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Vamos Outdoors
Meet the Executive Director of Latino Outdoors
Angela Hollowell
January 26, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
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In this week's episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Luis Villa, the Executive Director of Latino Outdoors, to explore how this organization is transforming the outdoor recreation landscape by creating welcoming spaces for the Latine community.
Luis shared powerful insights about Latino Outdoors' mission to inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors while embracing cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative. Through their work, they're not just organizing hiking trips or camping adventures – they're building communities that celebrate cultural heritage while fostering a deep connection with nature.
One of the most compelling aspects of our conversation was discussing how Latino Outdoors addresses the historical barriers that have kept many Latino communities from fully participating in outdoor activities. From policy to nature access, we discussed the organization's approach to making nature truly accessible for all. Though the organization was founded by a man, 2/3 of its volunteers are women, and that has remained constant throughout its history.
We delved into the organization's remarkable growth since its founding in California, exploring how its community-centered approach has created a ripple effect across the country. The conversation took an especially interesting turn when we discussed his perspective on how our everyday interactions are trending away from face-to-face interactions:
In our everyday lives we're just trending towards connecting in ways that I think are filtered, that I think don't encourage us to connect our fullest selves with other people and their fullest selves, right? Because we're doing it in these other ways that just aren't in person, and i'm not bashing any of that…but we can't forget about the value of connecting with people in real life, right? And all the learning and the growth that happens when you do that – all the shared understanding the empathy that you can cultivate when you connect with someone in real life.
Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast, a community organizer, or simply looking to connect with an outdoor organization in a new city, this episode offers valuable insights into building inclusive outdoor spaces and communities. Listen to the full episode to hear more about Latino Outdoors' signature events, their vision for the future, and how you can get involved in your local chapter of Latino Outdoors (and be sure to leave us a review)!
The Last Word 🥂
Next week is Black History Month, and Craig Lewis featured our first episode and a little history lesson in an article on his publication, Running Tales. And if you’re looking for a new Black-woman-led sports podcast, I highly recommend Candace Parker’s new show on Bleacher Report, The Trophy Room. The first episode features Breanna Stewart, WNBA Champion and co-founder of Unrivaled (which you can read more about here: These Champions are Unrivaled).
Melanin MVP is part of the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network by Run Tri Bike. Know someone you would like to see on the podcast? Respond and let us know!
Penned,
Angela 🤙🏾✨
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