2019 - un año outdoors

UN AÑO OUTDOORS

2019

Photograph by: Lupe Sotelo

MISSION

We inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities

in the outdoors and embrace cultura y familia as part

of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, herit-

age, and leadership are valued and represented.

VISION

A world where all Latino communities enjoy nature

as a safe, inclusive, and welcoming place–a world

where the outdoors is a place to share and celebrate

stories, knowledge, and culture, while growing lead-

ership and an active community of Latino outdoor

users, mentors, and stewards.

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“Gracias por existir!“

Danielle, Latino Outdoors Supporter, November 19, 2019

Photograph by: Christian La Mont

ABOUT US

Through our Vamos Outdoors Program,

Latino Outdoors (LO) offers free out-

door activities and supports people who

are receiving their introduction to nature.

Latino Outdoors

provides for a focused

conversation on the

Latinx experience

without being limited

to it.

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Photograph by: Ruby Rodriguez

Photograph by: Josie Gutierrez

Unable to locate Latino-led conservation

organizations, Founder José González

became motivated to create LO in 2013

as an online blog and networking plat-

form for members of Latinx communi-

ties interested in outdoor recreation, en-

vironmental education, and conservation.

He shared his ideas with participants in this

new network. Together they began to grow

the community, and in the process, built

the foundation for LO as an organization.

Since 2014, LO has been providing outdoor

experiences, along with the accompanying

health and wellness benefits, to families

and individuals of all ages, growing from a

California-based organization to a nation-

al movement powered by volunteer leaders.

Latino Outdoors provides for a focused con-

versation on the Latinx experience without

being limited to it. As José explains here, LO

is a space for Latinx representation in the out-

doors, while also serving as a platform “for

the inter-community relationship building

that is vital to the growth and development

of present and future constituencies that

experience and protect our public lands.”

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Design by: Dave Brenner

Photograph by: Michael Estrada

In 2018, LO’s founding leadership passed the torch to second generation staff,

which made notable progress on key goals for organizational development.

Resources and time saving systems for providing greater support to volun-

teers in program delivery were developed, implemented, and fine tuned. By

September of last year, each of the 17 active LO

regions at that time was equipped with a 1-year

strategic outings plan. The plans served as a vehi-

cle for strengthening outdoor programming and

focused on team development, leadership training,

and strategic partnerships with kindred organi-

zations. LO also made notable strides in measur-

ing and reporting on impact. The results yield-

ed by these organizational investments in 2018

set the stage for 2019 as a year of flourishing.

2018 RECAP: BUILDING CAPACITY

Photograph by: Janelle Paciencia

Photograph by: Veronica Miranda

Photograph by: Mellissa Linton-Villafranco

      

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         

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 -

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 

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 

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

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



This year, our national network of volunteers/leaders delivered nearly 190 outings for the benefit of 3,300

participants, a 65% increase over what was accomplished in 2018. Youth and children accounted for more

than 1 out of every 4 of attendees. Nearly 80% of 2019 outings included participants attending togeth-

er with members of their family and over 60% attracted participants who were new to the activity. LO

volunteers increasingly led varied forms of outdoor recreation, from backpacking to bioblitzes, botan-

ical walks to biking, and beyond, building their own confidence and that of participants in the process.

VAMOS OUTDOORS

With the following words, Cassandra Castillo, a member of our volunteer team in San Diego,

painted an image of a 2019 Latino Outdoors outing.

We also witnessed an increase in LO’s stewardship-focused programming this year. One of every eight

outings during 2019 included a stewardship component. From San Francisco to New York City, Lati-

no Outdoors volunteers and participants pulled invasives, planted natives, cleaned up coasts and river-

banks, and became more rooted in our authentic outdoor selves while caring for the environment. Alma

Padilla, from our New York City team, shared the following about a summer ecological restoration event.

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   -



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 



-

 



 

This demonstration of leadership and committed effort to engage Latinx and other underrepresented communities

in the outdoors earned Latino Outdoors the GreenLatinos Compañer@ Award, a recognition reserved for indi-

viduals or organizations that are committed allies to Latinx communities in equity, justice, and inclusion efforts.

- 7 -

Photograph by: Morgan Wordes

With the aforementioned achievements from 2018 and sizeable volunteer recruitment on the hori-

zon, we began 2019 highly motivated and ready to provide even more tools and resources to LO vol-

unteers to further their development and help ensure their success as leaders in the outdoors. We

rolled out our new Volunteer Policies & Procedures Manual within the first week of January. Soon

after, we introduced a versatile and practical English-Spanish brochure, Theory of Change info-

graphic, and a streamlined Outings Framework guide to better communicate our work to volunteers,

empowering their growth as LO ambassadors. Then, one by one, we onboarded more than 30 new vol-

unteers throughout the year onto existing regional teams and in new places like Arkansas, Connecti-

cut, and central Oregon to help meet and sustain the growing demand for outdoor programming.

With more than 90 volunteers leading and supporting outdoor programming in 20 locations across

the country, Latino Outdoors makes leadership development a core component of its mission. In ad-

dition to informational materials, we continued our commitment to providing high quality, in-per-

son training retreats for volunteers, which included the Femme Trans Women’s Nature Retreat at

Coconino National Forest in Arizona, a multi-day seminar on Positive Masculinity in the Outdoors

hosted by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming, and LO’s annual Lead-

ership Campout, which took place this year at Malibu Creek State Park in southern California.

LÍDERES OUTDOORS

- 8 -

Photograph by: Veronica Miranda

Training modules at these gatherings included Gender Identity 101, Storytelling 101: Stories About Us By

Us, Mental Health & Wellness in the Context of Outdoor Recreation, Outdoor Leadership from a Latinx

Perspective, and more. Several were peer-led thanks to LO volunteers with expertise in their respective

fields and relevant outdoor leadership experience who generously shared their knowledge with teammates.

In fact, many of our training needs can be addressed in-house, doubling the leadership development

potential by providing trainers and trainees the opportunity to grow from the teaching and learning

experience, respectively. Furthermore, we supported 16 leaders in obtaining or renewing their Wilder-

ness First Aid (WFA) certification and three more volunteers with Wilderness First Responder training.

LO volunteers shared positive feedback around the support they received with WFA and oth-

er training and development opportunities. By providing a safe and supportive learning environ-

ment that encourages peer mentorship, we find that they are very open about their areas for growth.

More confident and well-trained leaders have contributed to the success of Vamos Outdoors.

They are an asset to Latino Outdoors, our partner organizations, and the communities we serve.

Photograph by: Veronica Miranda

Photograph by: Christian La Mont

Organizational culture is a big deal at Latino Outdoors.

Ours is one that supports dialogue and openness, while cel-

ebrating each other as our whole, genuine selves. Open-

ness to learning and improvement by staff and volunteers

has been key to our ability to grow. We are guided not only

by our shared vision of outdoor equity, but also our com-

mitment to collective healing and growth. This takes work.

In May, we hosted our Femme, Trans, and Women’s (FTW) Na-

ture Retreat for LO leaders who identify as such. Originally, this

leadership training was framed as a women’s gathering and meant

to support Latina leadership. Our non-binary leaders promptly

invited us to rethink our framework and consider how we might

look at gender from a more fluid, less colonized lens. Honor-

ing the multi-faceted Latinx identity and diversity at all levels

is a deeply held practice at Latino Outdoors. Getting out of our

comfort zone and working together to cross this threshold will

ultimately help us move forward in anti oppression. Among the

favorite training modules provided during the FTW retreat were

Gender Identity 101 and Unapologetically You, a zine activity.

Did you know?

- 10 -

Latino Outdoors’ storytelling and communications initiative, Yo Cuento Outdoors, is a celebration of our

ambicultural identities. The Spanish phrase “Yo Cuento” has multiple meanings, including “I count”, “I

matter”, and “I tell a story.” Representation matters, and at LO we take it upon ourselves to amplify

the visibility of Latinx communities in the outdoors, conservation, and environmental education. We

do so through our social media channels, website, email outreach, and in-person. As LO joins a grow-

ing movement to rethink outside engagement and its potential for contributing towards stronger, more

sustainable communities, Yo Cuento is our contribution towards the realization of that potential.

From shining a light on 20 notable Latinx activists, advocates, and conservationists to tipping our

hard hat to a group of young Latinas who spent Latino Conservation Week contributing to the stew-

ardship of Mt. Rainier National Park to saluting a Yosemite National Park Ranger who has dedi-

cated herself to increasing equitable access to parks and other public lands, we helped expand and en-

rich the outdoor narrative in 2019 with our storytelling and story sharing. Our online audience, which

grew by more than 25% over the course of the year, heard from us on topics ranging from camping

to car hopping. And they truly heard from an “us”, with over 100 individuals contributing their voic-

es to Yo Cuento in 2019. This collaboration in communications was perhaps best exemplified by LO’s

Statement of Solidarity issued in August, the result of a team effort involving volunteers, Board mem-

bers, and staff. The statement serves as a testament to LO’s belief in the beauty and value of immigrant

communities and commitment to the full spectrum of people. Throughout the year, the various voices

of Yo Cuento were united as one in celebrating diversity and declaring it a core tenet of Latino Outdoors.

YO CUENTO OUTDOORS

- 11 -

Photograph by: Sully Moreno

In 2019, we noted a rise in LO-led environmental steward-

ship projects. At the forefront of this upward trend

stands Verónica Miranda, LO’s San Francisco

Bay Area Program Coordinator. Of her first

clean-up of the year, Vero recalls, “This

event was originally a restoration project

with the Golden Gate National Parks

Conservancy; because of the govern-

ment shutdown, the event had to be can-

celled. LO still showed up to clean up

the trails that were filled with plastic.”

By September, Vero was leading her Bay

Area community to Yosemite National

Park, some of which were visiting the park

for the first time. Because of her, Latino Out-

doors was named volunteer group of the year

by Yosemite. Thank you, Vero, for moving the nee-

dle on LO’s environmental stewardship programming.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

818 Hikes

Andando en Bicicletas y Caminando (ABC)

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Audubon

Black Girls Trekkin’

Brookside Gardens-Montgomery Parks

Bureau of Land Management

California Department of Fish & Wildlife Service

California State Parks

California State Parks Foundation

Community Nature Connection

Corazón Latino

Cuenca Los Ojos

Deckers Outdoor Corporation

Descanso Gardens Education Department

Dr. Bronner’s

Earth Treks

La Clínica Del Pueblo

Familias Unidas Ganando Accesibilidad

Girls to Women

GreenLatinos

Hispanic Access Foundation

Homeboy Industries

Humboldt State University Center Activities

Hydro Flask

Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy

Latino Community Foundation

LatinoNet

Los Padres ForestWatch

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

National Outdoor Leadership School

National Parks Conservation Association

National Park Service

Nature for All

Nike/Charities Aid Foundation of America

North Cascades Institute

Northcoast Regional Land Trust

Nuestra Tierra

Osprey

Otay Mesa Detention Resistance

Outdoor Afro

Outdoor Asian

Outdoors Empowered Network

Patagonia

Potomac Conservancy

REI

Resources Legacy Fund

San Francisco Foundation

Seattle City Light

Siena Youth Center

Sierra Club

Texas State Parks

The Nature Conservancy

The North Face

The Presidio Trust

The Wilderness Society

TreePeople

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Forest Service

Washington Trails Association

WGBH Educational Foundation

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Youth Outside

MIL GRACIAS, MANY THANKS

An individual’s words of encouragement, a collaboration with a community-based nonprofit, a part-

nership with an outdoor company to get more people outside...it all counts. Latino Outdoors deeply

appreciates everyone’s support and the various forms in which it is offered. In 2019, Latino Outdoors

had the honor and privilege of working together with the following partners, funders, and supporters.

In all, LO collaborated with about 250 unique organizations

and groups this year.

- 13 -

Despite our growth since 2013, Latino Outdoors continues to be a community first and an or-

ganization second. We are a community that strives for an outdoors that is safe and welcoming

for all people, regardless of race, creed, nationality, language, gender, sexual orientation, or abil-

ity. We are a community that celebrates diverse forms of outdoor engagement. We are a com-

munity that believes meaningful outdoor experiences make us stronger, healthier, and happier.

Somos comunidad. Thus, when a supporter like Danielle thanks us for existing, that expression of grat-

itude extends to an entire community, of which they are a part. So thank you, Danielle. Thank you and

the many supporters who make up the Latino Outdoors community, including participants who join us

outside, the volunteers who lead LO outings, and the people who share their stories of outdoor connec-

tion with us all. You give us reason to believe that in 2020 and beyond, we will be even better...together.

JUNTOS MEJOR • BETTER TOGETHER

- 14 -

Photograph by: Aurora Perez

latinooutdoors.org

Latino Outdoors is a unique Latinx-led organization working to create a nation-

al community of leaders in conservation and outdoor education. As part of this

work, we are focused on expanding and amplifying the Latinx experience in the

outdoors; providing greater opportunities for leadership, mentorship, profes-

sional opportunities and serving as a platform for sharing cultural connections

and narratives that are often overlooked by the traditional outdoor movement. It

is a space for the community to be present, share their voices, and showcase how

conservation roots have been ingrained in la cultura Latina for generations.