Legacy of Leadership: A Q&A With Juan Martinez

In 2007, a group of young leaders, including Juan Martinez, was asked to create a youth-focused track for C&NN’s annual Grassroots Gathering. Recognizing the increasing age and lack of diversity in the children and nature movement, they came back with a different proposal. They proposed instead to develop a leadership training and mentorship program to empower new generations of outdoor enthusiasts and environmental stewards—focused on young leaders that reflect the diverse demographics of the U.S. The idea for the Natural Leaders Network was born.

Juan helped create and launch C&NN’s Natural Leaders initiative in 2008, with founding partners at the Sierra Club and The North Face. These founders believed that creating opportunities for meaningful engagement in the outdoors would nurture a new constituency of champions for environment and social justice—one rooted in personal experiences in nature.

Juan’s approach to working with young leaders has transformed C&NN—and me personally. If you’ve ever had the privilege of participating in a Natural Leaders Legacy Camp, or have spent an hour with Juan, you know that for him, relationships are never transactional. His vision for Natural Leaders was to center young leaders and help them own the power of their stories. During one Legacy Camp, a young woman was uncomfortable answering questions in a group setting, much less telling her personal story in front of an audience. In his quiet way, Juan helped her to see that her story had power precisely because it was different from everyone else’s. 

After more than a decade with C&NN, Juan has accepted a full-time position as director of Fresh Tracks, a program that he helped pilot at C&NN and that has now found a permanent home at the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions. He will continue to serve as a Senior Advisor for our equity and anti-racism work, and he will always be a guiding light for the Natural Leaders Network, now under the leadership of Monica Lopez Magee.

I am thrilled beyond belief for Juan to take on this leadership role at the Aspen Institute, and excited to continue partnering with him. Juan shared his community organizing philosophy with me some years ago, saying: “My goal is to work myself out of a job.” With more than 400+ Natural Leaders now working in 46 states, his philosophy has come full circle. He will now be tackling a broad range of youth development opportunities through Fresh Tracks, including implementing the Tribal and Indigenous community of practice for the Opportunity Youth Forum.

I hope you enjoy this interview with my dear friend and colleague as he reflects on his time at C&NN, and looks to the future in his new role at the Aspen Institute.

Q&A with Sarah Milligan-Toffler and Juan Martinez

SMT: Juan, can you share a few favorite memories from the Natural Leaders Network?

JM: Oh wow, this is hard. There are so many to choose from, but here are a couple. At every Legacy Camp we have moments in the outdoors, but I remember the floats down the Potomac. Over 50 young leaders on kayaks, canoes, heading down to Harpers Ferry. One of my mentors and champions of Natural Leaders was Brother Yusuf. The river was his element, and we got to share time and memories on that river. 

Another favorite was hosting a congressional briefing in D.C. about the role of Latinx youth in the future of conservation and outdoor recreation with partners from the Joint Center for Economic Forum, Hispanic Access Foundation, and The Wilderness Society

I’ve loved meeting and introducing Natural Leaders at every C&NN conference, but I especially remember our annual conference in Oakland. California is home and it was also my birthday week, to be able to celebrate it with friends and family was very special.

2016 was a special year. We launched Fresh Tracks in Compton, CA with Mayor Brown and met President Obama with Fresh Tracks leaders in Yosemite National Park. We organized the first Fresh Tracks cross cultural expedition with young leaders from Washington, California and Alaska, and finished it off by reporting on our expedition and community action at the White House in the Roosevelt room.

I’ve been able to do this work with people who have become friends and my family. Too many to name here but, eternally grateful to each of you. Overall it is the people and leaders I have met along the way who give me the inspiration and drive to keep breaking silos and thinking of new ways to empower our communities.

SMT: When you think about the deep impact that Natural Leaders has had on so many young activists and organizers across the country, what are you most proud of?

JM: I think the most important part of Natural Leaders is the space it creates for meaningful connections rooted in joy and action. Not only by holding each other accountable to our vision, but to the children and nature movement as well. Natural Leaders was created to go beyond showcasing; it was a moment and an opportunity to show that young leaders can take on challenges and drive to solutions. I think that is the soul and heart of Natural Leaders. It was never just my vision, it was always about the collective “us” inside of the community.

SMT: How has the organization changed since you started a decade ago? 

JM: When I first got here, the energy of the movement was palpable. It still is today. Today, there is an urgency to the call to action for equitable access to nature for all. C&NN has become one of the most holistic and sophisticated organizations, measuring impact, inspiring leaders, and working alongside policy makers and volunteer organizers who are connecting their communities to the outdoors. When I first got here, I could tell you everything that C&NN was doing in about 5 minutes. Today, I don’t know the specifics of every initiative and that to me is a great thing. We have also come to recognize our role in creating equity as an entity and as a movement leader in this space. I’m glad to be a part of that as I continue my role as an advisor. 

SMT: What are your hopes and dreams for the future of Natural Leaders?

JM: My one hope and dream is that the Natural Leaders Network continues to be a place and community for leaders to find the power in their voices and actions. Where it goes and how it takes shape is now in the hands of this and the next generation. When I was young, I was fortunate enough to sit across from other young leaders to come up with this vision and feel supported by this community. I now hope that the same energy and opportunities continue to be passed on. 

SMT: In 2016, you and others answered a call from President Obama to engage young people of color in the outdoors. The result was Fresh Tracks. What are you most excited about with this program and its potential impact as part of the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions?

JM: Fresh Tracks is a community-led healing revolution rooted in the power of culture and nature. So much of how resources are directed is informed by trauma. Our vision is that by focusing on healing, that we can bring people, communities and movements together to break silos for system wide change. We must hold systems of inequity accountable for the lack of intersectionality around complex problems. I understand why we need to address certain issues as stand alone, but the truth of the matter is that there is no single issue cause, just as there are no single issue people.

SMT: In closing, is there anything you’d like to add?

JM: The amount of gratitude that I have for the Children & Nature Network community cannot be summed up in words. While I am not going too far away, my role is changing and I look forward to supporting the impact and action of our movement until I physically can’t anymore,  and even then I hope my spirit can keep on going. This community guided me to understand that the trees don’t care where you come from, the river won’t ask for your credit score, the sun will not judge you by the color of your skin, and the mosquitoes certainly don’t care who you are. Nature is a place for all of us. What I now understand is that people and systems of inequity have created barriers to making it possible for all of us to enjoy the benefits of nature. That is not just, and it is what we are here to address head on.

Check Out More News and Resources