Join UCASA, Weber State University, and Seekhaven for a journey through advocacy in the outdoor recreation industry. In, Where Advocacy Meets the Trail: A Trauma Informed-Approach to Outdoor Recreation, we will delve into sexual violence in the outdoor recreation industry, ways to spot it and counter it, how to use trauma-informed advocacy in the field, and tips to support survivors who have been assaulted during an outing. 

Register here!

Our presenters:

Ariel Atkins

Ariel Atkins is the Director of Prevention and Education at Seekhaven: Family Crisis & Resource Center in Moab, UT. She has a background working at a variety of educational and community nonprofit organizations as well as for-profit and non-profit recreation organizations. She blends these experiences in her current violence prevention work through a variety of ways, but the part of her job she loves the most is connecting with workplaces to lead interactive, scenario-based trainings that increases safety and belonging.

Jessica Pleyel

Jess has worked at Weber State University’s Women’s Center since 2019 as the Safe@Weber Advocate. Before that, she worked as a shelter services advocate at the Domestic Violence Intervention Program in Iowa City as well as a Healthy Relationships and Art Instructor at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. Jessica has earned her Master’s of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Master’s of Arts in Intermedia Art, and a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Iowa. Jess moved from Iowa and was eager to start a new adventure in Ogden, Utah. This included taking an Intro to Climbing class at Weber State University where she fell in love with the sport.

She now is a climbing instructor at WSU and co-created the course Risk, Resilience, and Rock Climbing, a gender studies and climbing course that investigates power and privilege in the climbing world and how to expand the field to be more inclusive, intersectional, and accessible to people from a variety of backgrounds. Jess's long-term goal is to create trauma-informed climbing spaces for survivors.

When she isn't climbing or supporting survivors, you can find Jess trail running, hiking with her dog Chika, or pole dancing for fitness.

Andi Tremonte

Andi Tremonte has a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies and a Masters of Criminal Justice from Weber State University. Currently, they are the Assistant Director for UCASA and support sexual assault programs, domestic violence service providers, and government organizations in Utah, offering support services for underserved clients as well as training and technical assistance. Andi’s career has focused on working with LGBTQIA+ victims of crime from youth to adulthood. Their professional life has included facilitating trans support groups, and cultural competency training for a number of organizations throughout Utah, including Starbucks Coffee Company, victim service providers, universities, and various community members.

In Andi’s free time, they enjoy building dioramas, Legend of Korra, scary video games like: The Last of Us 2, Resident Evil, Dead By Daylight (Jill Valentine main and you bet she's P100), their cats (Bolin and Toriko), and the mountains. They may or may not have extensive knowledge of all things sasquatch and fear the creature when they hike.