SANDPOINT — Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education is hosting its 19th annual backcountry film festival fundraiser at the Panida Theater on Jan. 12, and the whole family is invited to join in the festivities.

SOLE’s mission is to encourage underserved youth in communities to get unplugged and connected to their winter wildlands.

“This annual event has become a community staple, aimed to inspire winter adventurers to seek the snow less traveled while raising critical funds and bringing awareness to SOLE's nationally-recognized and award-winning SnowSchool Experience Program, that has served well over 3,000 underserved rural youth over the last 11 years, totaling over 24,000 hours of outdoor education in our winter wildlands,” SOLE staff said.

Produced by Boise-based partners Winter Wildlands, the Backcountry Film Festival will premiere in Boise and will make its way to more than 100 towns around the world, including a stop at the Panida.

With a series of award-winning films, a silent auction, raffle prizes, drinks and the “usual dose” of special surprises, staff said this family-friendly event is a cause worth supporting. All proceeds will go directly toward supporting SOLE’s SnowSchool Experience Program.

“[The program] was recently awarded the designation as a National SnowSchool Flagship Site due to the intentional place-based experiential education curriculum that SOLE developed for this particular Field Campus Site,” staff said.

The current curriculum focuses on a comprehensive watershed study which includes snow science, winter ecology, conservation literacy and avalanche education as well as the opportunity for kids to develop outdoor living and travel skills.

Support from the fundraiser will allow SOLE to “reach and teach” over 600 underrepresented rural youth this winter, so they can explore, achieve and learn to lead in their winter wildlands and communities.

“SOLE would [like] to continue to expand programming services for elementary, middle and high school [classes] in other north Idaho counties, which will be highlighted during this year’s event to bring awareness to this program and our community educational needs,” staff said. “SOLE aims to continue to partner with other private, public and homeschool groups throughout the winter at various other field campus sites in the Inland Northwest.”

Funds raised stay in local communities to support like-minded, human-powered recreation and conservation efforts as well as to raise awareness of winter management issues, avalanche training and safety, and winter education programs.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the first films will begin at 7 p.m. Raffles will be drawn during the intermission at 8:15 p.m. and the second round of films is set to end around 10 p.m.

To make a donation or purchase tickets for the film festival, visit bit.ly/48sszg0.