An Immersive Travel Workshop Is Exploring Gender Roles In The Uttarakhand Hills

One of the greatest things about travel is the cultural exchange it enables amongst different communities. For the travellers - it is the introduction to an entirely new place with unique traditions and belief systems. For the locals, it is the exposure that the travellers to their journey and their respective native places. This cultural exchange has influenced industries like fashion, commerce, arts and media and has given a rise to a developing sustainable tourism industry. Travel can be useful in more ways than one thinks. Playing upon this thought, Little Local, a responsible travel startup that works with remote communities and organisations to co-create travel programs that supplement local livelihood, is organising a unique immersive workshop called ‘She Moves Mountains’ wherein two groups of women, from the cities and from the mountains- both equally enterprising and driven will come together to engage and learn from each other.

The week-long workshop, beginning May 13 will take place in Sarmoli, a beautiful hill village situated in the mountains of Munsiari, Uttarakhand. The workshop will be a part of the village’s annual summer festivities. Organised in tandem with the Himalayan Ark, a local NGO working towards responsible rural tourism, the initiative is looking for ‘women who are doing tremendously well in their respective fields, are keen to understand gender roles across urban and rural areas, and care deeply about making a difference’. While here, women from the cities and mountains will share stories of personal challenges and successes, find similarities despite their vast differences and leave a tiny but everlasting impact on the community. Participants will also get to go on treks and hikes, learn the traditional handicraft, help with farming and some community work and also work on various development models for community empowerment.

The workshop has been planned with adequate time for exploring, reading a book or simply taking in the view and doing nothing. Accommodation will be in a traditional homestay for a more immersive travel experience. It is a great chance for creative minds looking out for a rural travel experience combined with hands-on learning and creating a community impact. Interested people need to go the website and fill out a form highlighting their skills and interest in the programme, thereafter which they would be contacted by the Little Local Team.

The cost of the workshop of is Rs 25,000/- and is inclusive of stay, meals, internal logistics, workshop and mentors. Travel to and from the village is not included.

For more details about this workshop, check out their website here and Facebook page here.

Little Local is also organising two other workshops at Garkone Village and at Zbalung Village in Ladakh. Read more about it here and here.

Image Credit : Shivya Nath/The Shooting Star

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