SAN DIEGO —
“How old were you when you went on your first hike?” he says.
It’s not rare to hear that this hike, the one they are on, is their first, said Belmonte, who is a program coordinator with Latino Outdoors San Diego.
It’s a sign, he says, of the economic, social and cultural barriers Latinos face to accessing the outdoors.
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“There are cultural misconceptions that (outdoor spaces) are only for certain people, and we are working to break those stigmas,” he said.
Latino Outdoors San Diego exposes Latino families and individuals to outdoor recreational activities — such as hiking, kayaking and beach barbeques — to minimize assumptions that might discourage them from exploring new spaces and hobbies.