Did you know that over 45{2e6a14a802f6c0526efcdcd4d377bd7dae32d0d051e7af4b5c2b342c0b4660ed} of San Diego County is made up of green spaces? Despite San Diego’s impressive wealth of parks, many San Diegan communities don’t get to experience and enjoy the benefits of our beautiful outdoors, and suffer from inequality in access to green areas.
Park-poor areas are also the areas with the highest concentrations of low-income households. On average, it would only cost $10 per student to visit a National Park or other federal public lands, yet many schools in San Diego don’t have the financial resources to provide valuable park experiences for their young students.
Outdoor Outreach believes that every kid should get to enjoy, learn and share the beauty of our parks. Connecting underserved communities to the outdoors helps reduce obesity, improve physical and mental health and promote social development; it also provides a platform for character-building outdoor activities and environmental stewardship, benefitting kids that are more at-risk of being exposed to violence, drug abuse and crime.
To commemorate and celebrate the National Park Centennial, the Outdoor Foundation and Outdoor Industry Association have launched the “Parks4Kids” campaign to connect young people with parks. Outdoor Outreach is taking this opportunity to facilitate an all-day rock-climbing trip for up to fourteen 6th to 8th grade students from underserved communities, in partnership with Keiller Leadership Academy. We still need $850 to make this trip happen, and we need your help.
Click here to join us in our effort to bridge the gap with park-poor communities, and open up access to green areas, fostering community development, pride and inspiration for the youth we serve.