CamelBak signed on as the official hydration sponsor of Outdoor Nation for the third year in a row. CamelBak’s contribution will help support the 2012 Outdoor Nation Summits held this summer and fall in ten cities across the United States providing custom reusable water bottles to every participant. In addition, CamelBak will directly invest in youth-led project ideas through its CamelBak Challenge Grants, which will launch later this year.
“Two years ago, in partnering with CamelBak, we launched Outdoor Nation in an attempt to reconnect young people to the outdoors,” said Chris Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation, the organization that launched Outdoor Nation. “Thanks to CamelBak’s initial support and ongoing commitment, Outdoor Nation is now a national, youth-led movement that represents a new generation of opinion leaders and change makers. We look forward to inspiring even more young people during our expanded 2012 Summits.”
The 2012 Outdoor Nation Summits will be held in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Minneapolis, Austin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Each two-day Summit will bring together the next generation of outdoor activists, ages 16-28, to identify pressing outdoor issues, discuss and develop strategies to address these barriers and commit to taking action together. Participants will also receive training from top experts, covering such topics as community organizing, media relations and fundraising. During every Summit, Outdoor Nation will fund the top project ideas that get America outside investing as much as $100,000 in on-the-ground projects. Passionate young outdoor advocates interested in attending one of the free Summits can register through Outdoor Nation’s website at OutdoorNation.org.
“CamelBak believes in the importance of every generation staying healthy, active and environmentally aware,” said Chris Strain, Chief Marketing Officer for CamelBak. “We are pleased to partner with Outdoor Nation as it mobilizes young adults across the country to get outdoors and make a difference in their own communities.”
To continue the momentum of the 2012 Summits, CamelBak will launch its CamelBak Challenge Grant program later this year. The CamelBak Challenge will ask young people for innovative ideas to promote environmental stewardship and responsibility through reusable water bottles. A micro-grant of $500 and 100 water bottles will be awarded to the most creative ideas that inspire action and lasting change.
The 2012 Outdoor Nation Summits are presented by the REI Foundation, The North Face and The Conservation Fund, and supported by many other notable organizations including CamelBak, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, America’s State Parks, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Creative Artists Agency, National Park Service, Merrell, , Johnson and Johnson, CIGNA, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Circadence, Sierra Club, Natural Leaders Network, National Wildlife Federation, YMCA and more than 100 invested organizations from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Outdoor Nation is an initiative of The Outdoor Foundation and was founded with initial support from the REI Foundation, The North Face, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the National Park Service.
