Outdoor Nation, the youth-led movement championing the outdoors, hits Atlanta Friday in its second stop on of the 2011 Youth Summit series.
The three-day Summit, co-hosted with Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State Parks, begins on July 8 at 12:00pm at Clark Atlanta Universitys Student Center. A diverse group of more than 200 youth leaders aged 16 to 28 is expected at the Southeast Regional Summit. Summit delegates were chosen from online applications as well as nominations from partners.
Southeast Regional Delegates will discuss regional outdoor issues and brainstorm project ideas that will remove barriers to participation and ultimately engage more young people in the outdoors. The top ideas in each region will be determined by democratic vote. The Outdoor Foundation will invest more than $10,000 in these youth-driven projects-a total of $100,000 for all the Summits with support from the National Park Services Rivers and Trails and Conservation Assistance National Programs, to support and help implement the Americas Great Outdoors initiative.
One signature difference in the Outdoor Nation approach is that we are investing in project ideas that come directly from young leaders. The passion and creativity of this generation is really only matched by their incredible ability to mobilize their peers around issues they care about, said Chris Fanning, executive director of the Outdoor Foundation. With the help of our sponsors, we are very proud that this year, in addition to funding for activation grants, we will also be able to offer each delegate expanded training in key areas of project management, fundraising and partnerships, advocacy, communications and leadership development.
Delegates will also address issues surrounding Americas State Parks, its national partner and top cause for 2011. Faced with deep budget cuts and unprecedented park closures, Americas state parks have been identified by the Outdoor Nation community of ‘Outsiders as its top advocacy issue because of their unmatched importance in Americas outdoor recreation.
“Americas State Parks are proud to be the national partner of Outdoor Nation and named by the ‘Outsiders as their top cause for 2011, ” said Joe Elton, president of the National Association of State Park Directors and Director of Virginia State Parks. “Outdoor Nation is attracting and inspiring the best and the brightest young outdoor enthusiasts and advocates in each state, and drawing their attention and support as champions for Americas parks at a time when they are experiencing record visitation and challenged by the impact of the nations economic recession.”
On Saturday, delegates will take a break by converging at Sweetwater Creek State Park, just 20 minutes from Atlanta for a Summer Fun Day hosted by Georgia State Parks. The public event seeks to promote the diverse range of outdoor recreation – from kayaking, to rock climbing, to camping – that are available close to home. This event is free for the entire community and is expected to attract thousands of area residents. More information can be found at SummerFunDay.org.
The Outdoor Nation Regional Youth Summit series started two weeks ago in New York City, and will continue in Minneapolis, Denver, and San Francisco. Throughout the summer, the Youth Summits will engage more than 1,300 young leaders, and thousands more will tune in online at OutdoorNation.org.
Support for Outdoor Nation is generously provided by the Outdoor Foundation and, national presenting sponsors, The North Face, The REI Foundation and The Conservation Fund.
The Summits are supported by many other notable organizations including Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Americas State Parks, the National Park Service, Merrell, Play Outdoors, CamelBak, SmartWool, Osprey, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Mountain Hardwear, Eastern Mountain Sports, Johnson and Johnson, CIGNA, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Circadence, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State Parks, Colorado State Parks, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, The Presidio Trust, The Crissy Field Center 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 North Face, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, The REI Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the National Park Service.
