{"id":23488,"date":"2018-03-08T13:43:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T21:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=23488"},"modified":"2022-04-13T11:28:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T18:28:52","slug":"ibrahima-diouf-at-home-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/ibrahima-diouf-at-home-outside","title":{"rendered":"Ibrahima Diouf: At Home Outside"},"content":{"rendered":"

For our 82nd anniversary, we\u2019re highlighting 82 of your outdoor stories. Share your favorite story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with a photo or video and tag #REImember.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Like many people, REI Co-op member Ibrahima Diouf\u2014Ibou for short\u2014sees the outdoors as an antidote to the stresses of the modern world. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame that people aren\u2019t as connected to nature as they used to be,\u201d he says. \u201cEvolutionarily, I believe it\u2019s central for us to be outdoors. \u2026 The levels of stimulus you experience in a place like New York City, where I live\u2014it isn\u2019t good for you. If I\u2019m having a stressful day, I know spending some time in nature will make me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t always this way for\u00a0Ibou though. Growing up in Senegal, the outdoors weren\u2019t a part of his life, or even his culture. \u201cWhere I\u2019m from, and for a lot of African countries, there isn\u2019t much of a history of outdoor recreation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Ibrahima

Photo Credit: Alison Vagnini @alisonvagnini<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Ibou\u00a0moved to the United States in 2007, but it wasn\u2019t until 2014 that he experienced the outdoors for the first time, when his friend Daniel invited him to go hiking on a trail near Cold Springs, New York. A spring storm had just dumped 18 inches of snow, but\u00a0Ibou and Daniel weren\u2019t deterred. \u201cThe snow on the trail was up to my knees,\u201d Ibou recalls, \u201cbut I didn\u2019t care. All the time I was out there, I kept thinking to myself, \u2018This is where I belong\u2014how have I not been doing this all along?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Thoughtful and optimistic,\u00a0Ibou says that first hike changed his life for the better. \u201cSpending time outdoors has made me rethink how I want to live,\u201d Ibou says. \u201cI\u2019m a lot more confident now. Being outdoors forces you to be more self-reliant and accountable for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Ibou\u00a0is an avid hiker, camper and cyclist. He recently tried downhill skiing for the first time at Sunday River Resort in Maine, and he\u2019s currently on a bike-racing development team. Close to home, Ibou enjoys hiking and riding in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Even in the city, however, Ibou says it\u2019s rare for him to encounter other African immigrants exploring the outdoors. He believes that for many immigrants, especially those living in urban areas, the barriers are cultural as well as logistical\u2014where to go, how to get there, what to do.<\/p>\n

\"Ibrahima

Photo Credit: Alison Vagnini @alisonvagnini<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When he\u2019s not dreaming of trying ice climbing, racing cyclocross or living in the mountains of the western U.S., Ibou often considers the importance of getting back to nature not only for himself but also for humankind. He sees a strong connection between having a relationship with the outdoors and wanting to protect public lands for generations to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see time outdoors as the first and most important step in changing the way people, lawmakers and society perceive and interact with our natural resources.\u00a0The majority of Americans live in non-rural clusters. From experience, I can tell you I didn’t think of public lands as mine until I walked them, but with ownership comes responsibility. To get people to fight for what they have, they must first know what they have,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

To this end, Ibou wants to help newcomers get outside. His goal: to start a public school program in New York City aimed at getting kids out on local hiking trails. \u201cI truly believe that if we can show an entire generation of children what their world actually is, then we can change the way they perceive and interact with it,\u201d Ibou says. \u201cIn changing the world with truth, you’re either helping by acting, or hurting by watching, and I’ve decided to help.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For our 82nd anniversary, we\u2019re highlighting 82 of your outdoor stories. Share your favorite story on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with a photo or video and tag #REImember. Like many people, REI Co-op member Ibrahima Diouf\u2014Ibou for short\u2014sees the outdoors as an antidote to the stresses of the modern world. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame that people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":24673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,242],"tags":[1127,155,552],"internal-tag":[1680],"class_list":["post-23488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","category-social","tag-cycling","tag-new-york","tag-rei-members","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycling"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/social\/ibrahima-diouf-at-home-outside","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Ibrahima Diouf: At Home Outside","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/ibrahima-diouf-at-home-outside","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/social\/ibrahima-diouf-at-home-outside"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/Vagnini_100917_1875_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/Vagnini_100917_1875_Hero.jpg?fit=3000%2C1400"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycling","new york","rei members"],"dateCreated":"2018-03-08T21:43:37Z","datePublished":"2018-03-08T21:43:37Z","dateModified":"2022-04-13T18:28:52Z"},"rendered":"