By Julia Hurwit
September was an exciting month for youth, families, and the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK). As school started for many, OAK launched its Every Kid Outdoors Month of Action to welcome the new cohort of fourth graders with their Every Kid Outdoors passes.
The Every Kid Outdoors program grants all fourth graders and their families free access to federal public lands, waters and shores for that school year and following summer. Since its inception in 2015, the program has helped 1,105,805 students experience and enjoy nature. A new cohort is able to pick up their passes each September 1.
This year, from September 3 to October 5, OAK members organized a range of events and actions to spread awareness and advocate for the Every Kid Outdoors program. It will currently sunset in 2026 if no further legislation is passed to continue the program, which was one of the advocacy goals of the Month of Action. On September 20, Senators Martin Heinrich and John Boozman introduced the Every Kid Outdoors Extension Act which, if passed, would allow the program to continue and benefit more generations of kids and families. This was an important development made possible by the advocacy and efforts of our widespread OAK community.
Rep. Porter handing out an Every Kid Outdoors pass (Photo credit: Jahir Morris)
Among the events featured in the EKO Month of Action was a youth lobby day co-hosted with Conservation Nation on September 18, training D.C. high school students and bringing them to Capitol Hill to advocate directly with their own representatives. On September 24, OAK – with great participation from Sierra Club, National Park Trust and The Wilderness Society – held its Month of Action anchor event in Anacostia Park. USDA Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment Homer Wilkes and longtime program champion Rep. Katie Porter were in attendance, and spent time interacting with the more than 40 fourth graders attending the event, helping to get them their Every Kid Outdoors passes and speaking to them about the outdoors.
OAK members KABOOM! and National Park Trust also hosted an event with the CDC Foundation and the Harlem Globetrotters in Atlanta to promote kids’ physical health, highlighting all the different ways kids can get outside and move. They also handed out Every Kid Outdoors passes to attending fourth graders. Other Month of Action events were held in places like Detroit and Philadelphia.
OAK Advisor Lily Kay (left) presenting to a 4th grade class about the Every Kid Outdoors Program, and the benefits of getting outdoors. (Photo courtesy of Lily Kay)
OAK youth advisors also played a role in advocating for the program. Lily Kay returned to her elementary school to speak to the fourth grade class about the program and how it inspired her in her environmental advocacy. OAK Advisor Saanvi Mylavarapu brought a group of students on a hike in her home state of Texas to show a new generation the importance of getting outdoors. For many OAK members such as NatureBridge, American Heart Association, Camp Fire and NAAEE, they also utilized their membership and networks to spread the word about the program and efforts to continue it, sharing this information with a total of over 100,000 people.
Our efforts to support the Every Kid Outdoors program have not ended – aside from the EKO Extension Act, Reps. Katie Porter and Diana DeGette’s Every Kid Outdoors Act would permanently authorize the program. You can tell your representatives to pass the bill through this action alert: http://sc.org/EKO2024. The outdoor reaction package EXPLORE Act would also extend the Every Kid Outdoors program. To support EKO and other outdoor recreation accessibility efforts, you can fill out this action alert: https://sc.org/EXPLORE2024.
OAK members differ widely in audience, purpose, programming and location, but one thing linking all of them together is a shared goal of ensuring more kids, youth and families can spend quality time outdoors. With alliance-wide undertakings like the Every Kid Outdoors Month of Action, it is clear to see what we can accomplish as a team and a community, all working for the same shared mission.
Anacostia High School students meeting their Congressional Representative, Rep. Norton, on Capitol Hill during their advocacy day. (Photo Credit: Gabriela Franco)
About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK)
OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth, and families with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the wellness 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 100 businesses and organizations to address the growing divide between children, youth, and the outdoors. http://www.outdoorsallianceforkids.org
