Pammy Johal - Founder and Operations Director of Backbone. Addressing inequalities in the great outdoors. Celebrating Diversity Through Adventure.

<div> <div>About Pammy:</div> <div> </div> <div>Born in the 60’s in inner city Coventry to a Sikh immigrant family. At 16, a school trip introduced her to the mountains where she experienced the WOW moment that changed her life. A force much bigger than her took her to explore wild landscapes of the world! Not something her parents or community were keen on. “It’s not what our girls do!.. what will everyone say??!!” Her drive was so strong she did it anyway at the risk of totally losing her world.</div> <div> </div> <div>She encountered many complex and painful challenges with people of all backgrounds including her own family/community. Through these emotional and physical challenges, she discovered her own core values. This was a journey of self-discovery, understanding and respecting differences and a passion for environmental protection.</div> <div> </div> <div>Pammy has been an outdoor/environmental practitioner since 1979 and in 1995 it struck her hard as she noticed the lack of Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic role models in the sector, at every level, from service users to Board level and felt very strongly this had to change.</div> <div> </div> <div>In 1995 she laid the foundation for what is now Backbone..</div> <div> </div> <div>Backbone is a leading Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic outdoor environmental education organisation acknowledged on a national and global platform for successfully addressing diversity and inclusion in the sector. </div> <div> </div> <div>The key to their success is partnership working based on the values of:</div> <ul> <li>Genuine Intention</li> <li>Trust and Integrity</li> <li>Direct Benefit of All Communities</li> </ul> <div> </div> <div>They provide a safe and comfortable space for people and organisations to grow in their uniqueness.  </div> <div> </div> <div>Together with their partners they are making a difference in the sector and to the communities they serve.</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>‘Adventure’… For some is climbing an unknown peak and for others it is leaving the