Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating Hispanic leaders contributing to Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside mission. These individuals continue to foster outdoor spaces that are inclusive, equitable, and diverse. Read our interviews with these leaders below. 

Gabaccia Moreno, Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. Initiative and the Outdoorist Oath

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important?  

As with all diversity, Hispanic leadership and participation in outdoor spaces make them better. Our heritage is part of the fabric of our society and thus should be included, represented, and celebrated in all areas of our lives. Also, it’s an essential reminder that we’ve always been part of the outdoors because the outdoors has always been a part of us, being for sustenance, for work, or enjoyment; our cultures have all been in relationship with nature through and despite colonization. 

What brought you into the outdoor space?  

The short answer is my family. I was very privileged to grow up among hunters and fisherpeople. But ultimately, what brought me into a career connected to the outdoors is the relationship I formed with nature along the way. Seeing nature around me disappear or being extracted and destroyed ignited a fire, a responsibility for me. I couldn’t just sit and watch it all happen. Caring for our planet shouldn’t be a question; it should be a norm for everyone, and I hope I can inspire folks to pursue their own relationships with nature so we may all care for our shared home. On a brighter side, being in nature gives me hope and purpose. It makes me smile; it shows me what I’m capable of beyond colonial or capitalist ways of “capability.” When I’m in nature, I feel valued by simply existing. 

How does outdoor equity look for the Latinx community? 

It looks like every child and adult having the opportunity to create meaningful memories in nature, feeling safe and welcome outside, having access to gear that makes outdoor adventures more accessible and better, and having access to the different reciprocal relationships that can be had in nature (from enjoyment to survival).  

What is your vision of an ideal outdoor?  

My ideal outdoors honors ancestral ways of being (look up: Original Instructions). It is one where nature is not extracted for monetization but rather treated as a relative, and we all get to show our gratitude for what she provides. It is one where every being is valued for existing. 

Christian Vargas, Boulder Thrive Outside

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important?  

Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space is important because our community will see someone that looks like them and speaks the same language, which can provide a way to build connection, trust and communication. Kids and families will see themselves represented in areas that traditionally have been underrepresented. Also, Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space has a cultural understanding of barriers, needs, and desires that the Hispanic community has experienced. This creates a stronger community that is more aware of different opportunities that exist to engage in outdoor activities. 

Furthermore, we can all create a space where access to the outdoors, its activities, and connection to nature is diverse, equitable, and everyone feels included. Inspiring Hispanic leadership is key to continue to educate, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors. 

What brought you into the outdoor space?  

Growing up in Costa Rica, I had multiple opportunities to have a strong connection with nature, from plants, to fruits, to insects, to birds, to weather, to mountains, to the rainforest, to the river, to the ocean.  I understood how important nature and the outdoors are for all of us. It is the perfect medicine! The enjoyment of connecting with nature and the outdoors and never-ending opportunities and activities to have different adventures has always inspired me to share this with others. The National Park Services in Costa Rica and USA have a lot to do with this. I wanted to share my love for the outdoors and experiences with others. 

Collective impact involves the collaboration of partners and stakeholders. What is your role at Thrive? Tell me about your organization. 

My main roles in Thrive are to connect underserved youth and families with meaningful outdoor experiences, and to share strategies and collaborate with other communities through this collective program. 

I am the community engagement director for Thorne Nature Experience and the Nature Kids/Jóvenes de la Naturaleza (NKJN) collective for the cities of Lafayette, Boulder, and Longmont. NKJN is a 5-year, $10 million collective impact project designed to connect underserved youth in Lafayette, Boulder, and Longmont to nature and outdoor activities through several programs. These programs are for pre-k to high school and backyard to backcountry, family integrated programming, including career training and paid employment. Additionally, we have capital construction projects to ensure all Lafayette youth live within a safe 10-minute walk of a nature space. 

What is your vision of an ideal outdoor?  

A place where we all can enjoy equitable access to our national parks, open space, and lands. An inclusive setting that bridges cultural gaps, fosters community and is welcoming to all. There is access, education and knowledge of all the benefits that living an outdoor lifestyle can offer. 

This inspires young people and their families to want to explore and connect to nature and a space that breaks barriers for our Hispanic communities to be able to value and foster a deep respect for the land, a sense of stewardship and belonging. Additionally, it is an opportunity to reconnect Latinos in the preservation of our cultural heritage, and builds a future where more people like me can consider careers and life paths in the area of the outdoors in addition to using it recreationally to pass this appreciation of nature to generations to come. 

Gabriela Monge-Escalante, Boulder Thrive Outside

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important? 

To foster a more inclusive and sustainable future for future Latino generations. 

They are important for Latinos because they help our communities enjoy the benefits of nature, when many communities of color today live in spaces with few or no parks and green spaces. 

What brought you to the outdoors? 

I read an article during the Pandemic stating that people of color are between 67% and 74% more likely to live in an area defined as “nature deprived,” which are areas where a high proportion of the natural area has been lost to human development.

I looked at my surroundings – I was surrounded by mountains, yet I knew that I could not access these mountains and their outdoor activities without paying a high cost. So, I decided to look for a volunteer job that, as a single mother, would give me the opportunity to find resources to enroll my children in activities with an organization that would look at us as people of color and give us the same opportunities that I saw white children being immersed in. I found Thorne and, through the Nature Kids/Jóvenes de la Naturaleza (NKJN) department, I immersed myself in this. My first thought was that if my children at a young age were not exposed to “green” areas, why would they later want to pursue a career focused on nature or conserve and love nature and care for our environment? 

Collective impact involves the collaboration of partners and stakeholders. What is your role at Thrive? Tell me about your organization. 

There is nothing like promoting collaborative cooperation to reach a more participatory, involved, and committed society. At NKJN, through the central organization Thorne Nature Experience, we have more than 20 partners. If there is something that nature can teach us, it is precisely that we need to work together for a common good. 

Nature owes its proper functioning to the committed participation of all the elements that participate in the ecosystem; these elements are our partners. Our NKJN department, through Thorne, has significantly impacted people who historically did not have access to nature or could not walk freely in our city. We have changed and impacted entire lives of children, young people, men, and women. 

Collective impact involves the collaboration of partners and stakeholders. What is your role at Thrive? Tell me about your organization. 

There is nothing like promoting collaborative cooperation to reach a more participatory, involved, and committed society. At NKJN, through the central organization Thorne Nature Experience, we have more than 20 partners. If there is something that nature can teach us, it is precisely that we need to work together for a common good. Nature owes its proper functioning to the committed participation of all the elements that participate in the ecosystem; these elements are our partners. Our NKJN department, through Thorne, has significantly impacted people who historically did not have access to nature or could not walk freely in our city. We have changed and impacted entire lives of children, young people, men, and women. 

What is your vision of an ideal exterior? 

Have a Nature for All, without masks, without barriers…for ALL, where men and women, white people, people of color, biodiverse people, etc., regardless of their biological condition, must have a harmonious relationship with it. Likewise, the distribution of and access to its resources and benefits, and the impacts of their deterioration, must also be fair. 

José González, Latino Outdoors

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important?  

The short answer is because Latinidad is part of the American experience. Our diversity is part of the whole and leadership comes with the responsibility to our respective communities along with the communal tapestry. We’re part of the vibrant social diversity that contributes to the wellbeing of the whole just like biodiversity is critical for the health of the ecological landscape. And the reality is that the demographics of 2050 are going to be different than 1950, and leadership should reflect that as well.  

What brought you into the outdoor space?  

There’s both a simple answer and a much longer sinuous one. The simple one is that I got hooked on the outdoors and was curious about “where are there others like me?” The more sinuous route is like a braided river, with a watershed of experiences that included growing up in rural Mexico and the Central Valley of California with very different yet connected outdoor experiences. And as I navigated my own cultural wayfinding (becoming “Latino” arriving to the U.S) I found that the outdoors provided an opportunity to navigate that self of identity as well. 

How does outdoor equity look for the Latinx community? 

When I started the work, we would say something like “to not leave our cultura at the trailhead.” Meaning that suddenly we would have to be different because we’re outdoors, we’re not “wearing the right thing, eating the right thing, connecting to the landscape in the right way, and so on.” And that is still true. 

But I also didn’t want our community to just be objects of programming– I wanted us to be reflected in the leadership and decision-making of the space. To be both the recipients and the contributors to incorporate and account for equity in order to attain the equality we strive for in our society– to do this in policy, public funding, elected leadership, and so on. And that the outdoors is as dynamic as our code-switching Spanglish and evolving cultural identities because we’re a part of it.  

What is your vision of an ideal outdoors? 

I want to say the outdoors is already ideal. But the reality is that on one side it’s a social construct of ours and so we get to be active in what it is and what it means (like “stoke”). On the other side, the land does not exist independently of us– it is impacted by our decisions, from climate change down to what is considered “protected” and in what form and why. Lines on the map have consequences, along with the “people decisions” that is policy. So, I want to say that my vision for an ideal outdoors is one that is supported and co-created by a diverse thriving society as diverse and thriving as the land itself. Pa delante, siempre pa delate.  

Chela Garcia Irlando, Executive Director of the Next 100 Coalition

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important?  

Latino leadership is so critical because it exemplifies that we have always had a connection to nature, stewardship of the land, and understanding of the reciprocity and health benefits of communing and spending time outdoors. 

The Latino population and influence in the United States only continues to grow, thus, our leadership now is so important to set the foundation for nature and outdoor infrastructure, policies, and planning to be inclusive, culturally relevant, and reflect the diversity that exists within Latino communities across the country.  

What brought you into the outdoor space? 

I’m not sure there was one specific moment that brought me into the outdoors space, but rather a life-long passion for giving back to my community, honoring my family and culture’s connection to nature, and utilizing my skills and expertise to drive systemic change for future generations. There are small moments that have stayed with me during this journey, such as gathering pecans in our front yard with my abuela when I was little, riding bikes with my brothers until the streetlights came on, learning to mountaineer and rock climb as an adult, and deciding to pursue a graduate degree in environmental planning. All of these have had a cumulative effect and shed light on the non-linear approach our field must understand and take when seeking to engage communities that have historically been excluded from the enjoyment and protection of nature and the outdoors.  

How does outdoor equity look for the Latino community? 

Just as geographies and sociopolitical landscapes across the U.S. are diverse, so too are Latino communities across the country. Our communities are ethnically, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse with unique opportunities and challenges to access and enjoy the outdoors. In my opinion, outdoor equity is a journey rather than an outcome and truly takes into consideration the local and cultural considerations of each community. Long term engagement, iterative feedback, investment in local leadership and outdoor infrastructure, and consistently showing up are but a few examples of outdoor equity for the Latino community.  

What is your vision of an ideal outdoors? 

My vision of an ideal outdoors is one where all communities have access to enjoy and protect natural spaces, with enjoyment linked to non-extractive economic and community benefits from outdoor recreation. It’s a place where everyone feels welcome, safe, and represented, with diverse cultures and histories acknowledged and celebrated, and where all forms of enjoying nature are valued.

Amy Dominguez-Arms, Outdoor Foundation Board of Directors Chair

Why is Hispanic leadership in the outdoor space important?  

Our Outdoor Participation Report reveals that Latinos and other people of color are less likely to spend time in the outdoors for many reasons. We know people feel welcome in spaces where they see others like themselves, so seeing other Latinos active in the outdoors – biking, hiking, climbing, and paddling, for example – as well as actively expanding access for others can help create a sense of belonging for all in the outdoors. 

What brought you into the outdoor space?  

I’m fortunate that time outside was important to both of my parents. My mom, having grown up in East Los Angeles, didn’t experience the wilderness until she met my dad, but then she realized how much she thrives in the outdoors. So, ever since I was very young, our family vacations consisted of either backpacking or camping. Knowing how nourishing outdoor time is for me, I’ve dedicated my volunteer time to expanding outdoor access for more people, particularly those from communities who face barriers – whether because of transportation, equipment costs, and/or just feeling they don’t belong in these settings.

What excites you about the Outdoor Foundation and serving as Board Chair? 

I’m excited by what is possible when communities come together to leverage their local resources and programs to ensure more children and youth get to spend quality time outdoors. We see how creative approaches – from Boulder’s whole family-integrated programming to Chicago’s Gear and Supplies Fund – can make time outdoors possible for more young people, improve their physical and mental health, and inspire them. I appreciate that partnerships – with local communities, the outdoor industry, and other stakeholders – are at the core of the Outdoor Foundation’s work. 

What is your vision of an ideal outdoors?  

It’s a place where people of all backgrounds feel completely welcome and are able to enjoy the peace and replenishment we get from nature. Ideally, too, people understand the importance of caring for natural places so they can be sustained for generations to come. 

Traducción Español

Este Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana, estamos celebrando líderes de la comunidad hispana que contribuyen a la misión de Outdoor Foundation Thrive Outside. Estos individuos continúan a formar espacios al aire libre que son inclusivos, equitativos y diversos. Lea nuestras entrevistas con estos líderes a continuación.

Gabaccia Moreno, Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. Initiative y Outdoorist Oath

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre?

Como todas las iniciativas de diversidad, el liderazgo hispano y la participación en espacios al aire libre hace que estos lugares sean mejores. Nuestro patrimonio es parte del tejido de nuestra sociedad y así debe ser incluido, representado y celebrado en todas las áreas de nuestras vidas. También, es un recordatorio esencial que siempre hemos sido parte de estos espacios porque la naturaleza siempre ha sido parte de nosotros, para sustento, trabajo y ocio. Nuestras culturas siempre han sido en relación con la naturaleza a través de y a pesar de colonización.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

La respuesta corta es mi familia. Yo estaba muy privilegiada a crecer entre cazadores y pescadores. Pero al final, lo que me llevó a una carrera con conneccion al aire libre es la relación que formé con la naturaleza a lo largo del camino. Viendo la naturaleza desaparecer alrededor de mí o siendo extraída o destruida, inicio una pasión e una responsabilidad en mí. No pude estar sentada, viendo como sucede todo. Cuidar de nuestro planeta no debe ser una pregunta. Debe ser una norma para todos, y espero que puedo inspirar a la gente a perseguir sus propias relaciones con la naturaleza para que todos puedan cuidar de nuestra casa compartida. Por un lado más brillante, estar en la naturaleza me da esperanza y propósito. Me hace sonreír y me muestra lo que soy capaz de hacer mas allá de las maneras coloniales o capitalistas. Cuando estoy en la naturaleza, me siento valorada simplemente por existir.

¿Cómo se ve la equidad de acceso al aire libre para la comunidad latina?

Se ve como cada niño y adulto tienen la oportunidad de crear recuerdos significativos en la naturaleza, sentirse seguro y bienvenido al estar afuera. Tener acceso al equipo que hace las aventuras afuera mas accesibles y mejor. Y tener acceso a diferentes relaciones recíprocas que se puedan tener en la naturaleza (desde el placer hasta la supervivencia).

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Mi espacio al aire libre ideal honora las maneras ancestrales de existir. Es un lugar donde la naturaleza no sea extraída por dinero, pero tratada como un pariente, y donde todos pueden mostrar gratitud por lo que ella nos proporciona. Es un espacio donde cada ser es valorado por existir.

Christian Vargas, Boulder Thrive OUtside

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre?

Liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre es importante para que nuestra comunidad puedan ver alguien que se parece a ellos y habla el mismo idioma, lo que puede proporcionar una manera de formar conexión, confianza y comunicación. Niños y familias se verán representados en áreas que tradicionalmente han sido subrepresentadas. También, líderes hispanos en espacios al aire libre tienen un entendimiento de barreras, necesidades y deseos que la comunidad hispana ha experimentado. Esto crea una comunidad más fuerte que sea más consciente de las diferentes oportunidades que existen para participar en actividades al aire libre. Además, podemos crear un espacio donde el acceso a actividades al aire libre y conexión a la naturaleza es diverso, equitativo, y donde todos se sientan incluidos. Inspirando liderazgo hispano es esencial para continuar de educar, conectar y activar comunidades latinas a participar en actividades al aire libre.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

Creciendo en Costa Rica, tuve varias oportunidades para tener una conexión fuerte con la naturaleza, desde plantas, hasta frutas, los insectos, los pájaros, el clima, las montañas, la selva tropical, a los ríos, a los océanos. Yo entendí la importancia de la naturaleza y del aire libre para todos nosotros. ¡Es la medicina perfecta! El disfrute de conectar con la naturaleza y el aire libre e interminable oportunidades de tener diferentes aventuras siempre me inspiró a compartir esto con otros. Los Servicios de Parques Nacionales en Costa Rica y Los Estados Unidos tienen mucho que ver con esto. Yo quería compartir mi amor para el aire libre y experiencias con los demás.

El impacto colectivo implica colaboración entre socios. ¿Cuál es tu papel en Thrive Outside? Cuéntame sobre tu organización.

Mis responsabilidades principales en Thrive son para conectar jóvenes desfavorecidos y familias con experiencias al aire libre memorables y para compartir estrategias y colaborar con otras comunidades dentro de este programa colectivo.

Soy el director de participación comunitaria para Thorne Nature Experience y el Nature Kids/Jóvenes de la Naturaleza (NKJN) colectivo para las ciudades de Lafayette, Boulder, y Longmont. NKJN es un proyecto de impacto colectivo de 5 años y de 10 millones de dólares diseñado para conectar a los jóvenes desfavorecidos de Lafayette, Boulder, y Longmont con la naturaleza y las actividades al aire libre. Estos programas son para pre-escolar hasta la escuela secundaria y desde el patio de la casa hasta las  montanas, integrado para toda la familia. Tienen oportunidades para capacitación profesional y empleo remunerado. Además, tenemos unos proyectos de construcción para garantizar que todos los jóvenes de Lafayette viven dentro de un camino seguro a diez minutos para llegar a un espacio natural.

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Es un lugar donde todos puedan disfrutar acceso equitativo a nuestros parques nacionales y espacios al aire libre. Un ambiente inclusivo que une las brechas culturales, fomenta la comunidad, y que sea acogedor para todos. Hay educación y conocimiento sobre todos los beneficios de una forma de vivir conectada al aire libre se pueda dar. Este espacio puede inspirar los jóvenes y sus familias a explorar y conectar con la naturaleza. Puede ser un lugar que rompe las barreras, para nuestras comunidades hispanas a valuar y respectar la tierra, un sentido de pertenencia. Además, es una oportunidad para que la comunidad Latina puede reconectar en la preservación de nuestra herencia cultural y que genera un futuro donde más gente como yo puede considerar carreras y caminos en la vida en el área del aire libre, igual como usar lo recreativamente para pasar esta apreciación de la naturaleza a generaciones venideras.

Gabriela Monge-Escalante, Boulder Thrive Outside

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre?

Para generar un futuro más inclusivo y sostenible para generaciones latinas venideras.

Estos líderes son importantes para latinos porque ayudan a nuestras comunidades a disfrutar los beneficios de la naturaleza, en un ambiente en que muchas comunidades de color viven en espacios con pocos o cero parques y espacios verdes.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

Durante la pandemia, leí un artículo que decía que gente de color son entre 67% y 74% más probable a vivir en un área que se define como “privado de la naturaleza,” que son áreas donde una alta proporción del espacio natural ha sido perdido por causa del desarrollo humano. Miré a mi alrededor, estaba rodeada de montañas, pero sabía que no podría llegar a estas montañas y sus actividades al aire libre sin pagar un costo alto. Entonces, decidí buscar un trabajo voluntario que, como madre soltera, puede darme la oportunidad a encontrar recursos para matricular a mis hijos en actividades con una organización que nos miraría como gente de color y nos daría las mismas oportunidades como los otros. Encontré Thorne, a través del departamento de Nature Kids/ Jóvenes de la Naturaleza (NKJN), me sumergí en este trabajo. Mi primer pensamiento fue si mis niños, desde pocos años, no eran expuestos a espacios verdes. ¿Cómo van a seguir una carrera enfocada en la naturaleza? ¿Cómo van a conservar y amar la naturaleza y cuidar de nuestro medio ambiente?

El impacto colectivo implica colaboración entre socios. ¿Cuál es tu papel en Thrive Outside? Cuéntame sobre tu organización.

No hay nada como promover la cooperación y colaboración para alcanzar a una sociedad más participativa, involucrada y comprometida. En NKJN, a través de la organización central Thorne Nature Experience, tenemos más de 20 socios. Si hay algo que la naturaleza nos puede enseñar, es que nosotros necesitamos trabajar juntos para el bien común. La naturaleza funciona de una forma correcta cuando todos los elementos participan en el ecosistema. Estos elementos son nuestros socios. Nuestro departamento NKJN, a través de Thorne, tiene impactado gente que históricamente no tenían acceso a la naturaleza o que no podían caminar con libertad en nuestra ciudad. Nosotros hemos cambiado e impactado vidas de niños, jóvenes, hombres, y mujeres.

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Tener una Naturaleza para Todos, sin máscaras, sin barreras…para TODOS, donde hombres y mujeres, gente blanca, gente de color, gente biodiversa, etc., independientemente de su condición biológico, pueden tener una relación armoniosa con la naturaleza. De la misma manera, la distribución y acceso a sus recursos y beneficios, y el impacto de su deterioro, debe ser justo también.

José González, Latino Outdoors

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre?

La respuesta corta es que la “Latinidad” es parte de la experiencia Americana. Nuestra diversidad es parte de todo y el liderazgo viene con la responsabilidad a nuestras propias comunidades junto con el tapiz comunal. Somos parte de la vibrante diversidad social que contribuye al bienestar del todo, así como la biodiversidad es fundamental para la salud del paisaje ecológico. Y la realidad es que la demografía de 2050 va a ser muy diferente a la de 1950, y el liderazgo debe reflexionar esto también.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

Hay una respuesta sencilla y una mucha más larga y sinuosa. La respuesta sencilla es que me enganché al aire libre y estaba curioso sobre, “¿Dónde están otros como yo?” La ruta más sinuosa es como un río trenzado, con unas experiencias fundamentales que incluyen mi niñez en México rural y en el Valle Central de California con unas experiencias al aire libre muy diferentes pero conectadas. Y mientras que yo navegaba mi propia orientación cultural (volverse “latino” llegando a los EE. UU.), encontré que espacios al aire libre me proporcionó una oportunidad para navegar esta parte de mi identidad también.

¿Cómo te parece el acceso equitativo al aire libre para la comunidad latina?

Cuando comencé este trabajo, nosotros diríamos algo como, “No dejes nuestra cultura al comienzo del sendero.” Lo que significa que de repente tendríamos que ser diferentes, porque estamos en el aire libre. No tenemos la ropa adecuada, no tenemos la comida correcta, o no nos conectamos con el paisaje en una manera adecuada, y demás. Y eso sigue siendo cierto. Pero no quería que nuestra comunidad sea objetos de programación, quería que fuéramos reflexionados en el liderazgo del espacio. Para ser los recipientes y contribuyentes para incorporar y dar cuenta de la equidad para la igualdad por la que luchamos y hacer esto en la política, financiación pública, con líderes electas, y demás. Y que el aire libre sea tan dinámico como nuestro cambio de código Spanglish y cultura evolucionando porque somos parte de ella.

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Quiero decir que el aire libre ya es ideal. Pero la realidad es que por un lado es una construcción social de nosotros, así tenemos la oportunidad para participar en lo que es y lo que significa. Por el otro lado, la tierra no existe independiente de nosotros. Ella es impactada por nuestras decisiones, desde el cambio climático hasta lo que es considerado “protegido” y en qué forma y por qué. Líneas en el mapa tienen consecuencias, junto con las decisiones de la gente que en el área de política. Así, quiero decir que mi visión para un aire libre ideal es un lugar que sea apoyado y cocreado por una sociedad diversa y próspera como la tierra misma. “Pa delante, siempre pa delate”.

Chela Garcia Irlando, Directora Ejecutiva de la Next 100 Coalition

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre?

Liderazgo latino es tan importante porque lo ejemplifica que siempre habíamos tenido una conexión a la naturaleza, administración de la tierra, y conocimiento de la reciprocidad y los beneficios a la salud que reuniendo y pasando tiempo al aire libre pueda dar. La población latina y su influencia en los Estados Unidos solo continua a crecer, y así, nuestro liderazgo ahora es tan importante para establecer la fundación de infraestructura, política, y planeamiento para ser inclusivo, relevante culturalmente, y para reflejar la diversidad que existe adentro de las comunidades latinas a través del país.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

No estoy seguro si había un momento específico que me llevó a trabajar en esta área, sino más bien una pasión de toda la vida por retribuir a mi comunidad, honrando la conexión de mi familia y mi cultura con la naturaleza, y utilizando mis conocimientos y experiencias para generar cambio sistemático para las generaciones futuras. Hay pequeños momentos que se han quedado conmigo durante este camino, como recolectar nueces en nuestro patio delantero cuando era niña, montando bicicletas con mis hermanos desde que las luces de la calle se encendieron, aprendiendo a hacer montañismo y escalada en rocas siendo adulto, y decidiendo a obtener un título de posgrado en planificación ambiental. Todas de estas experiencias han tenido un impacto acumulativo y clarifican el enfoque no lineal que nuestra área de trabajo debe comprender y seguir mientras que estamos involucrando a las comunidades que han sido históricamente excluidas del disfrute y protección que ofrece la naturaleza y el aire libre.

¿Cómo te parece acceso equitativo al aire libre para la comunidad latina?

Como la geografía y el paisaje sociopolítico a través del Estados Unidos son diversos, así también son las comunidades latinas a través del país. Nuestras comunidades son étnicamente, lingüísticamente y socioeconómicamente diversas con oportunidades únicas y desafíos para el acceso al aire libre. En mi opinión, el acceso equitativo al aire libre es un proceso más que un resultado y realmente se debe tomar encuenta las consideraciones locales y culturales de cada comunidad. Participación a largo plazo, solicitación de perspectivas, inversión en liderazgo local y infraestructura al aire libre, y asistir a eventos constantemente son solo algunos ejemplos de cómo generar acceso equitativo para la comunidad latina.

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Mi visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal es un lugar donde todas las comunidades tienen acceso para disfrutar y proteger la naturaleza, con el disfrute comunitario conectado a actividades económicas no extractivas al aire libre. Es un lugar donde todos sienten acogidos, seguros, y representados, con diversas culturas e historias reconocidas y celebradas, donde todas las formas de disfrutar la naturaleza son valoradas.

Amy Dominguez-Arms, Outdoor Foundation Juna Directiva

¿Por qué es importante el liderazgo hispano en los espacios al aire libre? 

Nuestro Informe de Participación al Aire Libre revela que latinos y otra gente de color tienen menos probabilidades a pasar tiempo al aire libre por varias razones. Sabemos que la gente siente acogedora en espacios donde pueden ver otros como ellos. Entonces, viendo otros latinos participando en actividades al aire libre, como ciclismo, senderismo, o escalada de roca, por ejemplo, así como ampliando el acceso para otros, puede ayudar a crear un sentido de pertenencia para todos en el aire libre.

¿Cómo empezaste a trabajar en el área de acceso equitativo al aire libre?

Soy afortunada que tiempo al aire libre fue importante para mis padres. Mi madre, como creció en el Este de Los Ángeles, no experimentó las actividades al aire libre hasta que conoció mi padre, pero entonces se dio cuenta de lo mucho que prospera al aire libre. Así que, desde que tuve pocos años, nuestras vacaciones familiares siempre consistieron en viajes con mochila o ir a campar. Sabiendo los enriquecedor que es para mí el tiempo al aire libre, me he dedicado mi tiempo como voluntario a expandir el acceso al aire libre para más gente, particularmente los que vienen de comunidades que se enfrenten barreras, ya sea por el transporte, costos de equipamiento, o el sentimiento que no se pertenece a esos espacios.

¿Qué es lo que le entusiasma de la Outdoor Foundation y de su rol como presidente de la Junta Directiva?

Estoy emocionada por lo que es posible cuando las comunidades se juntaron para aprovechar sus recursos locales y programas para asegurar que más niños y jóvenes pueden pasar tiempo de calidad al aire libre. Vemos cómo iniciativas creativas, desde la programación integrada para toda la familia de Boulder hasta el Fondo de Equipos y Suministros de Chicago, puede hacer posible tiempo al aire libre para más jóvenes, como mejora su salud mental y físico, y los inspirar a ellos. Agradezco que asociaciones con comunidades locales, la industria del aire libre, y otras partes interesadas son el núcleo del trabajo del Outdoor Foundation.

¿Cuál es tú visión de un espacio al aire libre ideal?

Es un lugar donde gente de todas las identidades se sienten completamente bienvenidas y pueden disfrutar la paz y la reposición que trae la naturaleza. Idealmente, también, la gente puede entender la importancia de cuidar de la naturaleza para que estos lugares pueden ser sostenidos para futuras.

Black History Month: Celebrating Black Leaders in the Outdoors

This Black History Month, we’re recognizing and celebrating Black leaders within the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside network. These individuals are not only shaping the landscape of outdoor leadership but are also reshaping our collective perception of who belongs in the outdoors. Follow along as we interview leaders from across the nationwide network and spotlight their voices throughout the month!

Akiima Price

Thrive Outside Washington D.C. Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

Black leadership is essential in outdoor spaces because conservation goals have colonized the outdoor narrative. Our representation and diverse perspectives are essential in bringing back our stories into the narrative, both in the world and in Black communities. We have deep roots in agricultural heritage and innate connections to nature, and traditional knowledge and practices in the outdoors. At one point, skills such as hunting, fishing, foraging, sky reading, and herbalism were passed down through generations, providing sustenance and cultural significance. It is imperative that we model these practices to newer generations to restore them back into the values, habits, and traditions of black communities.

What brought you to the outdoors?

My father initially. He was raised in the South and loved to camp, fish, and bike. Quite naturally, I carried those values into my adulthood. However, the vision of Marta Cruz Kelly, Reginald “Flip” Hagood, and Destry Jarvis (all titans in the National Park Service in the 80’s and 90’s) called me into the movement. In 1991 they created the Career Conservation Development Program to expose women and people of color to careers in conservation. I was studying Communications at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore but was attracted to the opportunity of a summer job. Little did I know it would lead me to my life’s work.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I direct the Thrive Outside DC initiative. I get to weave together a network of diverse, dynamic partners in Washington, DC, to address barriers to getting youth and families outdoors. The thing is, we have plenty of parks and green spaces within walking distance in DC; our access issues here are around safety and the awareness of the mental, physical, and social benefits outdoor spaces provide to economically stressed communities. I mainly do this work under The Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative (APACC), a network of community leaders and organizations working together to make the Anacostia River and its park system the best possible resource for Ward 7 and 8 residents in the District of Columbia.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

My ideal vision for the outdoors includes transforming parks into clinics and healing spaces, serving as cultural centers for family-based fellowship and healing for communities that have experienced trauma.

Akiima Price

Chris Geden

The River City Foundation Director of Community Engagement, Thrive Outside St. Louis Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

I really think representation matters, and it’s important for me to be an active participant in outdoor recreation if I’m going to be an advocate in this space. Also, the relationships that are made with our youth are often stronger as they learn new skills and conquer new challenges.

What brought you to the outdoors?

I grew up in a very rural white community, but I’ve always been involved with the outdoors—fishing, hunting, camping, and paddling. With every youth-serving position that I have worked in, one of the strategies that I used was nature-based programming. The opportunity to introduce youth to the outdoors in a sustainable manner is something that still excites me every single day.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I am the Thrive Outside Program Manager and the Director of Community Engagement, so everything I do is based on collaborative relationships. Even more importantly, these are twenty-plus-year relationships with agencies, people, and communities. River City Outdoors seeks to positively impact the outdoor community by removing barriers for communities who are often underserved and not even included in conversations regarding their participation in the outdoors.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

A totally inclusive environment in which all people are welcomed with open arms, and thoughts and experiences are shared. A total cultural shift on who is at the table as we talk about outdoor recreation.

Jacob Fisher

Outdoor Foundation Development and Program Manager

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

Let me start with these two truths:

  • Being in nature is essential for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
  • Black folks have been historically excluded from the outdoors (often violently).

Black leadership is important because people from the African Diaspora have always been deeply connected to land. For survival, black people in the USA had to have an intimate connection to nature in order to endure the brutality of enslavement. This ranged from fishing, hunting, gardening, creating herbal medicines, and literally navigating to their freedom through knowledge of the stars and land. Thus, Black leadership merely reflects the truth that black people deserve the opportunity to offer our wisdom, guidance, and stories to the outdoor space.

What brought you to the outdoors?

Growing up in Tallahassee, Florida and Houston, TX,  I was fishing, going to parks, playing tennis, and having family gatherings outdoors. As I began my mindfulness and yoga journey, my appreciation for nature was further ignited.

Prior to the Outdoor Foundation, I worked at an equine therapy and eco-mindfulness farm right outside of Austin, TX. In this space, I began intentionally connecting with the landscape and vastness within and all around you. Building my own capacity to resource myself and cultivate a nourishing and helpful relationship with nature.

I believe the land and all of its inhabitants are facilitators and wise teachers. The wisdom lies in the presence and awareness of the continuous lessons that nature uncovers. Developing a connection to nature has allowed me to move through the world with clarity, peace, and gratitude.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I have the honor to be the Development and Program manager for the Outdoor Foundation. Therefore, I have the privilege to directly support our 13 Thrive Communities across the country. I serve as the Foundation’s lead contact for current and future Thrive Outside community partners.

Ultimately, I see my role as collective impact in action, and this ranges from:

  • Lead the planning and execution of National Thrive Outside Days across all Thrive Outside Communities.
  • Create, plan, and lead all efforts regarding the In-Person Convening for Thrive Communities.
  • Facilitate and support the Outdoor Foundation’s Monthly Thrive Network meetings.
  • Lead the planning and implementation of Quarterly Thrive Network Convening.
  • Access and evaluate organizations, entities, and individuals that engage with Thrive Outside communities.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

My vision is the integration of nature into everyone’s day to day life. Engaging with the benefits, joy, and liberation of nature is essential for being a human. Ideally, the outdoors will be a space that connects each of us to our internal world and to every being around us. Nature has the powerful ability to connect our inner change to social transformation. Hopefully, we can utilize the grounding and clarifying qualities of the outdoors to create a beautiful future where a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature is actualized!

Dr. Na'Taki Osborne Jelks

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance Co-Founder/Executive Director, Atlanta Thrive Outside Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoor space important?

Black leadership is critical in the outdoor space because time is overdue for Black people to fully connect to the outdoors and to all of the benefits and resources it brings to and provides our communities. Through Black leadership, we can help reclaim this lifeline that belongs to us and that should be positively experienced by all Black children, families, and communities. Especially in the United States, we’ve been disconnected through the legacies of slavery, lynching, and other horrors perpetrated against us in the outdoors. The lands and waters that our people have historically lived off, been stewards of, and possessed vast ecological knowledge about have many times been weaponized against us. To turn that trauma into healing by experiencing the outdoors in all of its beauty, splendor, freedom, opportunities for learning and exploration, and potential to inspire joy and connectedness to a sense of place—it’s our birthright.

What brought you into the outdoor space? 

As a daughter of the South—born in Mississippi and living in Louisiana and Kentucky for parts of my adolescence—I’ve always had a connection to the outdoors. Whether it was spending time running around and playing with cousins on my paternal grandparents’ 95-acre farm in the Mississippi Delta, picking plums outside of my maternal Grandmother’s home in small town Central Mississippi, or even walking on the trail through the woods behind my Grandmother’s house to visit her sister nearby, my relationship with the outdoors has always seemed like a natural one. After those early experiences with family, I later joined Girl Scouts and most enjoyed going to Camp Judy Layne in Eastern Kentucky during summer breaks for tent camping and days filled with sunshine, the beauty of the natural landscape, and freedom in the outdoors. In contrast, I later witnessed Louisiana’s natural paradise being dotted with petrochemical plants and pollution that harmed the environment and human health. As an adult living on the Westside of Atlanta, Georgia amidst both beautiful urban forest spaces and near environmental hazards and stressors, all of my previous experiences have brought me into the outdoors, and my leadership is fueled by a passion to preserve, protect, and restore our natural resources for the well-being of my community and future generations.    

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders’ collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive and let me know about your organization?

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is the backbone organization of Thrive Outside Atlanta. WAWA has been a member of the Thrive Outside Atlanta Network since its formation in 2019, however we started out as one of the environmental education service providers—one of only two Black-led organizations in the group. As the COVID-19 Pandemic began to subside, WAWA took over the leadership reigns of the network from the Trust for Public Land and has been managing, cultivating, and deepening partnerships with youth environmental education and outdoor recreation providers as well as youth-serving organizations to engage youth from economically disadvantaged communities in nature and the outdoors through exploring both the Chattahoochee River and close-to-home Atlanta parks, trails, and greenspaces. For more than two decades, WAWA has pioneered efforts to advance environmental education, community engagement in watershed and greenspace protection, environmental stewardship, and environmental justice in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta neighborhoods. In part through this work, WAWA has been a leader in ensuring that access to nature and meaningful engagement in environmental education, environmental stewardship, and outdoor recreation are not factors of race, income, or geography, and our innovative, place-based, culturally relevant programs have introduced thousands to the creeks, streams, waterfalls, and abundant greenspaces in West Atlanta neighborhoods.  

What is your vision of an ideal outdoor? 

My vision of the ideal outdoors is one that is representative of the rich, diverse heritage and cultures of our country. It’s not exclusive to any one group, and it is accessible to all who will journey to know and experience it.  It is one that honors the original inhabitants of the land as well as those who labored on the land by force or by choice to produce prosperity for the masses (that often didn’t include them). The ideal outdoors is one of unlimited connections and opportunities for kinship, stewardship, teaching and learning, exploration, healing, and joy. It’s a place where everyone can see themselves, where everyone can be themselves, where we all feel welcomed, and where we all are at home.

We all deserve to Thrive Outside

The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative is working to create a more inclusive and accessible outdoor experience for all. The initiative awards multi-year, capacity-building grants to diverse communities to build and strengthen networks that provide children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. The Thrive Outside Community Initiative helped to connect more than 40,000 youth and families in thirteen communities nationwide to the joy, wonder, and myriad benefits of the outdoors. Learn more about Thrive Outside here. 

2023 Thrive Outside Days

Thanks to Thrive Outside community leaders, partners, and participants, our 2023 Thrive Outside Day events were an overwhelming success! Read and see below how a few of the 13 Thrive Outside Communities across the country created an array of new opportunities for children, youth, and their families to enjoy the outdoors – helping to build new connections and encourage year-round outdoor experiences.

 

Oklahoma City

At the Oklahoma City Thrive Outside Day, youth kayakers representing the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County and the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic demonstrated their kayaking skills in front of 3,800 attendees cheering from the banks of the Oklahoma River. The weekend of fun included A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund (AMBTIF) award ceremony, with AMBTIF founder Arshay Cooper and Olympians welcoming and inspiring 55 youth to embrace the healing power of watersports. Youth rowers representing six middle schools then rowed in their first race with over 4,000 spectators in attendance.

 

St. Louis

“This is what community looks like” – Thrive Outside Day Participant

In St. Louis, River City Outdoors, O’Fallon Park YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, and Cherokee Recreation Center all partnered to offer activities for Thrive Outside Day. Over 150 participants were able to enjoy a mobile climbing wall, a community BBQ, and a giveaway of River City Outdoor swag. 

 

 

 

 

 

Detroit

With support from Wilderness Inquiry, over 300 Detroit students and community members had the opportunity to paddle in canoes on the inland lakes of Belle Isle Park and engage in land-based environmental education activities with other partner organizations and agencies. The Canoemobile

 visit marked the beginning of Detroit’s Thrive Outside Days, a month-long embrace of making time to go outside and connect with nature and one another.

The team also curated and promoted a weekly list of ways to get outside and thrive all through October with other members of the local network. Detroit’s Thrive Outside Days culminated with a Mountain Bike Ramble event at Rouge Park in Detroit, where the students of the Hamtramck High Schools Outdoor Adventure Club spent the day riding the trails.

 

Grand Rapids

“Thrive Outside Day in Grand Rapids was a chance to celebrate our community, give away some free gear and swag, and invite folks to come and get familiar with our Gear Library.” – Sam Truby, Gear Library Supervisor

The Grand Rapids team observed that while lending equipment and clothing on a temporary basis is a great way to make outdoor activities possible for children, youth, and families who need it, “giving someone gear to keep creates a sense of excitement that a temporary item does not. This event showed that gear giveaways could be a potential ongoing activity at the gear library, as it gives winners a sense of ownership of the activities they do outside.”

 

‘The Outdoors’ Are Urban, Too

Q&A with Rachel Felder, a naturalist at the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department 

The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative is a national network of partners working to create a more inclusive and accessible outdoor experience for all. In this Impact Stories series, we talk to local Thrive Outside leaders to learn more about their community and their vision for the future.  

For a prime example of how powerful collective impact can be, Thrive Outside Detroit is a community-led network involving organizations from local, city, state, and national levels—and has already directly led to events engaging hundreds of youth in nature-based activities. 

We asked Rachel Felder, a naturalist with the City of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department, about the coalition’s programming, goals, and efforts to redefine the way people see the “outdoors.” 

What kind of programming are you doing through Thrive Outside? 

We have nature programming throughout the city and do a lot of work focusing on bridging the gap between nature and people. Recently, we had a three-day event to celebrate National Thrive Outside Day with the Canoemobile from Wilderness Inquiry in Minnesota. We collaborated with a lot of different partners, including the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service, the Belle Isle Nature Center, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Detroit Public Schools Community District. We were able to get probably 200 youth out paddling on the Detroit River and learning about the environment surrounding it. It was a really great opportunity to uplift and amplify what the goals of Thrive Outside are. These three days came out of multiple meetings with community partners and getting together to figure out how to have an opportunity like this for youth within the city. 

How do you define the “outdoors” in an urban environment like Detroit? 

We’re really trying to emphasize that there’s no wrong way to be outside, as long as you’re respecting the Earth and the people around you and you’re being safe. It doesn’t have to be this extensive experience, if you don’t want it to be. Some of us don’t necessarily feel comfortable or are not used to doing certain activities outside, and outside isn’t something that’s normalized for us. So it just starts out with talking with people. 

We have a lot of pocket parks, actually. We’re working on a grant from the National Parks & Recreation Association, through the City of Detroit Parks and Rec Department, to create seven new pocket parks. We’re working with community leaders in seven districts to figure out what they want and need in their communities, and help them build it. 

There are so many ways to exist in nature, and nature itself is not going to judge you for the way you want to interact with it. In every experience, we’re trying to bring people to nature, and we’re also trying to bring nature to people. 

What are some ways we can make the outdoors more inclusive and accessible? 

Nature is a human right, so to speak. It’s important to be talking about all of these things with people and encouraging them to utilize the natural spaces they have in their area, and just to sit outside is a great thing to do. We try to encourage them, like, “Hey, try to do some of the activities you do inside, outside.” Like reading a book, or drawing a picture, or having a simple conversation. Sometimes, shifting things outside can shift the entire dynamic of what’s being done, like having a meeting outside versus inside can be transformational. 

How are you finding and engaging people to interact with your programming? 

There’s a mix of us doing outreach, and people seeking and finding us. We interact with a lot of people through our social media accounts. That is where we promote many of our events. But we find that a lot of people find out about us through word of mouth. We really try to engage with many organizations within the city of Detroit to spread the word that there are opportunities to get youth and adults of color outside and camping. We have camping leadership trainings for all experience levels. Once you’ve done the training, you have access to our gear library. 

One of the reasons the Thrive Outside initiative is so cool and important to us is because we love partnership. One of my colleagues likes to say that there’s so much knowledge held within people, so through working with different organizations, through working with different people, it’s really cool and powerful to be able to meet people who want to do things with us and reach out and collaborate. 

How does the collective impact model relate to the work you’re doing? 

The collective impact allows for organizations to come together and figure out how to collaborate. Like, you’re having this program; how can we uplift it? It’s beautiful. It brings so many people into a space to have conversations that aren’t stagnant—they’re active conversations that result in plans and partnerships and long-term relationships. We’re already collaborating on a daily basis with other organizations, like Detroit Parks and Recreation employees, YMCA employees, and Sierra Club employees — and that’s just within our Detroit Outdoors collaborative. A lot of our missions align—at the end of the day, we want to get people outside, so let’s figure out how to do it together. 

Having national partners, state-level partners, city-level partners, and people on the ground in grassroots organizations, all at the same table, is something unbelievable. Seeing the engagement that comes out of these conversations and the work that Thrive is uplifting is very powerful. 

How have the outdoors been impactful to you in your own life? 

Detroit Outdoors took me on my first camping trip when I was 16. It’s a really full-circle experience to be taking youth even younger than me on their first camping trips, and sharing those experiences with them and knowing some of the emotions they’re having. It’s great to see their faces when they see the stars at night, or when they see a deer that they don’t expect to see. Nature is somewhere that I find a lot of peace. 

What does success look like? What do you want to see Detroit achieve through Thrive Outside and beyond? 

It starts with knowing what people want to do. Our gear library has been a game changer in many ways because it’s allowed us to really bridge that gap. If we’re talking about 5, 10 or even 50 years down the line, I’d like to see so many gear libraries in recreation centers and community hubs throughout the city of Detroit.  If people want to go camping or skiing or canoeing, they’ll have the ability to access a gear rental system where people are keeping equipment in great condition because they know other people are using it, too. 

We have a lot of vacant lots in Detroit and I think there’s a lot of potential there, as well, to make use of what we have. Some people have installed shipping containers to create useful, recreational spaces in empty lots. We ask a lot of questions about how we can give people infrastructure and resources to utilize the spaces that they have. I’d love to see more of this—maybe shipping containers with access to laundry facilities or clothes libraries so people can have gear in the winter. I’d like to see hubs for nature programming, living trailers or tiny houses where people can borrow binoculars and access passive programming in the outdoors. I want to see more free libraries and creative reading nooks with ample lighting, just creating spaces to make people want to go outside and not have to question themselves. I want it to be accessible: all body types, all learning and physical abilities. I want to see people interacting with parks in so many different ways, whether it’s reading a book or doing ecology work or citizen science, or going camping. I just want people to feel comfortable going outside and to know that they have a right to be there.  

 

 

 

Connecting Families with Nature is the Key to Long-Term Engagement

Q&A with Christian Vargas 

Director of Community Engagement for Thorne Nature Experience 

The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative is a national network of partners working to create a more inclusive and accessible outdoor experience for all. In this Impact Stories series, we talk to local Thrive Outside leaders to learn more about their community and their vision for the future.  

Boulder County may have a heavy concentration of professional outdoor athletes and outdoor industry brands, but it still has a lot of work to do to make its outdoor access more equitable. Thorne Nature Experience, the backbone organization of Thrive Outside Boulder/Denver, is working to deepen families’ relationships with the outdoors—and each other—in Lafayette and beyond. 

We asked Christian Vargas, the organization’s director of community engagement, what to expect from the partnership. 

What are Thorne’s main goals for the Thrive Outside partnership? 

We want to ensure that all of our programs are meaningful for community members and remove any barriers to participation. In addition, we want to connect youth to nature through a continuum of pre-K to high school, backyard to backcountry, and family-integrated programming. 

We’re trying to work together to create meaningful engagement with the outdoors for both children and families, so that engagement is more sustainable in the long run. We understand that kids’ whole families, including the parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and grandparents, also need to experience and have access to the outdoors in a way that is meaningful to them. 

We’re trying to ensure that access to nature is more equitable in our community, so we deliver nature programs to underserved youth in the cities of Lafayette and Boulder. We’re also trying to make sure that we support their families, too, and remove any barriers to accessing nature. So, for example, the school district has a program where fourth and fifth graders go on an overnight trip to camp in the mountains. Thorne Nature Experience and Nature Kids/Jovenes de la Naturaleza has summer programs that connect the rest of the family to a similar experience with family camps throughout the year in addition to other youth programs. By providing a way for the whole family to enjoy these nature experiences, we hope that they will continue their connection with nature and keep exploring the outdoors as a family.   

How are you working to increase outdoor access locally? 

One of our goals is that we want to ensure that Lafayette youth are living within a safe, 10-minute walk to nature—from their home to an open space, park, or trail. Every year we strive to have meaningful programming to connect youth and their families with outdoor opportunities. Three years ago, for example, Nature Kids was able to advocate and collaborate to raise funds to build a park right next to a school where we have one of the biggest Latinx communities. The park was designed with a trail that connects with parts of the community and the local town to connect families to nature. The park has a playground with boulders, tree logs, water features, and a shelter for community use. 

With so much wilderness and nature in Colorado, why is it so important to create urban green spaces? 

There are some families that don’t have access to a car, or maybe they have to work really long hours that don’t allow them to do these things. Especially with COVID, I think it’s really important for families to have local access to nature that doesn’t require driving. Even if they have a car, they might not have the confidence to drive in the mountains, especially if road conditions could get bad. Then they can still walk close by and have the opportunity to access nature without other means of transportation. We know that a family that visits or shares the outdoors together will be healthier overall. Families that have time to connect with nature likely have better communication with the kids, better mental health, physical health, and lifestyle balance. So I think it’s important to also have access within the city in a way that you can easily walk to the park or a trail, and you don’t need to use a car or spend more time traveling to be in nature. 

How are the outdoors meaningful to you? 

When I was growing up in Costa Rica, one of the main sources of income was tourism. In the late 70s, Costa Rica started putting together land to make national parks. Now, it is one of the countries with the largest percentage of protected areas in the world—25 percent of its land is protected. Growing up there, that was one of the things we used to do—traveling a lot, going to a national volcano or one of our beautiful beaches. That’s part of the culture, to drive on the weekends to explore the outdoors or go for a hike. When I moved to Boulder, I saw how similar it was, but at the same time, different. It’s a beautiful place, with many mountains, and it snows, so you have a variety of year-round outdoor activities. That alone connects you with nature, and many of these activities, like hiking, are free. Now that I have a family, I’m trying to pass along that love for the outdoors to my family and also take advantage of all the gems here in this state. 

Your kids have previously participated in some of Thorne’s programming. How did that experience impact them? 

My oldest kid did a summer camp where they went to four or five different places. They started with Cal-Wood, an outdoor engagement program, in Boulder, then from there they did an overnight. It was about a week long. They learned some outdoor educational skills, they did rafting and mountain biking, and then they went into the mountains for some camping. They engaged the kids in a way that also makes it super fun, so when he came back, he was very excited—the first thing he told me is that it was super fun and he had a lot of great memories, one being a competition in starting a campfire with minimal resources. He wanted to become a summer camp counselor as soon as he was old enough.  

My youngest has done some summer camps as well with Nature Kids, around the Coal Creek Trail. It’s a long trail that travels along the creek through three cities: Louisville, Lafayette, and Erie. They teach the kids about the ecosystem, the plants and animals, and they keep them outside all day. It’s a really nice way to release all of their energy and connect them with the local trail system. He also attended the YMCA Camp Santa Maria in the Mountains, an overnight camp with a lot of fun activities. 

During COVID, Lafayette Nature Kids provided families with small learning cohorts for students, where they were able to balance their online learning through their schools with outdoor activities. My son participated in this program and it made a big difference for him and his mental health during those difficult times.