Juntos al Aire Libre fosters the next generation of environmental justice advocates in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
context
2025 Juntos Cohort
Since 2018, KDI has partnered with youth in the Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) to address issues of environmental justice, park access, and mobility. In 2022, KDI expanded and formalized this work by launching Juntos al Aire Libre (Juntos), meaning “Together Outdoors,” a youth environmental justice program designed to cultivate the next generation of advocates in the ECV.
Juntos connects local college-aged youth to outdoor recreational opportunities that are often inaccessible, even within their own communities. With leadership training opportunities and internships built into the curriculum, participants are equipped to engage the broader ECV community in addressing pressing environmental challenges.
process
During Juntos’ first phase, funded by the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, we engaged ECV students enrolled at College of the Desert. Participants took part in a community organizing training program and collaborated to design and fabricate a mobile environmental justice hub. Together, they developed and led programming that engaged their broader community around key environmental justice issues. With additional support from a Route to Parks grant, youth also participated in field trips to California State Parks across the desert, building their skills as naturalists and gaining confidence in outdoor settings.
2025 Cohort at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
In its second phase, supported by the California Natural Resources Agency, Juntos is expanding its reach and deepening its focus. The curriculum now centers more explicitly on the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake and a critical environmental concern for the ECV. A Youth Leadership Cohort receives organizing training and plays a key role in leading field trips and program events. This summer, Juntos is partnering with the Audubon Society and Loma Linda University to offer internships that provide hands-on experience and mentorship, helping participants explore potential careers in the natural sciences, conservation, and environmental justice organizing.
