An all volunteer advisory council formed by the paddlesports industry last year to secure concessions from the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market will use a $25,000 matching grant from the trade show to send five delegates to a youth summit expected to draw 25,000 outdoor champions to Central Park in New York City this June.

 

The Paddlesports Advisory Council is well on its way to matching the OR grant and raising a total of $50,000 for outreach efforts this year, said Darren Bush, owner of Rutabaga in Madison, WI and one of 12 industry leaders on the ad hoc committee. The committee was formed last summer with support from Outdoor Industry Association to address OR Summer Market concerns. It has since negotiated discounts valued at $200,000 from show owner Nielsen Business Media for boat manufacturers as well as changes to the layout and other amenities sought by the industry. Moving forward, the council will focus more of its attention on how to grow participation in the sport.

 

Bush said most of the companies represented on the PAC have already written checks or pledged donations to help match a $25,000 grant from Outdoor Retailer. The council will use the OR grant  to send a five delegates to the inaugural Outdoor Nation Youth Festival and Summit in New York City this summer.  The event is being organized by The Outdoor Foundation, a non-profit industry group dedicated to researching and growing participation in outdoor recreation.

 

In exchange for the $25,000, the Foundation will help the council identify, recruit and send five delegates to represent the paddling community at the summit June 19-20. On the first day of the summit, delegates will promote paddling by leading clinics in Central Park and hosting a ‘Paddlesports Booth where they will distribute information on paddling. On the second day they will attend the first National Youth Summit on the Outdoors, where they will learn how to mobilize youth paddling communities locally, regionally and nationally. They will then go on to serve as ambassadors for the sport in their local communities and as advisors and liaisons to the PAC.

 

The Outdoor Foundation will also conduct a comprehensive, qualitative research project that will uncover paddling barriers, motivations and perceptions among youth-from all backgrounds. This research initiative will also gather ideas and solutions directly from youth themselves-resulting in valuable youth-generated opportunities to increase participation.