Why Advocacy?
Written by Sonia Diaz, Outdoor Outreach Public Policy Manager
Ad·vo·ca·cy – /ˈadvəkəsē/
noun
public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.
As the new Public Policy Manager, I support all of Outdoor Outreach’s advocacy work at the local, state, and federal level to further outdoor equity and environmental justice. Through advocacy, I influence policies that directly impact Outdoor Outreach’s operations and the communities in which our youth participants live.
The main reasons we engage in advocacy as an organization are to seek solutions to two major questions:
- How can Outdoor Outreach more efficiently and impactfully provide opportunities for youth? i.e. Equitable park permitting processes, more funding for outdoor programs, workforce training
- What are issues beyond Outdoor Outreach that are affecting our mission? i.e. Environmental racism, lack of representation for Black, Indigenous and persons of color in the outdoor recreation industry, school-to-prison pipeline, climate change
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out who is pushing them in.” – Bishop Desmond Tutu
Outdoor Outreach program graduate Tatiana Butte advocates for outdoor access and investment in green spaces with California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
My work as the Public Policy Manager consists of developing our policy priorities, educating elected officials on the issues that affect our work in the community, and working with our coalition partners on campaigns impacting equitable access to the outdoors. Through this new role, we’ll be able to provide expanded training and opportunities for our youth to use their voices and lived experiences to effect policy change through our Outdoor Voices Initiative. Through this program we’ve engaged youth in several successful advocacy campaigns including the passage of legislation creating the Outdoor Equity Grants Program (AB 209, 2019), which prioritizes funding for outdoor environmental education programs supporting youth from underserved communities, AB 250 (Gonzalez, 2017) requiring low-cost accommodations at state beaches, and advocating for more funding in the City of San Diego budget for the development of urban parks and equitable access in park-deficient communities.
A timeline of Outdoor Outreach’s advocacy successes to date.
Looking forward to 2022, our goals around advocacy as an organization begin with rethinking how we incorporate advocacy into our everyday work. We aim to foster an organization-wide culture of advocacy through meaningful, long-term staff and youth participation, advocacy training, and a community-informed policy agenda while working toward four main policy priorities which include:
We know that change takes time, but we are committed to this work. All it takes is just one voice to start a movement. Your voice matters.
If you’d like to learn more or to get involved in advocacy work with us please email Sonia Diaz at sonia.diaz@outdooroutreach.org.
Outdoor Outreach is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects youth to the transformative power of the outdoors. Through our programs, we’re helping youth build resilience in the face of challenges, and confidence in their power to make a difference.