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RSVP HERE: bit.ly/GirlTREK-NorwalkDate: Saturday, June 6, 2026 (rain or shine)
Time: 9:45 am – 12:00 pm (arrive starting at 9:30 a.m.)
Location: The Norwalk Art Space,
455 West Ave, Norwalk, CT 06850
Walk Route: (1.25 Miles) The Norwalk River Valley Trail between Mathews Park and Oyster Shell Park
Cost: FREE – registration requested
What to expect
A joyous, no-drop community walk on the Norwalk River Valley Trail, with “loop & scoop” volunteers to ensure no one gets left behind.
A grounding of GirlTREK’s mission to unleash a movement of Black women walking in the tradition of our foremothers to heal our bodies, our communities, and our streets.
A panel conversation with local Black leaders on walking as mental health care, spiritual practice, and a way to reclaim public space. Plus how Norwalk’s growing trail and street network is making it safer to walk and roll.
Time to connect over light refreshments, learn about resources, and sign up for the new Norwalk GirlTREK crew and other local opportunities.
Getting There
Let’s make this event powerful from the moment you set out! Choose what works for you, take public transit, walk, or bike for a healthy, sustainable start. The Norwalk Art Space is easy to reach by bus or train. Norwalk Transit District WHEELS buses and local train stations connect you from anywhere in the city and surrounding areas. Check schedules for the best route.
Live nearby? Walking or biking, especially along the Norwalk River Valley Trail, is a great way to join in and get moving.
Driving? Limited parking is available at Mathews Park nearby. Allow a few extra minutes to park and stroll over.
Need extra help? Wheels2U is a low-cost, accessible shuttle for the Norwalk area, just download the app and book a ride.
If you need any further accessibility assistance please reach out to [email protected] and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
About GirlTREK
GirlTREK is the largest public health nonprofit and movement for Black women and girls in the United States, organizing one million Black women to walk in their own neighborhoods as a healing tradition and a strategy for health, joy, and justice. Grounded in the legacy of Black women freedom fighters, GirlTREK calls Black women to take 30-minute walks as acts of radical self-care and community transformation.
As Black women organize walking crews, they also build sisterhood, address intergenerational trauma, and mobilize to demand safer streets, better parks, and healthier neighborhoods.
About the Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission
The Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission promotes bicycling and walking as safe, accessible, and sustainable modes of transportation and recreation that improve health, equity, and quality of life in our city. The Commission advances Complete Streets, advises on trails and street projects, and supports community education so that everyone in Norwalk can move safely, especially in historically underserved neighborhoods.
GirlTREK’s work to reclaim streets as places where Black women can walk, breathe, and be safe directly connects with Norwalk’s efforts to build a connected, people-centered network of trails, sidewalks, and bikeways. Walking together along the Norwalk River Valley Trail, we are not just exercising; we are embodying a shared vision of streets and greenways that support Black women’s mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Program Flow
9:30am — 9:45 am | Arrival at The Norwalk Art Space
10:00am — 10:45 am | Community walk on the Norwalk River Valley Trail (Mathews Park to Oyster Shell Park and back), with safety tips and a brief introduction to the trail’s history and future.
10:45 am | Victory Bridge moment and group photo on The Norwalk Art Space front steps
11:00 — 11:15 am | GirlTREK mission and vision: remarks by East Coast Regional Manager Siobhan Ollivierre and local GirlTREK leaders
11:15 am — 12pm | Panel conversation and audience Q&A, followed by light refreshments, open conversation, and on-site registration for the Norwalk GirlTREK crew and partner programs.
Then, an opportunity to stay, chat, eat and mingle, learn more about GirlTREK, NBW, NRVT, Health Department and get involved!
Panel focus
Mental health and movement: how walking supports stress relief, anxiety and depression management, and everyday resilience for Black women.
Spiritual healing: walking as prayer, meditation, and a way to reconnect to our bodies, histories, and each other.
Reclaiming public space: what it looks like to design and demand streets, trails, and parks where Black women feel safe, seen, and centered.
Norwalk’s infrastructure: how projects like the Norwalk River Valley Trail and other Bike/Walk initiatives are expanding safe walking and rolling options across the city.
This event is co-hosted by GirlTREK and the Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission, in collaboration with the Norwalk River Valley Trail, the Norwalk Health Department and The Norwalk Art Space.
Additional community partners and cross-promoters are welcome and other local organizations committed to Black health, safe streets, and thriving neighborhoods. Email [email protected] for more information.
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Event Venue
The Norwalk Art Space, 455 West Avenue,Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Tickets
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