About this item
Being inspired to act can take many forms. For some it's taking a weekend to volunteer, but for Shannon Galpin, it meant leaving her career, selling her house, launching a nonprofit and committing her life to advancing education and opportunity for women and girls. Focusing on the war-torn country of Afghanistan, Galpin and her organization, Mountain2Mountain, have touched the lives of hundreds of men, women and children. As if launching a nonprofit wasn't enough, in 2009 Galpin became the first woman to ride a mountain bike in Afghanistan. Now she's using that initial bike ride to gain awareness around the country, encouraging people to use their bikes "as a vehicle for social change and justice to support a country where women don't have the right to ride a bike.
About the Author
Shannon Galpin founded Mountain2Mountain in November 2006 to work towards connecting communities to combat the apathy that prevents action, and to change perceptions. After four years working in various parts of Afghanistan working with women and girls, Shannon developed long-term strategies that focused on cyclical solutions in conflict zones globally that focused on connecting communities and sparking conversation. Shannon writes regularly for Huffington Post and Matador Network, and is currently writing her first book. She has been featured on Dateline NBC, Today Show, Huffington Post and in Outside Magazine. Her first TEDx talk was in 2012 on the Power of Voice which best illustrates the thread that links all of her work together. She was also recently chosen as one of the National Geographic Adventurers of the Year for 2013.
