Skip to main content
Donate

Local Hero: Remigio 'Remi' Mateo, Helping Make the Great Outdoors More Inclusive

A man with slicked-back, short, dark hair wearing a white V-neck T-shirt under a dark suit jacket smiles slightly at the camera as he stands outside in the sunshine, with trees and other greenery visible in the background.
Remigio “Remi” Mateo of Latino Outdoors is a 2023 Local Heroes nominee for his efforts to bring fellow Latinos out into Mother Nature on group hikes and other outdoor excursions.
By PBS SoCal Staff
November 15, 2023
Support Provided By

Nominee Name: Remigio "Remi" Mateo
Title: Outdoor Leader
Organization/Business: Latino Outdoors
Website

About Remigio "Remi" Mateo

Remigio "Remi" Mateo is currently an Ambassador for Latino Outdoors, Los Angeles Chapter, where he has led community hikes, bike rides and occasional snowshoeing since 2015.

His love for the outdoors sparked his interest in hiking the top peaks in Southern California and around the world — and steered him towards getting other folks out there in Mother Nature. 

Since then, he has continued to lead his community in Southeast Los Angeles to get a diverse group to take part in exploring their own community and to bring the youth along with them.

Remi is also an outdoor instructor for Outward Bound Adventures, where he leads high school students on backpacking trips in the wilderness. Many of these youth are from inner cities that have never explored the wilderness. 

Support Provided By
Up Next

Local Heroes Honoree: Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, Empowering Refugees, Immigrants and Communities In Need

A woman with long black hair in curls, wearing a bright blue blouse with a hot-pink pineapple print, smiles a toothy grin at the camera as she stands against a plain, light-pink background

Local Heroes Honoree: Brandon Tsay, One Man Whose Courage Saved the Lives of Many

An Asian American man with a dark mustache and beard and dark hair falling over his forehead looks directly at the camera, wearing a white dress shirt buttoned all the way to the top under a dark jacket. In the background, the branches and leaves of large jade plants are visible inside a room with beige walls.

Local Hero: Ova Saopeng, Elevating the Refugee and Immigrant Experience

A man with a dark beard wearing a dark blue T-shirt smiles at the camera as his eyes crinkle in the daylight.

Local Hero: Victor Narro, Uniting Car Wash Workers Across L.A.

Victor-Narro-2.jpg

Local Heroes: Amy J. Wong and Andrew Fung Yip, Celebrating Diverse BIPOC Stories in the San Gabriel Valley

Two people sit in chairs in front of library bookshelves, a dark-haired man with glasses wearing a brown henley shirt and light jeans on the left and a woman with glasses and shoulder-length dark hair wearing a blue shirt with a white floral pattern on the right, her hands placed on her knees.

Local Hero: Azucena Maldonado, Transforming Latinas' Lives Through Golf

A woman wearing glasses and a black visor hat smiles as she stands on a golf course green in a V-neck shirt that reads "Latina Golfers" and holds a white flag with the Latina Golfers logo by a handle.

Local Hero: Evelyn Aleman, Advocating for Low-Resource Students and Their Families

A woman with long brown hair wearing a light-blue ruffled, short-sleeved top sits and smiles gently at the camera, with a view of an office or coworking space in the background.

Local Hero: Florence Lin, Reaching Asian Communities With Vital Resources

An Asian woman with shoulder-length hair that flips up at the ends is turned slightly towards the camera against a beige backdrop, wearing a loose-fitting peach-colored top with a scoop neckline and a multi-colored floral pattern