Seiler's beginner-friendly mindset helps her connect with other hikers or backpackers on The Venture Out Project's trips. I don't think you have to start a new activity and be obsessed with it or throw it in the trash can." "It's so new to me that I'm still learning my love for it in a lot of ways. I'd never been in the backcountry before The Venture Out Project," she explains. "I had never been backpacking before The Venture Out Project. Seiler says working with The Venture Out Project has also been a learning curve for her personally. Excursions range from short day hikes to multiday backpacking and rafting trips - experiences that are often brand new to the LGBTQ+ people on the trips. Like many of her colleagues at The Venture Out Project, Seiler also leads trips as an interning instructor. Today, she is the marketing and partnerships coordinator at The Venture Out Project, an organization that leads backpacking and wilderness trips for the LGBTQ+ community. Seiler eventually spent five months rotating through organic farms in western Massachusetts and western Maine, a decision that would eventually lead her to a life spent outside. Stuck at home during a pandemic, she started exploring her options - and discovered Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), a program where participants work on an organic farm in exchange for free room and board. It offers various programs and workshops to empower individuals and companies alike to form new relationships with ourselves, the outdoors, and our LGBTQ+ friends, family, and neighbors.Though Ana Seiler has fond childhood memories of camping trips to Mount Katahdin in Maine, her love for the outdoors didn't fully blossom until after she graduated college in 2020. The Venture Out Project has increasingly focused on skill-building and leadership development within the LGBTQ+ community and with allied organizations. It’s worked on addressing issues of accessibility and representation within the outdoor industry. In recent years, The Venture Out Project has placed a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusivity, striving to make outdoor spaces more welcoming to all members of the LGBTQ+ community, regardless of their background or identity. Additionally, partnerships were formed with outdoor organizations to provide a wider range of experiences. More outdoor activities such as rock climbing, backpacking, and kayaking were introduced. The Project gained momentum and began expanding offerings. The project's history can be divided into several key phases: As of 2023, The Venture Out Project has grown to be a nationally recognized nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ community building and challenge-based personal development outdoors, having led over 50 adventures for upwards of 500 LGBTQ+ participants from across the globe. The Venture Out Project (TVOP) was founded with the intention of leading a few backpacking trips each year for queer and trans people. He set out to merge his personal passion and professional aspirations by creating an outdoor adventure outfitter by and for queer people, now known as The Venture Out Project. In 2014, Perry traded his corporate office for a backpack and a dream. As he navigated his own transition, Perry wanted others to feel, even if just for a moment, grateful for their bodies and where they could take them. It enabled him to feel proud of what his body could do and where it could take him. The outdoors had always been a place where Perry Cohen found comfort, inspiration and joy.
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