Uniting to Connect Youth with Nature

by Jackie Ostfeld, Outdoors Alliance for Kids founder & chair

In the midst of another divisive election year, the outdoors continues to be a unifying bright star. The benefits our kids experience from spending time in nature are many. Students who learn outdoors see improvement to academic performance. Children living in greener neighborhoods have more opportunities to get physically active outdoors, reduce stress and improve their mental health. Youth with opportunities to play, learn and serve in our parks and public lands, become tomorrow’s leaders in conservation and the $1.2 trillion outdoor economy. 

All of our children deserve access to these and more benefits, but unfortunately far too many children face barriers to accessing opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Twenty-eight million children do not have a park or green space within a half-mile distance of their home. Many families lack affordable and reliable transportation to visit further away parks and open spaces. And our schools lack the resources to ensure all kids can access nature throughout the school day or even on field trips. The greatest disparities in access are found in Black, Latine, Indigenous and low-income communities, and the result is that children and youth lack equitable access to nature and all of her benefits.

The Outdoors Alliance for Kids was formed to address these imbalances and work with decision-makers to ensure all children could safely experience opportunities in nature where they live, learn and play. In 2024, OAK’s membership reached 124 organizations and welcomed six new steering committee members all united by the shared 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. Collectively, we are making a difference in the lives of the children, youth and families we touch as we advance nationwide policies and initiatives that expand equitable access to the outdoors.

Here’s a look at some of our collective accomplishments from 2024: 

Championed Kids Outdoors

We’ve long championed the Every Kid Outdoors (EKO) program, which invites all 4th graders and their families to visit our federally managed public lands, waters and shores for free. This year, I have a fourth grader myself, so I am seeing first hand how valuable it is for our kids. The program reached more than 150,000 kids last year, and has opened opportunities for more than 4 million fourth graders living across the U.S. The program, while popular and bipartisan, is set to expire in 2026. We’re making progress to ensure the program continues and make sure more and more parents, teachers and caregivers know about this wonderful opportunity. Together, we’ve been advocating for the program’s expansion and organized a month of action to bring attention to the Every Kid Outdoors program. OAK member organizations are also making progress in Michigan and Wisconsin to bring similar benefits to fourth graders in these states.

Connected Youth with Outdoor Jobs

The advocacy of our members also led to the creation of the American Climate Corps, which promises to employ young people in jobs that help protect our public lands and build climate resiliency across our communities. Already, more than 15,000 young people have enrolled in the program and are on the path to earn a living getting outdoors and improving their communities. We collaborated on some promotional videos and submitted a public comment from the alliance in support of the Corps and to encourage the administration to center environmental justice and communities of color in their implementation and recruitment plans. 

Celebrated Historic Investments in Community Green Spaces

The National Park Service manages a little known program called the Outdoor Recreation and Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program, which provides resources for park projects in historically disinvested-in communities. Ten years ago, when the program began, it provided only $3 million to park equity projects. Thanks to the steadfast advocacy of OAK and our members, in 2024, the National Park Service made its largest contributions to the program yet, totaling $360 million and supporting seventy-eight projects across this country, improving parks in red and blue districts alike. In another victory for communities everywhere, we celebrated the US Forest Service’s historic $1.5 billion investment in tree canopy projects through the Urban and Community Forestry Program. Several OAK members are working across the country to plant trees, providing more places for children to play, not to mention shade, fresh air and habitats for wildlife.

Uplifted Youth Voices

Central to all of our work are our members and the young people we connect with nature. Across OAK, our members reach hundreds of thousands of children and youth every year with outdoor opportunities – from the National Park Trust to Center for Native American Youth to Conservation Nation to the Detroit Outdoors collaborative – we’re finding that young people who have been transformed from an outdoor experience also want to take the next step in ensuring more youth can access nature. That’s why we’ve deliberately been engaging youth in opportunities to lift their voices and be part of our collective advocacy. This year, during the annual meeting of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK Week), we hosted dozens of youth leaders from across the country to join us in Washington, D.C., where they met with leaders in our land and water agencies and their members of Congress. These young people continued their advocacy throughout the year back home and online. For example, Tigran Nahabedian – OAK Youth Advisor – penned an op-ed with Representative Katie Porter and then used his voice to call on congress to extend the Every Kid Outdoors program.

And now, as I write this piece, we’re calling on Congress to take one final unifying action before the year is through. OAK members have been advocating for the passage of the bipartisan Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act. We’ve drafted letters, engaged grassroots action-takers, hosted social media days of action, and met directly with congressional offices all year long. The EXPLORE Act contains many provisions – chief among them are policies to ensure the continuation of the popular Every Kid Outdoors and Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership programs. The legislation will also improve disability access on public lands and simplify permitting procedures to make it easier for outdoor leaders to do what they do best, connect kids with nature. Decision-makers from both sides of the aisle agree that getting outdoors is a win for our kids, planet and economy, so let’s get this done.

We’re well on our way to uniting people outdoors. Thank you to all of our members, advisors, agency partners, supporters and movement leaders for your dedication to children and youth and your invaluable contributions. The coming year holds a lot of unknowns, but I know our strength as a community will hold as we take more strides toward ensuring all kids can benefit from a nature connection. I hope everyone has a restful and restorative holiday season filled with family, friends and nature. See you in the new year.