10.20.25 – 10.24.25
Level 3-4: Whitewater Canoeing Instructor Certification Workshop (IDW/ICE) – LGBTQIA+ Affinity
Dillsboro, NC, USA
This Level 3-4 Canoe ICW is being taught as an LGBTQIA+ Affinity Course and is partially funded by the ACA’s LL Bean Grant to promote paddlesports for lots of kinds of people.
L4 River Kayak ITE Jordan Taylor (he/they) of Paddlesport Institute will offer a Queer Affinity River Canoe ICW over 5 days in Western NC October 20-24, 2025.
Course Fee: $750
Some travel funding available on request, paid as a reimbursement upon completion of the course in good standing.
Additional fees:
ACA Membership $40/annually required for participation
SEIC Dues $25 annually (if certified)
Fee does not cover lodging or food.
Equipment is not provided, though assistance with locating gear is available.
Affinity courses are made up of people who share a specific type of identity and are designed to support historically marginalized people, in this case LGBTQ+ individuals. The purpose of offering a Queer Affinity Kayak ICW is to offer queer Instructor Candidates a training opportunity in which we are not a minority. Part of being queer is a daily experience of culture that assumes heterosexuality and a gender binary as a default. Even very well intentioned paddlesport educators frequently base choices of language, storytelling, humor, etc on this assumption of normalcy. This can, in both subtle and overt ways, send a message that being queer is not accepted as a part of our culture, or as a part of paddlesports. Queer individuals are frequently the ones who are aware of this and repeatedly face choices about whether to bring it up with straight or cisgender peers. One way to counteract this is to have more queer instructors introducing people to paddlesports. For paddlers who are otherwise straight, they will learn implicitly or explicitly about queer perspectives from these queer instructors. Research has shown that for members of dominant identities, receiving training about bias is ineffective at reducing bias—but, having meaningful contact with people who hold different identities is very effective.
In this training queer paddlers will get to focus on training in an environment specifically designed with us in mind without the stress or uncertainty of how our identity will be viewed. In addition, we will be able to network with other queer athletes and instructors. Lastly, we will learn from each others’ experiences.
For more about Jordan Taylor visit paddlesportinstitute.com
To inquire about the course email Jordan: jordantaylorriver@gmail.com
Contact Information Jordan Taylor
jordantaylorriver@gmail.com
