or future weeks' meetings, let us know. We look forward to seeing you soon!

If you did not make it to a GAB event this fall, don't worry, now's a great time to start! We realize everyone has busy schedules and know that you may not be able to make every meeting. That's ok, we'll be happy to see you when we do. Also, feel free to grab a friend and bring her along -- it's never too late to join the fun!

Unfortunately, Megan Fettig is not able to lead GAB this spring, but April Olliver has volunteered to join Taylor Anderson in running the program. April and Taylor are very excited to be your Spring 2012 GAB leaders and hopefully, Megan will still be able to join us on excursions when she is available!

One of our goals for GAB in Spring 2012 is to have our meetings planned out farther in advance. In order to do this we need your help! Tell us what you want to do! Ideas we've had include snowshoeing, climbing, slack-lining, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and a service day (Habitat for Humanity, animal shelter, community garden, etc.). What's something you would love to try, if only you had the chance? Get those creative juices flowing and shoot us an email before our first meeting on January 14th. We will discuss and vote on activities in this first meeting, but if you can't make it your idea will still be heard.

So much to think about! But what about our first meeting?? Saturday, January 14th we will meet at 9:00 AM at the Women's Wilderness Institute office. We will walk to the Four Mile Creek trail head for a winter hike and then finish with hot chocolate and excursion planning back at the office. Please RSVP to gab@womenswilderness.org if you can make it.

Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Meet your GAB facilitators:

Taylor Anderson is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington in 2009. After spending time traveling and working in New Zealand, she moved to Boulder a year ago to be closer to the mountains. She loves to travel, hike, row, run, cross-country ski and be outside as much as possible. This summer she taught canoeing and led overnight trips for a girl's camp in Maine. She is looking forward to her first GAB and TWII experience!

April Ollivier has worked as an adventure guide for teenagers for nine summers at Bold Earth, a local traveling camp. April is also a NOLS graduate of the Pacific Northwest Mountaineering Course. She has her B.A. from University of Oregon in Sociology and her M.S. from University of Utah in Experiential Education. April is excited to volunteer with GAB!

Check back here for updates on GAB and see what adventures lie ahead! 

Basic Info for GAB: 

What: A 3 hour gathering of girls that starts with an activity, initiative, creative or outdoor project and leads into time to plan two outdoor excursions (rock climbing, snow shoeing, hiking, etc) for November 5th and December 3rd.

Who: YOU! An amazing group of young women who are Girls' Wilderness alumnae and a TWWI facilitator.

Where: We'll start at TWWI's new office, off Lee Hill Road in Boulder. But depending on who is interested in joining, that location can change. (We can meet outside or in another town that's closer to you).

When: 9AM-12PM Every other Saturday morning, starting on September 24th and ending on December 3rd.

Why: To gain leadership skills, have fun, plan outdoor excursions, be creative, and create community.

Come join us for as many sessions as you can on Saturday mornings starting on September 24th at 9AM at our new location at 1501 Lee Hill Road, Boulder (Unit 16). There is no cost for the gatherings, though the outdoor excursions will incur some fees that we can brainstorm fundraising options for.

Please EMAIL US and let us know if you'd like to participate (even if you can't make all of the meetings). We'd love to have you join! And if you need help with a ride, let's problem solve! Be in touch with any questions.

You do not need to be a Boulder resident to join GAB! We'd love to hear from girls all over Colorado and out of state, if that's the case for you! If you think you might be interested in GAB, please send us an email! 

Thanks! We look forward to reconnecting with our Girls' Wilderness girls and creating great offerings throughout the school year!