The Paddlesports Leadership Academy (PLA) is back for 2024! The PLA provides participants with the opportunity to develop paddlesport skills necessary to be outdoor recreation leaders in their communities and provide representation in paddlesports through a focus on the development of leaders from historically underrepresented and excluded identities. The curriculum takes on a multidisciplinary approach and provides training in kayak, canoe, and stand-up paddleboarding, covering rescues, risk management, and technical paddling skills. Additionally, this program focuses on mentorship, relationship building and providing graduates opportunities to continue to grow and evolve as leaders on the water. A core component of the academy will be the incubation of group culture that helps participants learn, play, and grow their technical and leadership skills in a supportive environment as they work to create inclusive space in the outdoors that addresses exclusion, barriers to access, and historical erasure. The 4-day course, put on by Anna Levesque with Mind Body Paddle, Gerry Seavo James with the Outdoor Recreation Design Lab and Tennessee RiverLine programs staff, will include daily on-water instruction, lodging, transportation, food, and a modest travel reimbursement at no cost to participants. 

Priority will be given to regional applicants from Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina. We encourage applications from individuals who identify with historically underrepresented or excluded groups and aspiring or current access, equity and inclusion leaders in the outdoor industry.

Outdoor Recreation Design Lab