Press Release​

Celebrate adventure at Refuge Outdoor Festival at Tolt-MacDonald Park offering outdoor recreation workshops, live music, and art by and for BIPOC communities

Refuge Outdoor Festival, a three-day outdoor recreation and camping experience geared toward BIPOC participants and featuring more than 20 workshops and activities for all levels of outdoor enthusiasts, returns to King County’s Tolt-MacDonald Park & Campground Aug. 18-20.

Articles​

The 29 Best Outdoor Festivals in 2023

Just like with any campout, however, the secret sauce is the community formed around the campfire each night.

Refuge Outdoor Festival is back September 27 – 29​

Refuge is partnering with a number of outdoor organizations…to offer festival activities such as outdoor yoga, herbalism for self-care, biking and birding, and hiking. In expanding upon its inclusivity…plans are in the works for a Refuge Kid Zone this year.​

Chevon Powell organizes first annual Refuge Outdoor Festival for outdoors enthusiasts of color

In response to…the experiences that people of color and Black people have gone through because of those prejudices and misconceptions, Powell is now organizing the first annual Refuge Outdoor Festival…​

‘Nature keeps me grounded’: How burns, racism and death inspired this WA outdoor festival​

One of the dominant false narratives of the outdoors is that people of color are missing from it. Purveyors cite statistics showing whites accounting for nearly 80 percent of visitors to national parks… On the other hand, 70 percent of respondents to a survey of nonwhite voters said they participated in outdoor activities on public lands.

An interview with the founder of Refuge Outdoor Festival​

For many reasons, including economic and safety issues, the outdoors can be intimidating, particularly for people of color. Chevon Powell, founder of Golden Bricks Events, is committed to flipping that stat and making the outdoors accessible for everyone.​

‘Refuge’ Camp Fest Offers Outdoor Community for People of Color​

The inaugural campout for inclusion tackled tough topics in open conversations. For example, an interracial couple led a discussion on race and privilege. The topic resulted in a packed house.​

Barrier breakers: The fight to make the outdoors a more inclusive space​

The participants share stories like Martinez Paz’s for over an hour about how their families have historically connected to the outdoors…and what it’s like to be a person of colour in a predominantly white space.​

Uncomfortable yet? Good.​

If we are ever going to create a truly equal world, the people who have historically been comfortable in it need to learn to be OK with giving up some of that comfort to make way for, and try to understand, the struggles of others.​

Broadening perspectives on the outdoors​

For Conservation Northwest, Refuge Outdoor Festival was a reflection on the breadth of perspective people have on the outdoors. It was also a reminder that people of all backgrounds and orientations share the spaces where we recreate…​

Inclusion Outdoors: Refuge Outdoor Festival​

The thirty hours I spent at Refuge were filled with inspired discussions, powerful testimonies, and a sense of community and solidarity rarely felt by people of color outside.​

The Outdoors: Not white people sh*t. Talking to our people about the 2018 Refuge Outdoor Festival​

A thing that hit us right in our interests at the festival was that a lot of the weekend’s seminars had a storytelling focus, and a major theme of the festival was sharing stories about what it means to be a person of color in the outdoors.​

Three Days at Refuge Outdoor Festival​

I know my story is not unique. Many POC or low-income folks had similar thoughts… Having a community of individuals with similar histories is necessary to process this barrier.​

Audio

She Explores Podcast Episode 82​

Featuring: Kristin Link, with a special intro segment featuring Chevon Powell, founder of Refuge Outdoor Festival.​

Thanksgiving: Hiking and Mountaineering, Ep. 126

Family and friends get you into trouble, and help get you through. In this episode our co-host is Chevon Powell of the Refuge Outdoor Festival.

20 AdventShorts: Interview with Chevon Powell of Golden Bricks Events​

In this episode we catch up with Chevon Powell, founder of Golden Bricks Events. Chevon’s getting ready to launch Refuge Outdoor Festival, an outdoor festival geared toward people of color and allies, from September 28-30, 2018.​

Natural Choice Network: KKNW Get Outdoors​

Experiencing nature “up-close” has a powerful and transformational effect on our health and well-being. Hear Chevon Powell’s personal moving experiences, and what led her to create the Refuge Outdoor Festival.​