The Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook
Regular, positive experiences outdoors are critical for children’s healthy development. But today’s kids average less than 10 minutes playing and learning outside per day — and more than 40 hours per week in front of a screen. This trend has serious negative implications for our kids, our communities, and our planet. Today, whether a child has access to a safe place to play and learn outdoors, and receive all the benefits that come from that, is highly dependent on their zip code, race, and family income.
Lawmakers across the U.S. are passionate not only about their states’ outdoor economies and natural resources, but about ensuring all children benefit from time spent in nature. They know those meaningful experiences improve children’s quality of life, health, and social well-being, and in turn their communities become stronger and more sustainable. Smart policies can bring the benefits of the outdoors to more children, with a substantial return on investment.
The Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook highlights successful bipartisan policy initiatives and provides resources to support new statewide efforts to build healthy communities by increasing kids’ regular, positive experiences outside through environmental education and youth engagement in the outdoors.
The Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook:
- Demonstrates what’s working and what’s possible by highlighting existing and promising policy solutions for increasing youth engagement in the outdoors.
- Shares the knowledge and experience of environmental education and outdoor engagement champions to inspire new, innovative ideas.
- Connects cross sector leaders working on statewide policy initiatives.
Help us improve the Youth Outdoor Policy Playbook by sending feedback and ideas to RPaulekas@merid.org.
2021 State Policy Wins
Thanks to the tireless work of state legislators, advocates, and outdoor champions, the 2021 legislative session resulted in policy successes in many states to get more kids outsides more often. Please see some highlights below.