Through empowerment programs, Latino youth feel welcomed outdoors

Editor's note: This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. Read this post for more information about the training program.

As a young girl, Olivia Guillen was often the only Latina she saw when she went kayaking and camping with her white aunt.

Guillen's experience reflects a nationwide disparity.

Fewer Latino Americans visit U.S. parks and forests than their white peers, according to data from state and national parks.

But through camps, environmental science programs and outdoor recreation trips, people across the country are working to reverse the trend. They're getting more Latino youths like Guillen into the outdoors.

Guillen is now a counselor at a 4-H camp helps younger campers become leaders.

Camping, fishing and boating are expensive hobbies that can exclude many people of color, who often earn less than the national average income, according to the U.S. Census. Much of the information about how to recreate excludes different cultures.

"They don't have the right resources for Latinos," said Mario Magana Alvarez, who works for Oregon's 4-H outreach program. "They don't understand what we really want."

Many visitor centers and park websites offer information only in English. Some families can't afford a car or don't have a license to get to these destinations, and there are few cheap or public transportation options.

But Magana Alvarez sees change. When he started working at the Oregon 4-H Center in Salem, the visitors were nearly 100 percent white.

After four to five years, he saw about one-third of visitors were Latino or other racial or ethnic minorities.

Nationally, 4-H is often associated with county fairs and livestock, but it provides hands-on experience in a range of fields. During late July and early August, Magana Alvarez also runs camps for elementary and middle school students. By high school, campers can become counselors and start learning leadership skills and career development.

But before they choose college majors, campers hike, canoe and fish. They play sports and swim.

"When we started the camp, I believe we were the first Latinos ever to rent the campground," Magana Alvarez said.

He isn't the only person trying to change the mix of park visitors.

Albert Arevalo volunteers with Latino Outdoors, a national nonprofit that plans events and provides discount gear and grants to Latinos in Washington, D.C.

"I think it's a strong political image seeing people of color doing recreation," Arevalo said. "I have the right to enjoy my land."

Arevalo played in his Texas backyard growing up and traveled to local beaches.

"It really made me fall in love with the outdoors and I didn't see it then, but now it influences what I do, and I enjoy my career," said Arevalo, who works for the Maryland parks department.

Heather Medina Sauceda also turned her childhood passion for nature into a career. She now works with Magana Alvarez's 4-H programs to make a future where more people look like her in the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Growing up in Michigan, Medina Sauceda hunted and fished.

But at Michigan State University, Medina Sauceda struggled to feel accepted in her animal biology major, where her classmates were primarily white men.

She was often the only Latina. Teachers urged her to quit the environmental science field, saying it was too hard, she said. Sometimes, even her friends questioned her choice.

"In Latino Club, they'd ask me why I want to go back to the fields," Medina Sauceda said. "People are starting to understand that we're not picking crops, we're learning environmental conservation."

She reaches out to Latino youths to recruit more people of color.

Keiri Lopez, 15, looks up to people like Medina Sauceda. This summer, Lopez will be a counselor after years as a camper.

"It's very empowering and keeps you motivated," Lopez said.

-- Lourdes Cowan, St. Helens High School
-- Jared Melgarejo-Ramirez, De La Salle North Catholic High School

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.