Legacy Magazine

by Sara Grover

It’s been popping up in most newspapers and parenting magazines for years—the warning to get our kids outdoors before they become completely sucked into the world of technology and video games and we lose all hope of them ever becoming healthy, active young adults. Never mind that they will not be able to appreciate our natural resources if all they’ve ever done is sit on the couch.

Since the release of Richard Louv’s 2005 book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, research has been growing to back up the argument that children who don’t play outside regularly are likely to suffer serious health consequences later in life. This message did not sit well with one particular group of Minnesota residents who formed a nonprofit organization to help communities design and implement their own unique programs that connect children to nature through outdoor exploration. I am proud to say that I am one of many involved in the organization, known as Project Get Outdoors, Inc.

In 2005, I was working as a seasonal interpretive naturalist at Forestville State Park in Minnesota. I was disappointed after I read Louv’s book and searched the Internet for programs that provide accessible opportunities for children, especially at-risk and low-income populations, to experience nature and outdoor activities near their communities. My search turned up empty, so I consulted with several acquaintances about an idea to start a program that would meet weekly throughout the year to introduce kids in elementary and middle school to nature by allowing them to try new outdoor recreation activities. I was fortunate to have off-season employment at a local youth center, which provided a great opportunity to try out this new program idea.

The program attracted kids and parents almost immediately, as it reduced participation barriers that often prevent kids from being able to get involved with after-school programs. We made sure the program would be offered free of charge and that transportation home afterward would be provided if a child did not have a ride. We worked closely with the local migrant council to make sure information was translated for Spanish-speaking families in the community and that there was someone present to assist with the program who spoke Spanish and could address fears or concerns that parents had.

Gavin Updike explores the cracks of the school playground as he searches for insects during the St. Charles Project Get Outdoors program.

During fall 2005, around 30 youths participated in the Project Get Outdoors program. Activities that first year included fishing, hiking, fossil collecting, snow shoeing, bird watching, gardening, a camp out, service projects in the local parks, and much more. We collaborated closely with other nature organizations in the area, including Whitewater State Park and the National Eagle Center, making sure to communicate that Project Get Outdoors is a partner and ally working to introduce children to nearby green spaces where they may experience nature throughout life.  Today, the Project Get Outdoors program proudly serves around 30 participants during the school year and close to 100 during the summer.

Expanding the Project
Project Get Outdoors, Inc., received nonprofit status this past February. The organization is overseen by a board of directors and now serves nine communities in southeast Minnesota. The organization is working to complete a toolkit that will be made available for free to all Minnesota communities that are interested in developing these programs. The toolkit is expected to be completed and available by the end of 2010.

The toolkits are designed to guide local communities through the processes of developing, implementing, and sustaining their own unique Get Outdoors programs.  The programs must be community-driven rather than led by Project Get Outdoors staff. The plan is to have Project Get Outdoors regional coordinators work with local communities so community members can run their own programs utilizing the local green spaces and other assets, including volunteers, they have identified with the help of our toolkit.

FFA advisor Steve Hinrichs volunteers to introduce kids like Dalton Urban to archery basics. Collaborating with local organizations such as FFA, Scouts, and 4-H allows for the sharing of equipment, volunteers, and other resources.

A handbook, CD-Rom, DVD, and activity trunk will be included in the toolkits, which are being funded through grants like the one awarded this past winter by the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership for Southeast Minnesota. Grant proposals to help cover the costs of developing the Project Get Outdoors toolkits have also been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota’s Resources and are currently pending.

Looking Ahead
The organization is seeing results as more and more Project Get Outdoors participants and their families are going back to those green spaces to re-create the experiences the kids have witnessed during their program activities. Parent and teacher testimonials, as well as feedback from participants themselves, testify to the big impact this program is making in local communities. People are becoming more aware of the positive effects nature and outdoor exploration can have on a child—and on anyone, for that matter.  Program volunteers are hearing a lot of positive things about how our programs have opened people’s eyes to the unlimited opportunities to experience nature in and near their communities.

Project Get Outdoors board members are confident this growing movement to connect Minnesota children to nature will foster healthier kids and increased environmental stewardship among our state’s citizens.

For more information about Project Get Outdoors, visit the website at www.mnprojectgetoutdoors.org or email Sara Grover at sara.grover@yahoo.com.