La Familia Counseling Center Receives Grant to Fund ‘Juntos Afuera’

La Familia Counseling Center announced the organization has received a $700,000 grant from the Outdoor Equity Program which expands outdoor access to underserved communities through excursions to national parks and natural areas throughout the state of California.

La Familia Counseling Center will use this grant to fund the Juntos Afuera program. This program empowers youth and families to get outside, reconnect with nature, and take a moment to unplug. Through outdoor leadership activities, career pathway exploration, environmental justice education, and family-centered excursions, Juntos Afuera ensures that all individuals have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and healing of nature.

“The past two years have made it difficult to focus on anything else except surviving whatever challenges the pandemic has thrown our way,” said Rachel Rios, Executive Director of La Familia Counseling Center. “Juntos Afuera is giving us the opportunity to help our community find a pathway to healing and better health and wellness. It provides an opportunity for our community to improve their health through outdoor activities, create wellness by enjoying the beauty and peace of nature, and strengthen relationships by encouraging families to disconnect from their busy schedules and reconnect as a unit. It also provides youth with exposure to career opportunities in Parks, Recreation and Environmental issues and encourages us all to be better stewards of our environment.”

Juntos Afuera will encompass 49 activity days in the community for 900 participants and 26 excursions to natural areas for 600 participants over the course of the three years of programming.

The community-based activities will include various partners, including United Latinos, Latinos Outdoors and Teatro Nagual’s play on Environmental Justice to promote the importance of environmental stewardship. Participants of the outdoor trips will have the opportunity to adventure through oceans, bird walks, coastal access trails, hikes and it will create more accessibility to the natural environment for marginalized communities.

In addition to these outdoor excursions, there will be opportunities for youth and community members to participate in various roles such as community translators, youth outreach ambassadors, youth producing social media and videos, youth and community member apprentice tour guides/presenters and group leaders.

“As a result of the generous support of the Outdoor Equity Program, Juntos Afuera will be brought to life to empower youth and community members to discover their leadership potential towards creating better health and wellness outcomes,” said Rios.