National Association of Black Scuba Divers, Embark Outdoors, Soil4climate!

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SCUBA DIVERS

The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) was established in 1991 by Ric Powell and Dr. A. Jose Jones. Powell and Jones were two of the earliest African-Americans to become certified divers. They created NABS to foster camaraderie among African American divers, and to address the unique problems and concerns of the African-American community.

NABS is a registered 501 c 3 non-profit organization the whose mission includes providing educational experiences which enhance and promote an appreciation of diving and an awareness of the aquatic environment. 

Since its inception, NABS now boasts over 2,000 members in 13 US states as well as Mozambique in Africa.

It’s dedicated to providing training and support to youth that maybe economically unable to train and certify as a new generation of divers.  We recognize the need to establish an educational scholarship component of scuba to assist with youth that desire education and a career in Marine Science, Plant Biology, or Plant Zoology as it pertains to life beneath the seas.

Why does the National Association of Black Scuba Divers matter to us: It’s in its vision statement: To promote scuba diving, water sports skills, and environmental awareness and conservation. To help develop educational programs that will stimulate interest and To provide scholarships for college students studying marine and environmental sciences.

NABS is looking to train the next generation so that there will be a next, next generation! And to that end, it sponsors an annual NABS Youth Summit. Click on the links in the Deeper Dive section of this story at theclimate.org/episodes to find out more.

DEEPER DIVE: NABS, Youth Summit, Regional Clubs, Dr. A. Jose Jones Harvard Interview, Insta, Twitter

EMBARK OUTDOORS

Here’s a cool organization we discovered thanks to our reporting on Melanin Base Camp last week. The organization is Embark Outdoors. It’s a US-based non-profit designed to empower refugee young women through outdoor education and sports, such as climbing, hiking, swimming, and camping. 

It was founded by Camille Fiducia back in 2019. She was inspired by the work she’d done in 2018 in Afghanistan with Ascend, an American NGO giving Afghan women the tools and skills to climb mountains. Embark Outdoors incorporates these elements for success:

Outdoor Sports & Education – an outdoor education program that focuses on independence, and empowering participants to share the outdoors with their community, therefore exponentially increasing access. This includes workshops in Wilderness First Aid, How to safely choose hikes and find trails, and environmental stewardship.

Therapy – Conscious conversations are a big part of Embark’s programming. The life of a female refugee in the United States can be difficult from language barriers, to bias and sexism, to just dealing with clothes. Embark teaches young women how to challenge any situation which threatens to stand in the way of education, achievement, and human rights as women. 

Also transportation to and from activities and most importantly, access to Higher Education and Future Employment

Why does the work of Embark Outdoors matter to us? It believes that a challenge today becomes a tool for tomorrow. Its team is teaching young women about resilience. And their core belief is that the outdoors is a space we all share, no matter where we come from, and understanding how to engage with the outdoors helps bridge cultural gaps.

And as I’ve said many times, the more of us get comfortable outdoors, the more invested we become in saving the outdoors.

DEEPER DIVE: Embark Outdoors, Camille Fiducia

SOIL4CLIMATE

Soil4Climate is a global movement made up of heroes like you who are championing soil as a climate solution. We communicate the science, policy, and practices of restoring soil to capture carbon, replenish water tables, produce healthy food, reverse desertification, mitigate conflict in dryland areas, and, in general, provide promise for a bountiful and life affirming future. You make is all possible and we thank you for it. Please join our Facebook group and share your voice there. Your financial support is also greatly appreciated. Peace & Love – The Soil4Climate team.

Its mission is to advocate for soil restoration as a climate mitigation solution. Vision: A livable climate with healthy soils. Values: Transparency. Respect. Education. Hopefulness. Love.  

Education and Outreach: Its communications goal is to make soil a meme within the climate movement. The group hosts educational workshops on the value of soil as a climate solution and encourage activists to promote the message of soil at rallies and land oriented conferences.

DEEPER DIVE: SOIL4CLIMATE, S4C ANTHEM VIDEO