June 1, 2023
Found in “Community news, Activities”
Happy Pride Month! This year, MEC strongly believes that showing our Pride is more important than ever. We’ll be recognizing and celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the outdoors and beyond, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve got planned.
Return of Queer Gear Kits
After last year’s super successful launch, we’re excited to announce that Queer Gear Kits are back. MEC wants to increase equity in the outdoors, and these grants help support 2SLGBTQIA+ community groups getting more folks outside.
Last year's recipients are using the Queer Gear Kits grant for all kinds of awesome outdoor plans – everything from land-based cultural activities to camping retreats and bikepacking trips. Take a look at our chat with last year’s recipients to how they’re using these grants and the impact the grants are having for their community groups.
What’s in a Queer Gear Kit?
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$1,000 grant for outdoor activities with your community group
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Epic camp set-up for your crew (tents, sleeping bags, camp kitchen gear and more)
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Pride outside gear from MEC
Applications are open June 1 to 30 (we’ll contact recipients in August). Spread the word if you know any groups that would be interested.
Base Camp Duffle Artist Collab
Pride month is an opportunity to showcase the talents of incredible 2SLGBTQIA+ artists across the country, so we’ve teamed up with our friends at The North Face for an exciting collaboration. We’ve worked with four artists from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal to customize iconic The North Face Base Camp Duffles in their own unique ways – and you have a chance to take one home.
You can see the finished designs on our Base Camp Artist Duffle Collab page, or in-person at MEC Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. The best part? You can enter our raffle for a chance to win one. All raffle proceeds will go to The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
Buy your raffle tickets before June 30.
Out and About Pride
Ready to get this Pride party started? Join us in-stores for free events to celebrate Pride, use our climbing wall (beginner climbers welcome!), win prizes, and meet community groups. There’ll be music, giveaways, cold plunge fundraisers, local climbing crews to connect with, and much more. We have a hunch these events are going to be super popular, and we’d love to see you there.
See event details:
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MEC Vancouver: August 5–6
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MEC Calgary: August 19-20
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MEC Toronto: June 24-25
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MEC Montreal: August 5-6
Love Letters, in collaboration with Leah Day
We partnered up with Vancouver-based multi-disciplinary artist Leah Day to transform the MEC twin peaks into special in-store installations at six stores across Canada.
Stop by one of the stores listed below to see the incredible art piece she’s created. Come by, spread some love and leave your own note on the installation to share with your local community.
Love letters installation
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MEC Vancouver: July 24 – August 13
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MEC Victoria: June 19 – July 16
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MEC Calgary: August 14 – September 10
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MEC Toronto: June 12–July 12
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MEC Ottawa: August 7 – September 3
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MEC Montreal: July 31 – August 20
About Leah Day:
Leah Day
IG: @leahdayarts
leahdayarts.com
Originally from the wilds of the Yukon Territory, Leah is an artist, avid naturalist, and fierce environmentalist who cares deeply for our environment and all beings who live on our earth.
Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
MEC is committed to being a DEI leader in the outdoor space, and Pride month is the perfect time to reflect on the work we do year-round to create and nurture a culture of belonging and build an inclusive community for our staffers. The past few years have been a time of learning and growth for MEC; some of the many initiatives we’ve adopted include unconscious bias training, inclusive bathrooms, a practice of sharing inclusive community agreements at every meeting, and an evolving collection of resources and training programs which help staffers continue to learn from the lived experiences of others. A dedicated DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging) Committee provides a platform for open dialogue and collaboration which centers the diverse voices of our staffers, to ensure our work is driven from within.
This June, as every year, you’ll see many of our staffers sporting the Pride flag in the stores. Internally, we’ll celebrate with a series of events, from Pride-themed Field Experiences (outdoor-based gear and activity education sessions for retail staff) to fireside chats, to film screenings and more. At each moment of coming together, we ask one another to reflect on what Pride means to each of us, and how we can all make the outdoors more inclusive, no matter the month of the year.
While we love, love, LOVE celebrating Pride, it’s important to note that building and fostering an inclusive workplace is a practice, not a project. We are excited to continue to grow and deepen this practice over years to come.
