I really like how I can come in nervous that I’m not going to talk to people and then come back home and be like, ‘yeah, I spoke a lot today.’ I feel like, you know, I’m seen.
Alyn Vivar Perez (she/they), Nature Connections Participant
For the past six weeks, we’ve amplified the voices of youth participants in our outdoor programs, who shared what Y-WE means to them. This week, we are wrapping up our summer campaign by highlighting Alyn Vivar Perez (she/they), who made friends and found community in Nature Connections:
Alyn speaks to three of our main goals for Nature Connections:
- Increasing accessibility to outdoor experiences: providing barrier-free opportunities for young people to get away from their daily life and connect with nature
- Building reciprocal relationships with the land: inspiring youth to appreciate how the earth takes care of us
- Creating a community of belonging: holding a safe space for teens to make new connections, build confidence, and feel seen for who they are
By giving to our summer campaign, you invest in transformative, no-cost opportunities for youth and ensure these programs are funded in the year ahead. With just a few days left in our fiscal year, now is the time to make a gift! It takes all of us to do this work, and we are so grateful for your support.
Make Your Gift Today
Video Transcript:
“[My favorite part is] being able to get out of my home, like, you know, spend some time outside of my apartment because I live in the city. It’s a little bit dreary. And then I’m not used to being able to go to places like this because usually I don’t have like a ride to these places. So it’s really nice to be out.
The trees don’t demand things of you and like the forest don’t demand things of you. But in a way, you kind of owe it to the forest — by enjoying that presence and being allowed to like, you know, just exist — to take care of it.
And I also really like learning about the history of like how things are the way that they are right now. Kind of like the legacy of it all.
I really like how I could come in nervous that I’m not going to talk to people and then come back home like, ‘yeah, I spoke a lot today.’ I feel like, you know, I’m seen and stuff.”