Despite the rapidly changing demographics of the United States, the outdoors remains a non-diverse space. In his TED talk, Alex discusses the numerous benefits to spending time in nature, yet a lack of engagement for many communities of color today, particularly in the Black/African-American community, due to safety, access, relevancy, and representation. Although participation in outdoor activities remains predominantly white, many communities of color have centuries of history in nature, both tragic and triumphant. As painful as these histories have sometimes been, a deeper understanding of these dual truths could be the key to ensuring that the future of the outdoors is not only relevant but representative of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States. Alex’s love for the outdoors was reinvigorated as a summer camp counselor. After spending three summers working at one of the premier summer overnight camps in the country, he witnessed the transformative power of the outdoors. He soon joined Teach for America & served as a classroom teacher for four years & later became an instructional coach in San Antonio. Throughout his experience in both the classroom & as an instructional coach, he saw the “gap” in outdoor programming opportunities for youth of color.
In 2019, Alex founded Black Outside, Inc. with a passion for expanding outdoor opportunities to more youth of color & yearning for more cultural relevancy in the outdoor education sector. Within six months of launching, Black Outside has crafted & led outdoor experiences for over 80 youth of color including the successful relaunching of the first summer overnight camp for black girls: Camp Founder Girls. Black Outside will reach over 250 young people across central Texas next year. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx