Urban Outdoors

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

With the future in mind, counties are always looking for ways to increase access to educational and recreational materials for our nation’s youth. At the same time, some families become victims of the recession and have no other option but to move around the country from place to place, looking for jobs. The transient nature of many hard-hit families results in an increasing number of children in need of after-school programs. Mecklenburg County started it's Urban Outdoors project in an attempt to reach out to audiences not normally served by the it's nature divisions has created after school clubs that provide Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education to urban and at-risk youth in the Charlotte area. Clubs take place within 5 different recreation centers, and represent some of the most urbanized parts of inner city Charlotte. During each school year over 120 club members participate in 18 outdoor sessions that teach youth new ways to experience the outdoors for themselves. These outdoor clubs utilize innovative programming to provide active engagement for youth grades K-5 in the outdoors. The club is designed to reduce fears of the outdoors, help participants gain a knowledge of ethical outdoor treatment and living skills, and assist in achieving a healthier lifestyle through active outdoor play. In its first year The Urban Outdoor Program provided over 36 hours of outdoor interaction and outdoor play for club participants during after school programming that was an increase of 240% than previous years. Attendance to the club grew from 16 regular participants to 25 by the end of the fall semester and grew to a total of 28 by the end of the spring semester.