FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2014
Contact: Jackie Ostfeld, 202-548-6584, Jackie.Ostfeld@sierraclub.org
Members of Outdoors Alliance for Kids Applaud Secretary Sally Jewell for Announcement on Youth and the Outdoors
Washington, DC – This morning, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. and the US Department of Agriculture to announce a major private sector investment of $1 million to put young people to work on our public lands through the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. Members of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) braved the record cold temperatures to join the Secretary by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the National Mall.
“OAK applauds and shares the Secretary’s vision to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work outdoors,” says Jackie Ostfeld, Chair of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids. “We look forward to working with Secretary Jewell to advance the goals of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps and other programs to provide opportunities for young people to get outdoors across America.”
Initiatives that provide young people with jobs, training, service and volunteer opportunities, like the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, empower youth to assume responsibility for the stewardship and preservation of America’s great outdoors and the healthy development of the next generation. The Corps will teach youth basic job skills at a time when youth unemployment is near record levels and young people are missing out on critical early job experiences. In addition, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps programs will improve public health by helping young people develop and maintain active lifestyles. Corps projects connect youth to the outdoors in a fun, educational, and engaging manner, increasing the likelihood they will live active lives that will improve their health and enhance their quality of life.
Today, OAK members sent a letter to the White House urging President Obama to support and prioritize the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps.
Statements from OAK Member CEOs
“The Sierra Club commends Secretary Jewell on her commitment to connecting youth to the outdoors. We’re pleased to see new support for the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. “I am also proud to announce that the Sierra Club has just become an official national partner with the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. Together we will work to reach 100,000 new service corps members a year by 2018 and educate corps members about conservation. In a world where many young people have never had the opportunity to explore and enjoy the natural world, the Corps is a valuable tool for connecting youth to our public lands and opening up a new generation to the value of conservation.”
“Conservation corps provide thousands of jobs and training opportunities for young people, complete high quality conservation project work, and develop a new generation of healthy, work-ready young people who are invested in the stewardship of America’s public lands and waters,” said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. “The support for 21CSC offered by American Eagle Outfitters is an inspiring act of corporate citizenship. We encourage other businesses to show a similar vision and commitment to stewardship of these lands.”
“The cadre of conservation corps around the country have a strong record of engaging America’s young people in preserving our public and tribal lands, waterways and cultural heritage sites. This outstanding show of support for the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps exemplifies Secretary Jewel’s commitment to the land that she now oversees and to future generations of Americans,” said Harry Bruell, Co-Chair of the Public Lands Service Coalition and CEO of Conservation Legacy (formerly the Southwest Conservation Corps).
“We are very pleased that American Eagle Outfitters and Secretary Jewell have made such a big commitment to putting young Americans and veterans to work on our public lands, so that they can preserve, protect, and promote some of America’s great national treasures. We hope this is the first of many commitments that boost America’s next great generation of conservation and community leaders,” said Mary Ellen Ardouny, President & CEO of The Corps Network.
“IslandWood applauds Secretary Jewell’s announcement on the Department of the Interior’s commitment to the 21st Century Service Conservation Corps and connecting the next generation of diverse youth to the outdoors, together through dynamic public-private partnerships,” said Ben Klasky, CEO of IslandWood.
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Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK): OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in expanding opportunities for children, youth and families to connect with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the well-being of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together more than sixty national organizations including the American Heart Association, Children & Nature Network, Izaak Walton League of America, National Association of State Park Directors, National Recreation and Park Association, National Wildlife Federation, The North Face, the Outdoor Foundation, Public Lands Service Coalition (a program of The Corps Network), REI, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, and the YMCA of the USA to address the growing divide between children, youth and the natural world. Find out more on our website: www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org
Outdoors Alliance for Kids 