We Outside: Here’s How This Organization Helps HBCU Students And Alumni Embrace The Great Outdoors

“We Outside” takes on a different meaning for the Black student members of HBCUs Outside. Over the past four years, the non-profit organization has been creating opportunities for Black college students to connect with nature. HBCUs Outside provides access to outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and camping, and instructors to build a community among current HBCU students and alumni that goes beyond their years on campus.

HBCUs Outside employs student ambassadors who are trained to establish sustainable outdoor clubs on their respective campuses in partnership with the National Park Trust. Since its inception in 2020, the organization has started clubs at six HBCU campuses, including Tennessee State University, Howard University, and Florida A&M University, and it aims to expand to the remaining 102 schools.

This goal has become closer in reach after HBCUs Outside became one of the latest recipients of a grant from the “One More Hour” initiative by the social dating app Hinge. The social impact initiative aims to get Gen Z to tackle loneliness and add more in-person connections by providing grants to social groups and organizations “helping Gen Z find belonging and community in person.”

A recent 2023 advisory from the US Surgeon General drew attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, often referred to as the “epidemic of loneliness,” and its negative impact on health. Given the data showing that Gen Z is receiving “1,000 fewer hours of in-person connection time every year” compared to past generations, the work of HBCUs Outside becomes even more important.

HBCUs Outside Founder and Director Ron Griswell discussed what inspired him to found this organization, telling ESSENCE, “In 2011, while I was attending NCATSU (North Carolina A&T University), I had the opportunity to join a service-learning experience in Belize. From the time I landed, waiting a little over an hour for the rest of my group in sweat-inducing heat, I felt as though I was suddenly living my National Geographic-inspired childhood dreams… I was inspired by the people I met, who had a very simple and relaxed way of living, connected to each other and the place they lived, not things.”

But it wasn’t just about discovering the beauty of nature, Griswell revealed. “Reflecting on those memories, I realized that the magic of the experience was in the Community – the relationships, shared moments of togetherness, and sense of belonging.

 With this spark that grew into a flame of passion, my main mission heading back to NCA&T after the Spring Break trip was diving into what made the service-learning trip magical – connecting with others through outdoor experiences. However, after returning to campus,             I became frustrated by the lack of resources my college had for outdoor recreation.”

“Several years later, I had traveled all over the country leading outdoor excursions… As I thought about the issues that I faced trying to start an outdoor program on my campus, I figured that I would benchmark against other HBCUs to see who was doing it right,” Griswell said. “To my dismay, I found that the lack of outdoor recreational resources was prevalent in most HBCUs. I then told myself that the solution I was working to solve wasn’t just for a single university, but the entire ecosystem of our historically Black colleges and universities – thus, HBCUs Outside was founded.”

Howard University architectural student Roshell Grant Wesley is an HBCUs Outside participant and told ESSENCE, “Community within the outdoors has always been important to me, so when I learned about HBCUs Outside from previous group ambassadors, I was drawn to apply. The group harnesses the ability to establish a relationship with the outdoors for those who don’t already have one and expands the Community for those who do. I’ve found it especially rewarding to see students conquer new things and gain a newfound sense of confidence as a result.”

For Spelman College environmental science major Zora Neale Walton, being an HBCU Outside ambassador provides an opportunity to contribute to making outdoor activities more accessible to all. “I’ve found as a college student in a big city that access to nature is a quiet luxury and not as available as it may seem. My goal as an HBCU Outside ambassador is to bridge this gap and foster a more inclusive and accessible outdoor culture at my HBCU,” said Walton.

Ultimately, when it comes to the importance of closing the loneliness epidemic, Griswell said, “I believe natural spaces are a critical element in combating loneliness because of the multitude of benefits, from mental health to physical wellness, that nature provides. Even more so, being able to gather around a fire under the stars or convene for a hike are all things we’ve been doing since the dawn of time. Still, somewhere along the way, we started to distance ourselves from those activities – we need a reconnection.”

“Being in Community with others definitely combats loneliness, and more holistically, I believe that nature has the power to not just connect us to others, but also to our past, ourselves, and the outdoors.”