Michèle Banks’s (BEd’93, MEd’13) research explores the intersection of outdoor recreation, environmental sustainability and the lived experiences of marginalized women. Her work has taken her to northwest England, where she connected and worked with a not-for-profit organization operating outdoor recreation programs for women. “There are years of generational poverty, oppression, and often very patriarchal systems. I’m particularly interested in understanding the barriers these women face, especially those from disadvantaged or abusive backgrounds.”
This work is personal for Michèle, who raised a family as a single mother on a shoestring budget and underwent years of stalking and emotional abuse. It is a continuation of decades of volunteering with women’s organizations, children’s organizations, coaching and advocating for communities to spend more time outdoors and involved in sports. And, in many ways, it is a natural evolution from her 21-year teaching career, when she taught high school math and science and integrated her teaching into an outdoor pursuits program and experiential education for at-risk students.
In the course of her research, Michèle has been struck by the resilience and creativity of the women she works with. “Despite facing significant systemic and personal barriers, many of them have found ways to use outdoor experiences for healing, for empowerment, and more importantly, for community leadership.”
The Leslie E. Bruce Environmental Scholarship and the Pam and John Little Overseas Scholarship provided invaluable support for Michèle's work.
“It’s allowed me to dedicate myself to my research, given me the opportunity to travel abroad as a researcher and connect with women whose stories parallel mine. It’s a reminder that people believe in the power of this research. “This support not only eases my financial pressures, but it also strengthens my sense of responsibility to carry this work forward.”
Education got Michèle through challenging times and she thinks it’s key for women facing difficult situations. “Education is not just academia. But academia allows us the opportunity to create a platform where individuals with innate knowledge can amplify their voices. It’s an opportunity for collaboration, coexistence, giving agency to people who are on the margins and seldom heard. It’s about putting women’s voices at the centre.
“I think the measure of success is whether this research helps others in outdoor spaces and sustainability initiatives create transformation for the people who really matter, the people at the grassroots level. I firmly believe that if you allow the opportunity for women to amplify their own voices, you will bring about sustainable change.”
