GoPro for a Cause Spotlight: Celebrating Latino Conservation Week with Latino Outdoors

The week of July 15, 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of Latino Conservation Week, an annual celebration that engages communities nationwide in outdoor activities that help support and protect our natural resources. Latino Outdoors, an organization that inspires and connects Latino communities in the outdoors, celebrated the milestone by engaging its members in content-driven challenges focused on visual storytelling-the cornerstone of the organization's work.

Vanessa Herrera, Latino Outdoors' Development Manager, shares the history behind the organization and tells us why representation in outdoor spaces is vital to the Latinx community.

GoPro: Tell us more about Latino Outdoors and the work you do.

Vanessa Herrera: Latinos are one of the fastest-growing minority demographics in the U.S. but are underrepresented in outdoor recreation and conservation. Latino Outdoors was founded to ensure our community's history and heritage stay intact and make sure that Latinx leadership is valued and represented in the U.S. Over the last ten years, we've cultivated programs in 32 regions across 20 states and, to date, have hosted nearly 1,000 outings for the community.

Our work has improved outdoor access and equity for Latinx and other underserved communities by addressing barriers to accessing nature. These barriers can include the costs associated with entrance fees, lack of access to specialized gear like sleeping bags, tents, and transportation, or even feeling intimidated or unwelcome to participate.

Through our programs, we host family-friendly outdoor outings led by our team of volunteers, who teach team-building skills, impart outdoor knowledge, and help participants feel safe bringing their whole identity with them. These outings range from day hikes to birding, biking, camping, and more.

Representation matters. Our stories and images matter, so we capture and share our adventures and outings so Latinx youth can see themselves represented in the outdoors and feel more comfortable recreating in nature.

How is visual storytelling a big part of your initiative?

Yo Cuento is our storytelling program and the core of our organization. The phrase translates to I tell a story, I count, and I matter,' which is something we're always looking to ignite within our community. During Latino Conservation Week, visual storytelling is even more present via our annual Latino Conservation Week photo contest, where we invite people to submit photos exploring #ConservationCultura with categories for youth photographers, conservation images, and even shots that push the boundaries of outdoor inclusion.

These images and stories remind our community that we matter, and our outdoor stories count and are a critical piece of the larger mainstream outdoor narrative. We're capturing a movement at the intersection of outdoor equity, diversity and inclusion.

Providing our volunteers with the tools necessary to become visual storytellers, historians and documentarians is vital to the success of our mission. Cameras are often an unaffordable and unattainable piece of equipment for community members, so having access to ones that allow for quality content capture-whether it's on a hike through Big Bend National Park in Texas, a transit to trails commute from downtown Los Angeles to the Angeles National Forest, snorkeling through the kelp forests off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, kayaking on the Potomac River, or snowshoeing to the summit of Mt. Pinos-helps our team visually tell stories to educate, inspire and encourage our online community.

Camera and gear donations from GoPro for a Cause help us capture and share these stories. We love having the chance to capture spontaneous moments that, in turn, we can craft into documentary-quality narratives to hone the community's creative skills.

To get involved with Latino Outdoors:

Find a local team and join an outing or volunteer your time.

Check out their stories by sharing and liking recent social posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Donate to support their work and help ensure the outdoors is safe, inclusive, and welcoming for Latinx communities and other underrepresented populations.

GoPro for a Cause-our nonprofit partnership and donation program-supports eligible nonprofits to varying degrees with in-kind or cash donations and employee volunteer time. You can learn more about getting involved with GoPro for a Cause here.

LINK:	https://gopro.com/en/gb/news/gopro-for-a-cause-spotlight-latino-outdoo...
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