Grand Trunk said it is sending three delegates to the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and Festinval in New York City this weekend.


The maker of travel, outdoor and beach accesories named Chicago delegates George Lopez, Emmanuel Astorga and Troy Howard to represent it at the summit, which will be held in Central Park Saturday and Sunday. The event will bring together young Americans from across the country to reclaim, redefine and rediscover the outdoors. Outdoor Nation hopes to harness young leaders who will commit to championing the outdoors — as athletes, artists, advocates and ambassadors when they return home.

 

“Grand Trunk is excited to sponsor three of Chicago’s most promising young leaders, to serve as delegates to the upcoming Outdoor Nation Youth Summit.” said Jon Neff, VP of Sales and Marketing. “Our sponsorship not only confirms our corporate commitment to the environment, but recognizes that Chicago, our operational home, is a city whose lands not only possess abundant outdoor opportunities but whose population values them as much as any state in the country.”

 

George Lopez is a senior in high school. In 2009, he graduated from the Fishin' Buddies Youth Conservation Conference, an intensive, residential conservation training program for rising youth. He also spent 100 hours teaching kids in elementary school about the outdoors and guiding them with a science project. George recently went to Washington DC to lobby for conservation efforts and is studying to become an architect in sustainable design.

Emmanuel Astorga is 18 years old and a senior at Corliss High School on Chicago’s southeast side. In the summer of 2009, Emmanuel contributed over 200 hours of conservation service to the Forest Preserves of Cook County removing invasive species and building and maintaining trail. Emmanuel has been volunteering for years at the District’s Sand Ridge Nature Center and the South East Environmental Task Force, a local environmental non-profit that advocates for clean air and water in the Calumet Region. He also enjoys soccer and rock music.


Troy Howard was born to a family of avid campers and fishermen. He grew up learning how to set up tents, fish and appreciate the natural wonders of the great outdoors. Troy, as early as 3rd grade has volunteered in the development, construction and running of Eden Place nature center in one capacity or another. At the age of fifteen he help teach families about the dangers of lead poison in Fuller Park. For the past five summers he has lead groups of visiting out of town youth in a mired of environmental work projects at Eden Place and in the Fuller Park community. He hopes to build his future with the tools he has garnered from Eden Place and his formal Education at McCormick Business College into a position as the next Director of Fuller Park Community Development the parent company of Eden Place Nature Center.


“Young people today have considerable power and influence – politically, socially and financially – and are developing new ways to coordinate, collaborate and communicate for the issues they care about, said Chris Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation. “For the first time, through Outdoor Nation, youth are being empowered to become leaders on campuses and in communities — championing the outdoors and outdoor issues.”


Ground-breaking and game-changing, the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and Festival will provide a platform for young leaders to set an outdoor agenda and create youth-led solutions, and will also be a celebration of the active, outdoor lifestyle. On June 19, Outdoor Nation will turn Central Park into the ultimate, outdoor playground complete with concerts and cultural festivities, as well as activities such as kayaking, fishing, bouldering, bird watching and kite flying. In addition, Outdoor Nation will include a high profile Outdoor Career Fair that will enable people of all ages to learn about outdoor career paths as well as get information about specific employment opportunities.


On June 20, Outdoor Nation will convene the first-ever youth-led national summit on the outdoors, where delegations of young people from each of the 50 states will set the agenda, lead the conversations and identify solutions. Delegates will not only craft and deliver their message of change to the country, but strengthen the outdoor youth movement by infusing young leaders with new ideas, skills and connections. Key Summit topics include: green jobs, health and wellness, diversity, service, recreation, education, media and culture.


Following the Summit and Festival, young people will have the opportunity to apply for seed grants that will support their local projects in communities and on campuses