Outdoor Nation Summer Youth Summits Culminate in SF
San Francisco, California — Outdoor Nation, the youth-led movement championing the outdoors, is coming to San Francisco, the fifth and final stop on the series of 2011 Youth Summits. For many reasons — access, cultural relevance, education, time, budget cuts — America’s youth is losing touch with the outdoors. Outdoor Nation is empowering the Millennial generation to address the issues head-on and develop their own solutions to connecting youth with the outdoors.
The three-day Summit, co-hosted by the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, begins on July 29 at 12 pm at the Presidio’s Fort Scott. A diverse group of more than 200 youth leaders aged 16 to 28 is expected in San Francisco, the Northwest Regional Summit. Delegates were chosen from online applications as well as nominations from Outdoor Nation partners.
Delegates will discuss regional outdoor issues and brainstorm project ideas to remove barriers to participation in the outdoors. Youth participants will vote for the top ideas in each region. The Outdoor Foundation will invest more than $10,000 in projects — a total of $100,000 for all the projects that result from the summits — with support from the National Park Service’s Rivers and Trails and Conservation Assistance National Programs.
Delegates will also address the deep budget cuts and unprecedented closures facing America’s State Parks, Outdoor Nation’s national partner and its top cause for 2011.
Outdoor Nation wouldn’t have the appeal that it does with the Millennial generation if it was all work and no play. On July 30, Outdoor Nation, the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service will co-host a Summer Fun Day celebration at Crissy Field’s Historic Airfield. The public is invited to participate in an incredible range of outdoor recreation — from rock climbing, to camping competitions to orienteering — that are available close to home. This event is free and is expected to attract thousands of Bay Area residents.
The Outdoor Nation Regional Youth Summit series started in New York City in late June, then went to Atlanta, Minneapolis and Denver. Throughout the summer, the Youth Summits will engage more than 1,000 young leaders, and thousands more will tune in online.
Support for Outdoor Nation is generously provided by the Outdoor Foundation and national presenting sponsors: The North Face, The REI Foundation and The Conservation Fund.
The Summits are supported by many other notable organizations including Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, America’s State Parks, the National Park Service, Merrell, Play Outdoors, CamelBak, SmartWool, Osprey, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Mountain Hardwear, Eastern Mountain Sports, Johnson and Johnson, CIGNA, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Sierra Club, Circadence, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State Parks, Colorado State Parks, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, The Presidio Trust, The Crissy Field Center and more than 100 invested organizations from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Outdoor Nation is an initiative of The Outdoor Foundation and was founded with initial support from The North Face, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, The REI Foundation, The Conservation Fund and the National Park Service.
About the Outdoor Foundation
The Outdoor Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and growing future generations of outdoor enthusiasts. Through groundbreaking research, action oriented outreach, and education programs, the Foundation works with partners to mobilize a major cultural shift that leads all Americans to the great outdoors. In 2010, the Foundation launched Outdoor Nation, a pioneering initiative that aims to empower youth to champion the outdoors on campuses and in communities across the United States.
About the Presidio Trust
The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park site located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The park is home to 13 distinctive plant communities featuring 280 native plant species, 16 of which are rare or endangered. Thousands of hours of volunteer work have restored many acres of natural resource habitat. The Presidio Native Plant Nursery grows 60,000 plants each year to make this restoration possible. Twenty-first-century “green” practices are employed in all building and landscape rehabilitation efforts.
About the National Park Service
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.