Meet Our New Executive Director: Clarice Amorim Freitas

Can you give folks a brief introduction to who you are?

My name is Clarice Amorim Freitas! Yes, I have two last names (and used to have 4 before I got married). I was born and raised in Brazil and lived my entire childhood in Recife, a very large urban area. I moved to the U.S. to attend college in Kansas, stayed to pursue graduate school in Oregon, then met the man who is now my husband. We currently live in his home state of Alaska along with our two young children and two dogs. My favorite hobby is traveling, followed closely by photography, and I used to be a prolific writer in my younger years. One day, I hope I get to combine all of those things in some fun new endeavor!

How did you become involved with Free Forest School?

I wish I could say I have a lifelong love relationship with being outdoors. Truth be told, until a few years ago, the extent of my outdoor adventures was pretty limited: yearly vacations at a (fairly urban) beach town, biking around the gated community where my grandma lives, and an occasional trip to a local park. I never camped or hiked or did much along those lines until well into my adult years. And then I became a parent…and on top of that we moved to Alaska. Being outdoors with my young children has become a life source and has saved our collective sanity. I have come to truly appreciate the value of outdoor exploration for young children and caregivers, and I am committed to giving my kids a different childhood from mine. It was in seeking more opportunities for us to explore nature that I came across Free Forest School.

Why is outdoor play or nature connection important to you? 

While I didn’t explore nature a lot as a child, some of my fondest memories are from the beach where we used to spend our summer vacations. I enjoyed early morning beach walks with my grandparents, scrambling with my cousins to see who would get to lay in the front yard hammocks after lunch, playing hide-and-seek well beyond our backyard, and watching several peaceful sunsets. There was something truly magical about those days. Maybe it was that they were few and far between, that they were grounding and restorative, or maybe it was that I got to truly connect with family members who were ordinarily too busy to engage with me as a child at other times of the year. Regardless, those memories are so vivid that I can almost smell the ocean and hear the wind shaking the coconut trees if I close my eyes. And I want my children to have several memories like that to relish when they grow up.

What talents / perspective / unique passions do you bring to the FFS team?

I have a background in anthropology and public health; in a previous life I thought I was going to be a college professor. I later realized that was not the line of work that I wanted for myself, but I did keep the research skills, grant writing experience, and project management expertise that I developed during those many years as a graduate student. I also have a background working in equity, diversity, and inclusion. My last job prior to joining Free Forest School was coordinating a grassroots coalition that advocated for equity in health policies to support the needs of people of color and other marginalized communities. Finally, I am part of the demographic that Free Forest School would like to serve: I am a mom to two young children who knew very little about how to get outside with them and who could use a supportive community to help me do that.

What are some ideas you’re excited to bring to life in your role as Executive Director?

There is a lot that excites me about this work, but if I had to pick one single thing, it would be to work toward growing, developing, and strengthening this community of diverse yet like-minded caregivers raising children who enjoy time in nature. More than just providing people with opportunities to meet up, I would like to see Free Forest School become a catalizer of change. There is a lot of power in people learning the strength of their voice and how to use it to advocate for positive change in their communities.