Update on our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To our community,

We at Next Adventure have worked diligently throughout our 24 years to make our store and our community an inclusive and safe place for all people. Our goal has always been to increase access and break down barriers prohibiting those from enjoying the outdoors. We’ve made a concerted effort since our inception to partner with community groups that share this same mission. However, there is always more work to be done.

Since the events of last summer that lead to a global reckoning on race, we have taken a long, hard, thoughtful look at our place in the community and how we can be supportive in these efforts. We have always been committed to racial equity, and are taking steps to increase our diversity, equity and inclusion as a company, while supporting those efforts in our community and the industry.

Next Adventure values the BIPOC community and recognizes that we need to be proactive in our support. The outdoor industry has struggled for decades with limited diversity and access to the outdoors. That needs to change. Next Adventure's vision is to “lead change in our community.” An integral part of that leadership asks that we continue to re-evaluate and expand our commitments to that community. As an initial step, Next Adventure has committed to accomplishing these short- and long-term goals:

• We have recently formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to both expand Next Adventure’s community involvement and hold us accountable to our commitments.

• We will continue to update the community page on our website and use our social channels to:
- Highlight the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community groups that we are actively involved with.
- Amplify diverse voices and groups, and ways in which partners, staff and customers can contribute to those groups.
- Share our values, mission and commitment to our community on a regular basis.

• We commit to recruiting, hiring and retaining a diverse staff while increasing access within the outdoor industry.

• We will provide continual DEI training and educational materials to all staff.

• We recently launched our Paid Volunteer Time Off policy for staff to contribute to non-profit organizations.

• We will continue to commit to partnerships with organizations that are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion within the outdoors.

Though we have thought hard about the above-stated commitments, we realize that these are only initial steps in a much larger journey. We are committed as a team and a company to learning, and re-evaluating the ways in which we can support all of our communities.

In solidarity,

Deek and Bryan