Author: OAK

My name is Jackie Ostfeld. I am the co-founder and Chair of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the Policy Manager for Sierra Club's Outdoors program. I am an advocate for connecting kids with nature. My views are my own.

Making Sure Every Child Receives the Benefits of Time Outdoors

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This blog was produced in partnership with the Rethink Outside campaign. Learn more. Ten years before the COVID-19 crisis and the nationwide uprisings for racial justice, Sierra Club, YMCA of the USA, Children & Nature Network, REI and others set out to form a coalition and address an urgent crisis among America’s children and youth: social disconnection and an obesity epidemic caused by far too [...]

How to Connect Young Students to Nature During the Pandemic?

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by Jackie Ostfeld, OAK co-founder & chair, Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign director; text originally published in SIERRA Magazine (photos added here by author) Our kids are not all right. It’s been more than six months since schools across America closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sending children home and, in many cases, into [...]

A Trailblazer

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Working for Latino Outdoors, Ruby Rodriguez wants to ensure that others can more easily follow in her footsteps “Today, I’m the person I knew I could be—if given the opportunity,” says Ruby Rodriguez. That includes connecting her community in Fresno, California, to Yosemite National Park. The project is funded by the National Park Trust, and [...]

RELEASE: OAK Statement on Racism in the Outdoors

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, May 28, 2020 ContactIan Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org Washington, DC -- The Outdoors Alliance for Kids’ Chair & Vice Chair Jackie Ostfeld and Paul Sanford released the following statement on racism in the outdoors following the incident in Central Park’s Ramble. “No one should fear for their lives when stepping outside. Yet, far [...]

Advocating in Challenging Times

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This article first appeared in the May edition of Parks & Recreation Magazine We are living in strange and difficult times. At the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), we know this international pandemic is challenging for everyone. Physical distancing and sheltering in place are particularly difficult for people who know the value of spending time [...]

RELEASE: Outdoors Alliance for Kids and Scholastic Announce All Kids Outdoors Essay Contest Winners

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:April Thomas206.321.3850, april.thomas@sierraclub.org Outdoors Alliance for Kids and Scholastic Announce All Kids Outdoors Essay Contest WinnersNearly 2,000 Kids Nationwide Submitted Entries Washington, D.C., (May 23, 2019) -- The Outdoors Alliance for Kids and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, are proud to announce the winners of the All Kids [...]

Youth Voices: The Outdoors And People

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Sweepstakes WinnerEmmanuel O., 5th Grade, Falls Church, VA All Kids Outdoors Scholastic-OAK Youth Essay ContestYouth Voices Blog Series The Outdoors And People The great outdoor spaces, aren’t they beautiful? An outdoor space is any place outside a living space where people can interact, play, and relax. This includes the backyards of homes, playgrounds for kids, sidewalks, [...]

Youth Voices: The Importance of Outdoors

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Honorable Mention by  Indi M., 5th Grade, McLean, VA All Kids Outdoors Scholastic-OAK Youth Essay ContestYouth Voices Blog Series The Importance of Outdoors Children’s outdoor play is rapidly diminishing, we are focusing more on sedentary lifestyles. No one can deny our simple interest with electronics now in the modern era. The outdoors are the original foundation [...]