I’m a founder and creative director helping people of colour reclaim green spaces
How birdwatching support club Flock Together is combatting the underrepresentation of black, brown & POC in nature.
Ollie Olanipekun is a creative director, founder and birdwatcher. In May 2020, Ollie founded Flock Together, A birdwatching support club combatting the underrepresentation of black, brown & POC in nature. It took off (excuse the pun), gained a massive following, growing internationally and even catching the attention of Sir David Attenborough. We asked Ollie to tell us about the journey of Flock Together, his latest project New Nature and what he thinks of Unyoked.
I'm one of the fortunate ones.
Growing up in the UK, many people’s access to nature stemmed from either their parents' encouragement and initiative or from school/institutional programs like The Duke of Edinburgh. My parents put me in the Cub Scouts when I was around 10 years old in the mere hope it would keep me off the streets. That hope died a year later when I got kicked out. The uniform, the practices and the language were all meant to create a sense of belonging but I just felt alienated. I couldn't connect with any of it at the time.
As an adult when I asked my Black friends if they wanted to go on a hike or camping trip I would often get the response, "Nah, that's a white thing". It took me another 10 years to really understand what they meant by that. Yes, I was one of the fortunate ones because my experience in the Cub Scouts (however brief) gave me the confidence to see the great outdoors as a space for me.
Many people, especially those of colour, are not given opportunities to see green spaces as something for them.
As a response, in 2020 I had an idea to set up a bird watching collective for people of colour called Flock Together. After many years of bird watching on my own, I was compelled to introduce it to my community so they could also experience its endless benefits. Then I met Nadeem who is now our Wildlife Director in what seemed like a chance encounter with another fellow black birder. I knew the time was right.
Little did I know that this group would go on to lead the global outdoor movement, where we see individuals and communities from marginalised groups taking up space in the great outdoors. We’ve built a community of over 20,000 #BIRDGANG on Instagram, released an EP, published a book, and launched chapters in New York and Tokyo.
The mission back then, was to make the space more accessible. In three years since, I feel we've gone a long way in making that happen.
But that's just the beginning, what we’re focused on now is taking learnings from that experience and using them to create access points to bring even more people into natural spaces.To do this we need new ways of thinking and being.
For too long, nature has been dictated to us by traditionalist gatekeepers who are culturally disconnected.
At my creative agency, Futurimpose, we came up with a philosophy which offers a new mindset: New Nature. New Nature is an open invitation to all, showing us that there are no rights or wrongs in how we connect to the outdoors. Whether it’s music, food, art, wellbeing or community activities, what connects you and I to nature might be totally different, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s much more than trees, flowers and mountains, and by reassessing our definitions of ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, we form progressive and exciting possibilities for how we relate to the great outdoors, inviting as many people as possible into sharing its infinite benefits.
What attracted me to Unyoked is the way you're invited to experience nature on your terms. The facilities are designed to ensure you can let go and just ‘be’. If you want to go on a hike, forage, or simply wander with the trees and the rivers as your guide, then you're in the perfect setting to do so.
During my stay at Elin in Wales, our cabin situated at the top of a hill overlooked what seemed to be a never ending expanse. Whilst star gazing there, in a state of awe, I was reminded of what nature does through its wonder: provide endless inspiration. And it’s through this contact with the outdoors, that I become my best and most creative self.