Dedicated to elevating the voices of people of color in the outdoor industry, this page is meant to help people understand the barriers to participation in outdoor recreation and promote organizations that are working for greater inclusion.  

Understanding Barriers to Participation

Many outdoor enthusiasts genuinely believe that access to public lands is just and equitable. There is no screening process, no hurdles to jump through, and often no fee to participate. Just show up and hike. How could it be any more open and inclusive?

The truth is that economic, social, and cultural barriers provide very real obstacles to outdoor engagement for many people of color. Distance to outdoor recreational opportunities, lack of public transit options, and stereotypes about who “belongs” in the outdoors are all obstacles as real as concrete walls for many people. If you have any doubt about the reality of these obstacles, take some time to explore the well-researched resources below: 

Diversity in the Great Outdoors: Is Everyone Welcome in America’s Parks and Public Lands?

Organizations Breaking Down Barriers

There are many ways to connect with nature, from trail building to outdoor education to grassroots agriculture initiatives. All of these different ways of connecting with nature ensure that, as a society, we are building a robust coalition of outdoor enthusiasts who can speak to the value of nature on many fronts.

The organizations listed below are leaders in making sure that the joys of nature belong to everyone. Most of them are led by people of color. Some are local to the New York and New Jersey area, while some operate nationwide. We encourage you to explore their missions, participate in their programs, and support their continuing operation. 

Outdoor Recreation

Positive experiences in the outdoors, at any stage of life, are critical in shaping a love of the outdoors. These organizations focus on outdoor excursions, hikes, and volunteer activities along the trails we all share.

• Black Outside
• Camp Founder Girls
• AMC Outdoors RX
• The Open Space Institute

• Christodora
• GirlTrek: Healthy Black Women and Girls
•  New York Outdoor Recreation Coalition

GirlTrek: Healthy Black Women and Girls With nearly 800,000 members and counting, GirlTrek is the largest health movement and nonprofit for Black women and girls in the country. GirlTrek encourages Black women to use radical self-care and walking as the first practical step to leading healthier, more fulfilled lives. GirlTrek is on a mission to inspire one million Black women to walk in the direction of their healthiest, most fulfilled lives by the end of 2020 and it all starts with taking the pledge at GirlTrek.org.

• Greening Youth Foundation
• Groundwork Hudson Valley

• HECHO: From advocacy including protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining, and pushing for comprehensive legislation like the Great American Outdoors Act, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) connects love for the land to opportunities to advocate for all the things the land provides – clean water, clean air, wildlife, and landscapes to enjoy.
  
  Our connection to the outdoors informs our advocacy, and using our platform to ensure Hispanic voices are heard so that we have a seat at the table is more critical than ever.
  
  Participate with HECHO by joining our Digital Advocacy Network to act on environmental issues that af-fect our communities, follow us on social media, and subscribe to our newsletter.

• Latino Outdoors
• MobilizeGreen
• Native Womens Wilderness
• New York State Outdoor Education Association
• Outdoor Afro

• Outside Perspectives
• Sierra Club: NYC Inspiring Connections Outdoors
• Soul Trak Outdoors
• Wilderness Inquiry

Outdoor Education

For many of us, a love of the outdoors came from early-life experiences. These outdoor education programs specifically endeavor to extend those experiences to children who otherwise would not have access to them.

• Free Forest School (NYC Chapter)
• PGM ONE Summit

• Backyard Basecamp, Inc. intends to respectfully and sustainably reconnect marginalized people to nature. Our 10-acre land reclamation project, BLISS Meadows, will accomplish this by building community greenspace, increasing access to healthy food, practicing community science and conservation, demonstrating sustainable animal husbandry, and providing culturally responsive environmental education. 

• Outdoors Empowered Network is a national network of community-led, youth-centered outdoor education groups that are dedicated to increasing access and diversity in the outdoors through gear libraries and outdoor leadership training. 
• Outdoor Promise‘s mission is to encourage urban youth and families to appreciate the natural world and hone their outdoor leadership skills to have safe and fun adventures. We are committed to increasing access to outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship opportunities. We believe that we cannot ask people to protect a nature they have not experienced. Outdoor Promise offers transformational outdoor experiences, outdoor education programs, and environmental stewardship opportunities to help create a greater appreciation of the natural world.