Have you ever dreamed of trying something new and different, maybe even a little scary? To some, nature can be intimidating, and for the Black community, the outdoor community can often be quite unwelcoming. Outdoor Afro has been working to overcome this reality by inviting more Black people to invest their time in nature and outdoor recreation in order to diversify the outdoor community and build a more inclusive space for all.

Reaching Black communities with examples of outdoor activities in different ecosystems and regions provides interested individuals with a taste of what getting involved in the outdoors might look like in their area. Florida is one state that boasts tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities and was a great place for Outdoor Afro to promote upcoming trips to members of the local Black community.

We worked with Outdoor Afro, in collaboration with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Beyond the Map, to create a teaser video of a recent camping and kayaking trip in central Florida. Our main priority was to communicate key benefits of spending time in nature: relaxation, adventure, and friendship. These themes were then supported by the incredible beauty and tranquility of the area to produce a visual narrative that both inspires interest and supports the growth and normalization of a more diverse outdoor community.

Many of the participants who attended had never been camping before, let alone spent any time in a kayak. Needless to say, the trip went off without a hitch, with many of the members expressing interest in joining future trips. Actually® and our crew were humbled to be a part of this process and appreciated the opportunity to come away from the experience infinitely more aware of our own biases and inherent privileges to be outdoors without fear of prejudice. We look forward to collaborating with Outdoor Afro in the future to support Black leadership and connection in nature.