12E - Jackson Hole Woman JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Dozens of middle school girls and volunteers take over the pavement near the high school football field Sept. 21 during a skateboard clinic put on by Girls Actively Participating and Carving The Future. The hourlong clinic introduced the gi
Skateboard society A local nonprofit on a shoestring budget has a big impact on girls.
W
By Evan Robinson-Johnson
hen she started sixth grade, Sofia Vazquez entered a world she was scarcely prepared for, one that taught her an important lesson: Sometimes the people you thought were your friends will stab you in the back. Vazquez, now 13 and confidently starting her eighth grade year, remembers the fear and frustration of her first middle school days, but she also remembers a positive force of change that pulled her from that dark place: Girls Actively Participating. “I went through a period of my life with people who didn’t bring me up,” Sofia told the News&Guide. “GAP showed me what real friendships were.” The empowering nonprofit has for nearly 25 years taught valley youth what it means to find your voice, build a supportive community and try new things. On a recent September afternoon more than a dozen of those middle school girls donned elbow pads and helmets to carve their way across the high school pavement. The joint event, put on by GAP and Carving The Future, was the perfect example of girls coming together to realize their own strength.
“Whenever we’re trying something new we’re overcoming fear. We’re being brave. And we’re connecting in a different way.” — Elly Garrett GIRLS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING
“Whenever we’re trying something new we’re overcoming fear,” GAP Executive Director Elly Garrett said.” We’re being brave. And we’re connecting in a different way.” It was 11-year-old Betsy Tetenman’s first time on a skateboard, and she was quite grateful for the two volunteers holding each arm. “I’m nervous! All I can think is I’ll fall on my face and die, which probably won’t happen,” she said with a nervous laugh.
The girls pick out skateboards after receiving the correct protective gear as well as a safety and basics rundown. The nonprofit Girls Actively Participating, aka GAP, offers a variety of activities and serves about 250 girls in the Tetons, including about 90 Latina youth.
Rocking a “Love ya self” T-shirt, which Tetenman said reminded her of her friends, the young skater was confidently riding solo by the end of the session. As she watched the girls suit up for their inaugural rides, Garrett sported a hand-beaded necklace and bracelet — relics from her nonprofit’s summer session at Teton Valley Ranch Camp, where 60 girls tried their hand at archery, horseback riding, and arts and crafts. Thanks to subsidies, GAP was able to provide low-income families access to an otherwise unattainable camping experience. In the past few years the nonprofit has expanded its operation to serve 250 girls in the Jackson Hole community, including about 90 Latina youth, and Teton Valley, Idaho residents. “And we do it on a shoestring budget,” Garrett said. “My office is my kitchen table.” Like other valley nonprofits, GAP relies on grants, philanthropy and partnerships to keep its operation running. This summer, girls received meals and enrichment from Hole Food Rescue’s Sprout mobile. In September they toured Lindsay Linton Buk’s immersive “Women in Wyoming” portraits at the Center for the Arts. The nonprofit is also working with Teton County School District No. 1 and the Community Safety Network to discuss mindfulness and healthy relationships. “Friend groups are evolving and changing from elementary school, and they’re meeting a lot of new
Betsy Tetenman, 11, gets help from Jenny Fitzgerald as she rides a skateboard for the many of whom had never ridden a skateboard.
Talia Atkins gives the girls a basic rundown of how to ride a skateboard as well as som is with Carving The Future, whose mission is “empowering youth through snowboard the girls throughout the clinic, giving them tips and tricks for skateboarding.
