Outdoor Nation Special Report

September 15, 2010
|In Archive, Uncategorized
|By OutdoorAfro

Remember the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit of over 500 youth from all over the US last June in New York City’s Central Park I attended? Well, the event organizers, the Outdoor Foundation, just released the data collected from the participants, and the findings are fascinating, resulting in a report that offers five top recommendations to President Obama to inform his America’s Great Outdoors Initiative including:

1. Engage, Employ and Empower Youth by working with Outdoor Nation and its community of Outsiders.
2. Engage Youth in the Outdoors during the School Day by collaborating with the Department of Education and local school leadership to engage school children in outdoor learning opportunities and active time outdoors at school.
3. Increase the Number of Safe and Accessible Green Spaces, particularly in low-income communities with significant health disparities, by eliminating park, playground and natural space desserts where they exist.
4. Support Close-to-Home Outdoor Recreation by providing resources to parents and caregivers that help address the barriers to allowing unstructured outdoor play.
5. Strengthen Outreach to New Audiences at all relevant agencies by integrating 21st Century communications tools such as mapping devices, iPhone applications, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other tools that will increase the visibility of our parks and natural spaces.
“This Special Report for President Obama represents some of the best ideas and recommendations for protecting America’s great outdoors,” said Christine Fanning, executive director for The Outdoor Foundation. “For the first time, empowered young leaders from across the country are speaking with one voice about outdoor programs and policies — and being heard. We look forward to working with the Administration to implement these forward-looking concepts.”
Click here to download the full report.
Do you think anything is missing from the report? What might you add to it?

For more information about the Outdoor Foundation visit: www.outdoorfoundation.org