Image: Courtesy, Critical Mass Summit
The All Female Speaker Schedule Focuses on Wellness, Social Change and Active Transportation
Critical Mass Summit has announced their evolving event line-up and ticket sales for the two-day summit taking place on Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24, 2021. Critical Mass Summit, supported by the Walton Family Foundation, A two-day summit designed to empower and connect women and other underrepresented genders with the trails, cycling and active transportation community. This includes cis women, trans women, women of color, the non-binary community and those who are otherwise marginalized. Tickets are on sale via their website.
Critical Mass Summit has announced its session leaders as an all women identifying line-up for the event that includes a mixture of local and national speakers and community leaders. The weekend’s schedule is intentionally built and led by women who have made a deep impact or change within their field. A preview of the sessions taking place include:
Friday, July 23 – an interactive virtual workshop from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with attendees from around the nation invited to attend.
- Why We Should Engage in the Development of Our Growing Cities: Led by Dr. Destiny Thomas, founder of Thrivance Group, attendees understand why being engaged in the development of our growing cities creates a world where everyone has equitable access.
- How to Organize the Community to Support a Cause: Led by Charlene Mack, Vice President, National Partnerships and Trainings at Innovate Public Schools. Attendees will walk away from this session understanding the foundation of community organizing and understanding power as a foundation tool for shifting the world.
- How to Sustain Your Own Momentum – Cultivating Resilience to Avoid Burning Out: Led by Kelsey Blackwell, a somatic practitioner and writer, will teach attendees the importance of momentum and walk away with an embodied practice for cultivating resilience and sustaining well-being to fight fatigue and burnout.
- How to Effectively Engage with Elected Officials Panel: Moderated by Jaclyn House, Host and Producer of Good Day NWA, with special guests including Arkansas State Senator Joyce Elliott, Evelyn Rios-Stafford, Justice of the Peace for District 12 in Washington County, Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer of El Dorado, Gayatri Agnew, member of Bentonville’s City Council and other influential women in the Arkansas community.
- Concurrent Sessions for White and BIPOC Women to Explore Building Inclusive Spaces and Navigating Barriers: Led by Aparna Rajagopal, Co-Founder of the Avarna Group and PGM ONE and Elyse Rylander, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Manager for Quality Bicycle Products, this session will create accountability and affinity spaces that provide deeper conversation around exclusion and barriers in the trails and cycling sector.
- Celebrating Your Accomplishments with Ritual and Remedy: Led by Felicia Ruiz, founder of Kitchen Curandera, attendees in this workshop will create their own aromatherapy spritzer and discuss how indigenous aromatics are utilized to calm minds and uplift spirits.
Saturday’s events will be in-person experiences from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with the intent of introducing attendees to new activities across Northwest Arkansas. Designed to foster relationships and give participants the opportunity to try an activity they have always wanted to experience or deepen their knowledge of, the day is designed to be a day of outdoor fun and building relationships with activities including hiking, paddleboarding, Razorback Greenway bike riding, mountain biking, gravel riding, indoor rock climbing, kayaking, yoga, meditation and more. Equipment and expert support will be provided. Saturday’s events will wrap up with an in-person reception at Natural State Rock & Republic, from 12 to 2 p.m., located in Springdale for food, drinks and a time to further build new relationships.
Courtesy graphic
Tickets are on sale in weekend pass or individual day ticket format. For the inaugural event, attendees who identify as female or non-binary with an interest in social change (individuals or organizations influencing the community), cycling or the active transportation space (human powered transportation) at an individual or organizational level are welcome to attend. Financial assistance is available to help cover the cost of registration, being absent from a day of work, and/or assist with child-care costs. Contact [email protected] if you or someone you know wants assistance or more information. Tickets can be purchased online at https://registration.socio.events/e/criticalmasssummit.
*The Critical Mass Summit team is conscious of the ever-evolving language around gender and identity. The Summit team uses woman/en to refer to anyone who identifies as female, regardless of sex assigned at birth, gender expression or gender identity. The goal is to create a space that is inclusive, respectful and welcoming of the trans, cis and non-binary communities.
About Critical Mass Summit
Created in 2021 by BikeNWA and NWA Trailblazers, with their partner and adopted initiative Bike.POC, Critical Mass Summit is a two-day experience designed to connect and unite underrepresented populations in the cycling, active transportation and social change spaces. Focused on the region of Northwest Arkansas and surrounding areas, the summit is intentionally focused on women who normally do not have the ability to participate in conversations and decision-making around these topics, whether that is due to lack of resources, access or opportunity, to further grow and diversify the cycling and active transportation movement. Like them on Facebook, follow them on Instagram (@critical.mass.summit) or visit their website. Tickets can be purchased at: www.registration.socio.events/e/criticalmasssummit.
About BikeNWA
BikeNWA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to create a more active transportation friendly community by advocating for safe, connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; supporting programs and events that foster a thriving, fun cycling culture; and ensuring that diverse constituencies have a voice in the development of new policies and infrastructure. To learn more, visit www.BikeNWA.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About Bike.POC
Bike.POC was formed by Kim Seay and Bea Apple in early 2020 to diversify the cycling community in Northwest Arkansas. They launched a series of Black Lives Matter rides to show support for racial justice issues and create a welcoming place for people of color to participate. BikeNWA supported this effort by providing bikes and logistical support. In 2021, BikeNWA and BIke.POC will continue to work together in furtherance of their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion in the cycling and active transportation community in Northwest Arkansas. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
About NWA Trailblazers
NWA Trailblazers is a nonprofit organization that develops multi-use trails for cycling, running, walking and most importantly, discovering the beauty found across NW Arkansas. For two decades the NWA Trailblazers have been committed to building quality trails. Community driven with the main goal to help NW Arkansas step outside and discover more. To learn more, visit www.nwatrailblazers.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
This Summit Would Not Be Possible Without the Walton Family Foundation
The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
