Shannon Galpin – MTN Town Woman Rocking the World

Who is Shannon Galpin? She is a woman who has, without a doubt, achieved a multitude of diverse accomplishments all in the name of assisting women find their voice. Accolades include artist, activist, humanitarian, author, mountain biker, philanthropist and even National Geographic Adventurer.

Her beginnings started with a deep conviction that all of the world’s women and girls deserved the same rights and opportunities as her own daughter. This belief is what kick- started Mountain2Mountain, her non-profit with deep roots in Breckenridge and broad leaves bursting forth across the world. It was by taking action on her ideology that Shannon walked away from her career as an athletic trainer and decided to “be the change” she wished to see here and abroad. Her global vision was and is to create a voice that empowers women and girls in conflict zones.

After collaborating on projects in Pakistan and Nepal, Shannon travelled to Afghanistan to develop M2M’s initial projects. Today that has resulted in initiating computer labs, school supply support, kindergartens in rehab clinics
and prisons, literacy projects in women’s prisons, graffiti art projects with university art students, and facilitating the land donation and support for a school for the Afghan National Association for the Deaf.

I read a story of how she visited several women’s prisons across Afghanistan. Shannon found herself in the women’s prison of Kandahar and while listening to one of the prisoner’s stories she realized that these women were taking risks every day that were far more dangerous than anything she was doing. It was that one voice that inspired her to keep her mission strong and justify the risks she would take to speak her own truth.

In 2009 Shannon became the first woman to ride a mountain bike in Afghanistan in an effort to challenge perceptions of gender barriers and show a different side of Afghanistan to the western world. 2010 she rode her bike across the Panjshir Valley which was documented in Outside Magazine

Since that time she has launched:

2012 STREETS OF AFGHANISTAN – A life-size photography exhibition created in collaboration between Afghan and Western photographers, set up in the public spaces of Afghanistan as street art.

2012 COMBAT APATHY – Fighting for the rights of women worldwide, this activist organization aims to spearhead initiatives like Cross the Line to highlight and work for women’s rights.

2013 The Afghan WOMEN’S NATIONAL CYCLING TEAM – Assisted in creating and now has among the first women to ever pedal a bike in Afghanistan.

2013 STRENGTH IN NUMBERS – Creating a global movement using the bike as a vehicle for social justice. Believing that one woman can create change, but that our strength is in our numbers.

2014 The GLOBAL SOLIDARITY RIDE – A global community of cyclists riding in solidarity with the Afghan women that dare to ride, showing our united front to create a two wheeled revolution.

2014 – Shannon’s memoir released as a story of adventure and activism from Colorado to

Afghanistan
2015 CROSS THE LINE – A trans-media art installation, using photography, technology, and live action exhibition showcasing global women’s rights, oppression, and protest, launching in 2015.

She continues her work in 2016 with AFGHAN CYCLES – A book and movie that will delve deeper into the stories of the cyclists, and the state of women’s rights in Afghanistan who have also been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Seriously, this article could cover pages discussing the amazing projects Shannon has been and is producing. Shannon and her work have been featured on Dateline NBC, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, ESPN, National Geographic Adventure, 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 is a subject of the award winning documentary film series, MoveShake.

M2M has had a lot of naysayers over the years. Shannon believes that starting projects that are close to her heart has led to the incredible success she has had at assisting others. Today she identifies herself as an activist, not a non-profit. Projects will come through the nonprofit because of the tax write off benefits and the fund raising abilities, but she is here to support the rights of women worldwide.

Although some think the women’s rights movement is over it is still alive and much needed. People need to continue pushing to overcome barriers to equality. Helping women stand up and speak
out will assist in making changes. When you have a deep seated belief you just have to do it, pursue it and let the path unfold in front of you.