Collaborating on a survey tool to measure urban BIPOC youths’ perceptions of the outdoors

Abstract

This research note describes the development of a pre-assessment survey of urban Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth participating in the Outward Bound Adventures (OBA) Environmental Studies Expeditions (ESE) program. The objective of the pre-assessment was to understand their baseline perceptions of nature and their experiences with the outdoors within their cultural context, as well as to inform the pre-and post-surveys that would be used to measure the benefits of OBA’s ESE program by focusing on participants’ understanding of nature, self-improvement, and the effect of having outdoor adventure experiences. The collaboration process uniquely allowed us to meaningfully improve our survey questions by using more relatable language after incorporating how lived experiences of urban BIPOC youth shape perceptions of the outdoors. Furthermore, the process helped improve our methodology by identifying an OBA staff member to personally oversee future survey administration and fully briefing all staff about the study’s goals.

Citation

Sánchez, José J.; Flores, David; Srivastava, Lorie; Schlickman, Emily; Cui, Jianhao; Arias, Maria V.; Davila, Antonio. 2025. Collaborating on a survey tool to measure urban BIPOC youths’ perceptions of the outdoors. Society & Natural Resources. 28(4): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2484816.