Ever since she could remember, Kim Moore Bailey was always more fascinated by her natural surroundings than the built environment. She fondly remembers spending hours in her backyard in Long Island, watching ants crawl across the patio. “I must’ve been about four years old,” Kim says. “I begged my mom for a cookie and promptly dropped it outside. Instead of scolding me, she brought a three-legged stool with a microscope and told me to wait and watch.” Kim was immediately mesmerized, watching hundreds of ants bring her patio to life. “To this day, my mom points to that memory as the moment the natural world opened up for me. She isn’t at all surprised I do what I do,” laughs Kim.
Kim is the Chief Executive Officer at Youth Outside, an Oakland-based organization dedicated to providing access to the outdoors for youth. Through grantmaking, capacity building and training, Youth Outside addresses issues of racial equity and inclusion with the vision that one day all youth will have equitable access to the benefits of outdoor experiences. “Access to parks” is not just about addressing the physical, says Kim. “Someone can still feel alienated and uncomfortable in spaces meant ‘for all,’ even if that park is right outside their front door. How do we address barriers that may not be seen, but [are] deeply rooted in a historical context?” For Youth Outside, grantmaking is one way of working toward equitable access. “We also create conversations to begin addressing relevancy and representation—in policy, hiring, community engagement, media, etc,” says Kim. “We’re interested in what organizations are doing to understand things like unconscious bias, power and privilege. We want them to look ‘inward’ within their organization before continuing their work ‘outward’ in the community.”
When she first heard about Parks Now, Kim was delighted, but mostly surprised. “I remember thinking, this is just now forming?” says Kim. “How is this not a 50-year old machine!” Kim hopes to get Youth Outside more engaged in the space because as she says, there’s much to be done. “I’m excited there’s a coalition leading the conversation on park equity and access in such smart, thoughtful ways. We’re bringing about awareness, rallying stakeholders and leveraging multiple points to make the point that this issue will not be ignored. We’re not going to go away until we get it.”
To learn more about Youth Outside and their work ensuring the lived experience of all youth is honored as part of the outdoor experience, visit Youthoutside.org