Getting Kids Outdoors
A Sierra Club California-sponsored bill would connect at-risk youth with nature by funding healthy, educational outdoor and recreation programs run by schools and community organizations.
Assembly Bill 2989 by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes promotes a commitment to physically active lifestyles by creating a permanent program within the Department of Parks and Recreation that would award grants for outdoor education and recreational opportunities for youth.
“It’s all about getting kids outdoors,” said Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate for Sierra Club California. “Many communities have limited or no access to parks and other safe outdoor recreational opportunities for children to engage in physical activities.”
Rising cases of childhood diabetes and obesity make outdoor recreation and education a health care need.
At-risk children who participated in outdoor education programs upped their science test scores by 27 percent, improved their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills and went back to school with better self-esteem and motivation to learn, according to a 2005 California Department of Education study. Yet, fewer than 15 percent of youth participate in an outdoor education and recreation program. And an even smaller fraction of urban, lower-income or ethnically diverse youth have access to parks, rivers or forests.
The bill passed the Assembly Floor and the Senate Natural Resources Committee, but has stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Please contact the members and tell them you think getting kids outside is a worthwhile investment:
Members:
Senator Tom Torlakson (Chair)
Senator Dave Cox (Vice Chair)
Senator Samuel Aanestad
Senator Roy Ashburn
Senator Gilbert Cedillo
Senator Ellen Corbett
Senator Robert Dutton
Senator Dean Florez
Senator Sheila Kuehl
Senator Jenny Oropeza
Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
Senator George Runner
Senator Joe Simitian
Senator Mark Wyland
Senator Leland Yee
Current supporters of AB 2989:
Co-authors of AB 2989:
- Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny
- Senator Alex Padilla
- Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
- Senator Joe Simitian
- Assemblymember Patty Berg
- Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter
- Assemblymember Mike Davis
- Assemblymember Mike Feuer
- Assemblymember Dave Jones
- Assemblymember Fiona Ma
- Assemblymember Curren Price
- Assemblymember Ira Ruskin
- Assemblymember Mary Salas
- Assemblymember Lori Saldana
- Assemblymember Jared Huffman
- Assemblymember Nicole Parra
- Assemblymember Anna Caballero
Organizations supporting AB 2989:
- American Diabetes Association
- American Lung Association
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- American Heart Association
- Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
- Audubon California
- Aquatic Adventures
- California Center for Public Health Advocacy
- California League of Conservation Voters
- California Nurses Association
- California Outdoor Heritage Alliance
- California Outdoor School Administrators
- California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
- California State Park Rangers Association
- California State Parks Foundation
- California State Sheriffs' Association
- California Waterfowl
- California Wilderness Coalition
- Chabot Science and Space Center
- City of Los Angeles
- Defenders of Wildlife
- Environment California
- Girl Scout Council of California
- Kern County Superintendent of Schools
- Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
- Los Angeles County Unified School District
- Mujeres de la Tierra
- National Nurses Organizing Committee
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Oakland Zoo
- O'Neill Sea Odyssey
- Outdoor Outreach
- Planning and Conservation League
- Santa Cruz County Office of Education
- The Nature Conservancy
- Trust for Public Land
- Tuleyome
VIDEO: MSNBC report on the threat of Nature Deficit Disorder
featuring "Last Child in the Woods" author Richard Louv
.
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