‘A safe environment’ : Women’s wilderness workshop to take place next month
Posted Aug 25, 2018 06:00:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A workshop for women to learn outdoor skills kicks off in the fall, offering them the chance to try out traditionally male-dominated activities for the first time.
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, or BOW, first started in the United States in 1991, and Nova Scotia began offering the program in 1997.
“It did definitely start to open a safe environment for women to be able to explore the hunting and fishing aspect of the outdoors,” said Nancy Parsons, a past participant and board member of BOW Nova Scotia.
Over a weekend in September, women will take beginner-level workshops on things like hunting — either with a crossbow or with a gun — kayaking, wilderness navigation and survival, and sport fishing.
They also hold workshops in the winter, where women can learn how to ice fish, hunt in cold weather or use snowshoes and cross-country skis.
20 years after BOW began in Nova Scotia, more women feel comfortable engaging in outdoor activities, though Parsons said the appetite for this type of program is just as strong.
“I often wonder, ‘how long will we be needed?’” she said. “And every year, we fill up and the feedback is great.”
She said no experience is necessary, as the point of the program is to give people a taste of these outdoor activities to see what they like and if they want to pursue them once the weekend is over.
“It’s so amazing to watch them when they leave,” she said.
The program eliminates the need to buy expensive equipment or commit a lot of time to an activity they might not like, said Parsons.
She also said that joining an outdoor club with no experience can be daunting, since they tend to be filled with people who are already enthusiasts.
“There’s no judging if you don’t hold the gun quite right,” said Parsons. “It’s just a fun, safe environment with like-minded women.”
There’s a big emphasis on safety: before women in the shooting class go off to the range, they need to take a class on how to safely handle a firearm.
In their hiking class, they’re taught what to do in case they get lost.
This year, the workshop will be held between Sept. 21-23 in Brigadoon Village in Aylesford, where around 70 women will take part.
All of the instructors are volunteers, and most are women, said Parsons.
“We have volunteers who have been with us since the beginning,” she said. “We have a lot of women who are outdoor enthusiasts and have experience in different areas.”
The price of the weekend program — $250 — goes entirely toward the costs of running it.
While the workshops are meant for beginners, she said only about half of the participants are newcomers: many of the others come back year-over-year.
Parsons said she’s always excited to hear stories about the women who went on to pursue the activities they first tried out through BOW.
“They never thought it would be so fun,” said Parsons.
“They do continue on with the activity that they’ve fallen in love with.”
