On June 19th and 20th, we traveled to Central Park in New York City to take part in a monumental event- the world’s first ever Outdoor Nation Youth Summit. The event hosted 500 youth ambassadors from all of the 50 states to discuss ways to reconnect youth with the outdoors and encourage healthy, active lifestyles and environmental stewardship.
According to the vision of the Outdoor Nation, there is one way to reconnect youth with the out of doors. “Ultimately, to succeed in reconnecting young people with the outdoors, youth must help lead the way – spurring a cultural movement where youth are empowered to redefine, reclaim and rediscover the outdoors.” The summit provided a platform to discuss the obstacles that limit the youth of today from accessing outdoor experiences. The youth ambassadors spoke about diversity, health and active lifestyles, influence from media and culture, outdoor careers, outdoor service, and outdoor recreation and education.
Leave No Trace was invited to join in on the discussion about outdoor education and recreation. Through thoughtful discussions, the youth ambassadors identified the hurdles that today’s youth face in building their connection with the outdoors including limited access to outdoors areas, a lack of training about the outdoors, financial restrictions, and a fear of the unknown. The ambassadors then shifted the focus of conversation to viable solutions, actions, and responses to the identified obstacles.
It was truly inspiring to be a part of this summit. We believe that in order to continue to protect the quality of the resources and the recreational experience for all to enjoy, especially our future generations, we need to embrace this movement that Outdoor Nation has begun. Having an outdoor experience at a young age can make a huge difference in life. Everyone deserves the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy our public lands. We look forward to seeing what develops from this Youth Summit and the positive changes it creates for the youth of America!
To learn more about Outdoor Nation and ways to get involved, check out the website: www.outdoornation.org
Happy Adventuring…Kate & Tracy, Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers
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1 comment:
Awesome!
I was fortunate to be a Forest Service delegate and attend Outdoor Nation too. The Summit indeed was a success and very motivating to those who atteneded. It is so important for us as outdoor educators to go the extra distance and find ways for youth to have positive experiences in the outdoors. Whether it is through summer camps, EE in schools, or examining ants with our nieces/nephews in the back yard. Any and all experiences will help this and future generations to lead healthy, active life styes and to appreciate the public lands in our country.
I'm so excited to hear LNT was at the event! I feel great things will come from Outdoor Nation and it's partnering organizations in the future. Let's all help by sharing the outdoors with all who are around us!
Cheers!
Megan Allen
Naturalist - Nevada Outdoor School
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