Felicia Brower
Colorado Mountain Club has long been an organization for outdoor enthusiasts in the state, offering incredible opportunities for hiking, climbing, biking, and connecting with nature and other people who love it. Earlier this year, we set out to find a way to expand those opportunities to reach more diverse communities, working towards our mission of making the outdoors a more inclusive space. Enter Outdoor Unidos, a new program developed in partnership with ViVe Wellness that's not only introducing new audiences to the joys of the outdoors but also strengthening the very fabric of CMC.
“The program is designed to bridge differences and unite communities,” explains Raquel Cabeza, the program's dedicated manager. “The true aim of Outdoor Unidos is to be a program for everyone. We want to foster empathy and communication and give participants more space to meet someone they probably haven't talked to before.”
Several weeks in, the feedback about Outdoor Unidos has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants and their families being able to experience the outdoors in a new way in a welcoming environment.
At a typical Outdoor Unidos event, participants engage in "belonging activities" designed to foster empathy, communication, and connections between people who might be from different cultures. Following this, the outdoor adventure begins! Participants are split into groups for adults, teens, and kids to ensure everyone has an engaging and appropriate experience. Outdoor Unidos provides all the necessary equipment, and these activities typically run until noon. The program meets roughly every two weeks, though flexibility is built in to accommodate special outings.
While the immediate benefits of Outdoor Unidos are clear – getting more people outdoors and fostering connections between communities – the program also serves as a way for CMC to fulfill an ever-important mission of bringing people to the outdoors in a more comprehensive way. It creates avenues for engagement and attracts new members of the broader Colorado population.
Outdoor Unidos is more than just a series of events; it's a movement towards a more inclusive and vibrant outdoor community in Colorado. The next cohort opens Spring 2026, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. Sign up here for enrollment updates!