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Stories / November 2024
Footprints Camp, a hub for climate action and community
Kilian Jornet Foundation, a key supporter of this project, shares the experience with you.
Footprints Camp, founded four years ago by NNormal athlete Dakota Jones and Nate Bender
A dynamic space designed for environmental enthusiasts with innovative projects or ideas. The goal? To provide a collaborative environment where people can develop their ideas, learn from each other, and build meaningful connections. Every year, the camp is led by mentors from various professional backgrounds, bringing unique expertise to guide the participants through the creative and development processes.
This year, Gerard Vila from the Kilian Jornet Foundation, one of the main supporters of this project alongside NNormal, joined the Footprints Camp to learn and share everything with us. Now, he’s here to tell you his story.
Gerard Vila at Footprints Camp: insights and stories to share
It’s difficult to explain what Footprints is once you’ve experienced a week there. So many things happen at the same time. But before I go into detail about what happened, let me introduce the camp and its mentors. The camp aims to bring together environmental enthusiasts who have a project or idea to develop. The goal is to create a workspace with a sense of community, where everyone helps each other. The camp is also guided by mentors from diverse backgrounds, who give campers the tools to improve their ideas, offer advice on projects, or simply listen to what campers want to achieve. This year, the mentors at Footprints camp were superb.
Jon Jon Moore, with his vast experience in publishing and teaching, led the program, bringing wisdom and guiding us with his work at Lab Third Revolution, where he helps early-stage climate tech startups shape impactful narratives. Another mentor, and my roommate, was Peter Schachte—a poet, trail runner, and one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. Brittany Biltzer brought calmness and kindness, effortlessly boosting everyone’s confidence. Brianna Pagan, from NASA’s Goddard Center, impressed not only with her title but with her deep sensitivity and passion for climate justice. Adeline Thomson, an expert in climate philanthropy and environmental storytelling, radiated warmth and made everyone feel truly special. And Ryan Thrower, co-founder of Free Trail, quietly captured the essence of every moment with his photography, blending talent with sensitivity.
Finally, Dakota Jones, the person who made this all possible and brought me here. I’m pretty sure that when Footprints first came to Dakota’s mind, what he envisioned is exactly what we experienced this week. Thanks, man!
A Week Like No Other
The campers arrived at Footprints with a broad variety of projects, each at different stages of development. Their initiatives covered a broad range of goals: from Zander Chase's idea of helping coastal communities recover from natural disasters by transforming destructive forces into constructive energy, to Amanda Presgraves' project, which seeks to expand her nonprofits efforts to create safer, healthier, and more equitable communities in Harrisburg through mountain biking. Other examples of projects are Olivia Somhegyi’s mission to educate trail users in Bend, Oregon, on the impacts of climate change, or Lauro Silva’s vision to build an inclusive community around running camps. These are just a few examples of the ideas that took shape and evolved during the week at Footprints. The real priority, however, isn't having the most brilliant idea, it's having the motivation to drive change.
If all this resonates inside you, if you have ideas, whether big or small, but do you really want to do something to fight against climate change, social injustice or for your community, regardless of the scale or resources, with Footprints you’ll find a community that wants to listen and help you achieve your goal.
What happened this week can only truly be understood by those who were there, but I can assure you, it was one of the deepest experiences I’ve ever had. Thank you to all the mentors, campers, and everyone involved, especially Dakota, for making this journey unforgettable.
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