OSI Community Podcast

024 OSI Community Podcast - A River's Role in Redeveloping a Community

When you think about infrastructure that supports outdoor recreation you might think of ski slopes, bike parks, and trails, but in Skowhegan, Maine these days the talk is all about a river park. This kind of infrastructure investment can be a decades long journey fraught with permitting issues, fundraising challenges, and the difficult work of building a shared vision amongst stakeholders. It's impressive that any small community would take on such a vision, but what's even more impressive in Skowhegan is that this vision is actually coming to life.   Just this week Kristina Cannon, Executive Director of Main St. Skowhegan and leader of the Skowhegan River Park project, was notified that they've been awarded a $4.9 million dollar EDA grant to support construction of the park - a huge milestone for everyone involved.   But what exactly is a river park? What does it mean for the community, and what impact do Kristina and others hope it will have?   At the beginning of the summer we had the chance to sit down with Kristina to ask these questions and learn more. She shared some amazing insights including what she's learned from returning home to central Maine to take on a leadership role in her community, her belief in outdoor recreation as a pathway for people to re-engage with each other, and how developing an unexpected passion for paddling has helped her rediscover her own backyard while giving her the fuel to consistently overcome the many obstacles she's faced.   Links In This Episode: Main St. Skowhegan [https://mainstreetskowhegan.org/] Skowhegan River Park [https://runofriver.org/] Skowhegan Outdoors [https://skowheganoutdoors.com/] Riverfest [https://runofriver.org/river-fest/] EDA Press Release [https://eda.gov/news/press-releases/2022/07/26/skowhegan-me.htm#:~:text=July%2026%2C%202022,by%20the%20American%20Rescue%20Plan.]   The Outdoor Sport Institute & The OSI Community Our mission is to build resilience in people and communities through (human powered) outdoor recreation. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Through the OSI Community you can access a growing online resource library and a network of peers to connect with and share ideas. Join The OSI Community For Free! [https://www.outdoorsi.org/getinvolved]

023 OSI Community Podcast - Emotional Intelligence and Serendipity in Outdoor Leadership

Chad Thatcher is a professor in Southern Oregon University's Outdoor Adventure Leadership program. He has worked, taught, and led expeditions around the globe for decades. Yet for someone with an amazing breadth and depth of technical experience, Chad's focus these days is on developing the emotional intelligence of tomorrow's outdoor leaders. His goal is to develop people who can take their leadership skills into any environment, not just the outdoors. If you find a conversation about these topics interesting, you'll really want to listen as we dive into his research on serendipity and the role it plays in emerging leaders' development. Chad's enthusiasm for his craft is infectious, and every time we talk, I come away feeling more curious and more inspired to keep learning. I hope this episode of the OSI Community Podcast does the same for you! Links Discussed in the Episode: Southern Oregon University [https://sou.edu/academics/outdoor-adventure-leadership/] Primal Leadership- Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/primal-leadership-with-a-new-preface-by-the-authors-daniel-goleman/1114979836] Day One Journaling App [https://dayoneapp.com] Emotional Intelligence Consortium [https://www.eiconsortium.org] Emotional Intelligence 23 Competencies PDF [https://www.eiconsortium.org/reports/technical_report.html]   The Outdoor Sport Institute & The OSI Community Our mission is to help people make human-powered outdoor sports an integral part of their lives and communities. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Through the OSI Community you can access a growing online resource library and a network of peers to connect with and share ideas. Join The OSI Community For Free! [https://www.outdoorsi.org/getinvolved]

022 OSI Community Podcast - Workforce Development Through Outdoor Leadership Training

This month as we continue to explore outdoor leadership development, we sat down with Seth Walton, the Outdoor Leadership Instructor at the Mid-Coast School of Technology. Seth walks us through his experience combining outdoor leadership training and workforce development for high school students in one of Maine's Career and Technical Education (CTE) Centers. He shared his approach to building a highly sought-after experience, and the ways being a small program can have BIG advantages for students. To learn more about Seth and his Outdoor Leadership program at the Mid-Coast School of Technology click on the link below. Mid-Coast School of Technology Outdoor Leadership Program [https://mcst8.org/cte-programs/outdoorleadership/] The Outdoor Sport Institute & The OSI Community Our mission is to help people make human-powered outdoor sports an integral part of their lives and communities. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. The OSI Community is a peer-driven network of people who are - * Personally pursuing outdoor sports, * Teaching and mentoring others outdoors, and / or  * Building capacity for outdoor sports in their own community Through the OSI Community you can access a growing online resource library and a network of peers to connect with and share ideas. Join The OSI Community For Free! [https://www.outdoorsi.org/getinvolved]

021 OSI Community Podcast - Developing Outdoor Leaders & The Role of Community

We're back after a "deep winter" hiatus, and invite you to join us for this first episode of 2022! This time around we found ourselves wandering into a deeper conversation about what's needed in developing outdoor leaders for today's world. We discuss the moments in our leadership journeys that helped us progress, and opened our eyes to the value of community. Speaking of which, we are now accepting applications for the OSI Summer Internship. If you are over the age of 20 and have an interest in developing your skills while working at the intersection of community and the outdoors, apply today! Here is a link to the Summer Internship Application: https://www.outdoorsi.org/summer-internship [https://www.outdoorsi.org/summer-internship] To hear more about the US Paralympic Nordic program check out episode 7 with Eileen Carey... OSI Episode 007 [https://outdoor-sport-institute.libsyn.com/007-osi-community-interview-what-makes-participation-possible-with-eileen-carey-of-the-us-paralympics-nordic-team] The Outdoor Sport Institute & The OSI Community Our mission is to help people make human-powered outdoor sports an integral part of their lives and communities. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. The OSI Community is a peer-driven network of people who are - * Pursuing outdoor sports personally * Teaching and mentoring others outdoors * Building capacity for outdoor sports in their community Through the OSI Community, members can access online and in-person instruction, a growing online resource library, and a network of peers to connect with and share ideas. Join The OSI Community For Free! [https://www.outdoorsi.org/getinvolved]

020 OSI Community Podcast - Building Support for Outdoor Initiatives

It is hard to believe, but it's our final show of 2021. Since it's that time of year that so many community organizations are trying to raise funds for their work, we thought we'd pick the brain of someone who is uniquely skilled at building support for grassroots initiatives. On this episode of the OSI Community Podcast we are sitting down with recent "Outsider of the Year [https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/outsiders-of-the-year-2021/]" Matt DeLaney.  As the former director of the Millinocket Memorial Library and a founding member of the Katahdin Gear Library, you've likely seen or heard of Matt, or as we like to call him, "Mainely DeLaney". But this time around rather than discussing the specifics of gear libraries, we asked Matt to share his ideas on the process of building community engagement and energy around local outdoor initiatives. Whether you're thinking about trail projects, gear libraries, or local outdoor programs, we think Matt's experience will prove helpful. And even more importantly, we attempt to set the record straight on where exactly "Northern" Maine really starts despite what some high profile outdoor podcasts would have you believe... To learn more about the organizations mentioned in this episode or to support their missions, please check out the links below. Katahdin Gear Library [https://millinocketmemoriallibrary.org/gear/] Outside Magazine: Forces of Good Podcast [https://www.outsideonline.com/podcast/librarian-millinocket-maine-gear/] Outdoor Sport Institute- 2021 Annual Fund Campaigns [https://www.outdoorsi.org/donate] The Outdoor Sport Institute & The OSI Community Our mission is to help people make human-powered outdoor sports an integral part of their lives and communities. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. The OSI Community is a peer-driven network of people who are - * Pursuing outdoor sports personally * Teaching and mentoring others outdoors * Building capacity for outdoor sports in their community Through the OSI Community, members can access online and in-person instruction, a growing online resource library, and a network of peers to connect with and share ideas. Join The OSI Community For Free! [https://www.outdoorsi.org/getinvolved]