A little under six years ago, a book was published that would make a profound impact on Lesford “Les” Duncan. It chronicled the first known all-African American expedition on Denali, the highest point in North America. When Les first read James Edward Mills’ The Adventure Gap, he saw himself in the book’s intersecting stories. “It weaves together both personal and historical stories of how Black people have been historically excluded from outdoor spaces and how we’re breaking barriers to this day,” says Les. “It meant a lot to me. Since then, I’ve been increasingly excited to witness the growing number of organizations working to increase access and representation outdoors.”
Outdoor Outreach is one such organization. As Senior Director of Programs, Les works with his colleagues and close to 2,000 kids a year to introduce San Diego youth to the transformative power of the outdoors. “I’ll never forget my first time summiting a mountain, Mt. San Jacinto, and the feeling that anything is possible,” says Les, “I want to help create similar unforgettable moments of possibility for our youth and bring them to their own ‘mountaintop’ experiences.” In addition to outdoor programs and activities with close to 50 community partners, Outdoor Outreach provides an intensive Leadership Program as part of its mission to build a cycle of representation outdoors. Each year, many of the Leadership Program graduates become field instructors or program staff with Outdoor Outreach, or pursue other opportunities in outdoor education and advocacy. “We want to support the next generation of outdoor leaders in the community, especially youth from historically underrepresented and excluded communities,” says Les.
As a member of the Parks Now coalition, Les feels grateful to work alongside a group of thoughtful advocates working to increase equity in the outdoors. “It’s powerful to see such a proactive coalition and platform come together for key policy change,” says Les. “Not only do we carry more weight to affect change together, but the coalition provides a strong group of like-minded people for me to lean on.”
Whenever Les speaks in a legislative budget hearing or policy advocacy meeting, he often finds himself talking about the connection between the resilience of public lands and the resilience of the people-- especially youth--who get to experience them. “When our youth experience resilience, healing and confidence in the outdoors, they gain a sense of belonging,” says Les. “That then leads to a sense of ownership and stewardship. This work is so important because not only are we creating transformative experiences for youth and increasing representation outdoors, we’re cultivating the next leaders who will fight for and protect the lands we love.”
To learn more about Les and the work Outdoor Outreach is doing to connect youth to the transformative power of the outdoors, visit www.outdooroutreach.org