Becoming OutGrown - Jessica Carrillo Alatorre's Story
OutGrown Executive Director Jessica Carillo Alatorre has been a part of Hike it Baby since 2014 where she met Shanti Hodges, the founder of Hike it Baby on her first hike. She is inspired by the passion and commitment of the volunteers who drive OutGrown along with the mission that has created the kind of community she wants her girls to be a part of. She is committed to building a future where the outdoors is a safe, accessible space for all families to enjoy, regardless of their race, gender, ability, socioeconomic status, orientation, or religion. Jessica is proud to be raising a generation to love the outdoors.
When I became a parent, I had recently moved to Portland and didn’t know many people. Of the few people I did know, none had kids. My partner and I had left a very close knit group of friends in the Bay area and I was unsure about how I was going to get through this transition into parenthood without close friends or a sense of community. I knew I wanted to be an active parent, going to the library, walking to the park, and generally exploring and enjoying the place where we lived with my baby. I even convinced my partner we should get a dog so that I would have someone to walk with the baby and me while my partner worked. PS - don’t try having a new puppy and your first baby at the same time, it’s not a great mix! I tried to join a few meetup groups, but was told I couldn’t join until I had my baby. I tried some prenatal yoga and swim classes, but found it challenging to make connections. It seemed like the only option I had was joining my new moms group hosted by the hospital once I gave birth. I did that and met some nice women. One of them shared about a group called Hike it Baby that was for parents who wanted to get outside with their babies. I joined the group’s Facebook page and watched it from afar for a bit before I worked up the courage to go out. I finally joined a real life event when they posted a new parents hike, making it feel more approachable for my healing postpartum body and inexperience with my baby carrier. Boy, do they make those things complicated, especially when you factor in the sleep deprivation of new parenthood!
On the hike, we were greeted by several nice people, we stopped together for a rest, and we sat around in the nature center after, chatting and connecting more while we nursed our babies and had some snacks. It was very informal, but it suited me to be able to warm up and connect without the formality of specific discussion themes or baby care focus I found at my new moms group. As I joined more events, I began to see familiar faces and form connections with people. Through those opportunities, I was able to form new friendships. I started to exchange contact information and get more outgoing in my attempts to be social. I also built confidence in getting out with my daughter. Instead of bringing the whole diaper bag with me, I learned I could leave a stocked diaper bag in the car and just bring some water, wipes, a diaper, and a snack for the actual hike. I learned which carrier I liked best and how to get it on myself with my baby in it safely. It was a huge game changer when I learned how to nurse my daughter while she was in the carrier. I didn’t have to feed her in the car before or after outings or errands, I could do it while walking and shopping. It was SO liberating!
Today, the women who I connected with on those first hikes are still my closest friends nearly 9 years later. We don’t need the excuse of an organized event to get us together. We just reach out and invite each other to mom dates, play dates, birthday parties, camp trips, and more. We have a solid community that we can rely on if we need help. We can count on each other to watch over the kids as they roam in more independent play groups at gatherings, trusting that we all know each other and will keep our collective brood in good care. Finding this kind of positive community and support as a parent has been integral in my own personal development, mental and physical wellness, and general self confidence. Being able to spend time outside with my baby has also been integral. The habits and lessons learned from spending time outside and making friends that encourage more of the same have drastically impacted both myself and my children in a number of physical, behavioral, and spiritual ways. My elder daughter hiked 9 miles on her own two feet at 7 years old like it was just something we do. My younger daughter has always been the family motivator, asking from a very young age for regular “hikeababies” (walks outside). It has also connected us all more deeply to the care and importance of the land, plants, and animals around us and the planet we all share. Both my children are avid defenders of the natural world, pointing out harm and encouraging those around them to make better choices to help protect our planet. Outside time is how we find peace as a family, calming tempers, distracting us from annoyances and worries, and releasing pent up energy. I want to give those kinds of experiences to every new parent and child who comes into this world.
As I have navigated through the challenges of motherhood, I have often wondered what it would be like for my family without the experiences and opportunities I have had thanks to my Hike it Baby community. I think both my life and my children would be very different and likely not for the better. We live in a world where the impact of social support, holistic wellness, and the importance of time outside for our positive human development is not given enough recognition or priority. More and more people are spending more and more of their time inside, in front of screens and away from the natural world we are a part of. There are significant disparities among who feels comfortable, equipped, and like they belong in the outdoors. These disparities are often similarly reflected across the social determinants of health, across health outcomes for mothers and children, and across other key factors that indicate if we are thriving as individuals. As a community of people, we are becoming more divided and polarized. We see an increase in violence and extremism. We see more impacts from our behavior on our climate, bringing in more extreme weather and an alarming increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters that destroy our homes and lives. The more we disconnect from our planet and the people around us, the more harm we experience. Without those connections to each other and to nature, our future generations are at a significant risk both individually and collectively.
We can have positive, long lasting impacts across all of these areas with just a few small shifts. What starts as tiny baby steps become leaps and bounds of positive difference as a family grows and children mature.
From the seeds of Hike it Baby, we are expanding on what we’ve learned, letting it root deeply into our community led approach and establishing what we have identified as three core programs necessary for a strong trunk of success in supporting families in getting outside. Hike it Baby will continue to offer a community led approach to outdoor activities and events. Doing so allows individual families to host the type of outings and events that work for them while inviting others in their community to join them, which is a key element in building a community that gets outside together. Bring it Outside will work to address the barriers marginalized families face in getting outside, providing gear, workshops, and a multi-lingual, culturally relevant approach to offer more holistic and targeted support for those who don’t feel welcome, safe, prepared, or otherwise like they belong outside with their families. We believe lowering barriers for those who face the most challenges lowers barriers for all of us, helping to build toward a future where everyone sees themselves as able, confident, and excited to get outside in whatever ways they enjoy most. Turn the Blues Green introduces nature to new parents as soon as they have their babies. Resources and activities will be offered that demonstrate the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside for both the parent and the infant, inviting and encouraging parents to step outside as soon as a baby is born to help reduce the impacts of postpartum depression, the baby blues, and the increased stress, anxiety, and fear that all parents struggle with as they navigate this new transition. We believe that inviting families to play outside together is a powerful way to build community and foster a life-long love of nature. We believe that every child deserves to grow up outside, to be OutGrown. We hope you will join us and help us continue to bring it outside!
ABOUT OUTGROWN
OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org
EDITOR’S NOTE:
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