RADFORD – With reports of obesity escalating among American youth, there is an increasing need to encourage children to become active and healthy. In partnership with The Outdoor Foundation and The National Recreation and Parks Association, Radford University responded to this national problem with the implementation of Teens Outside, a program designed to provide teenagers with a safe and fun environment in which to participate in various outdoor recreation activities and the only program of its kind offered in Virginia. The Teens Outside program recently received endorsement from the National Forum on Children and Nature as one of 30 projects nationwide that demonstrate new and creative ways to reconnect kids with nature.

Operating in nearly 30 communities across the country, Teens Outside offers a series of multi-week experiences that allow teens to enjoy the outdoors on a regular basis. Staffed by RU college students majoring in recreation, parks and tourism, participants in the RU program explore a wide range of activities, including rafting, fishing, rock climbing, horseback riding, canoeing and hiking. The RU Teens Outside program is part of the university’s Adventure Based Learning Experience (RU ABLE), which provides recreational therapy to persons with disabilities, team-building exercises, and hands-on training opportunities for students. RU ABLE collaborates with the City of Radford’s Recreation and Parks Department to recruit local teens to participate in programs.

“Southwest Virginia’s vast array of natural resources makes it easy to entertain a group of teenagers,” said Mark Wagstaff, a professor in RU’s Recreation, Parks and Tourism (RCPT) department in the Waldron College of Health and Human Services, which houses RU ABLE. “The program benefits all involved. The college students gain valuable outdoors leadership experience and the participants are exposed to positive role models.”

“The Outdoor Foundation is thrilled to be part of such an exciting program that is at the forefront of getting our youth outdoors, active and healthy,” said Christine Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation. “We are especially grateful to the Outdoor Industry Association and its member companies for their generous support of our mission: to grow future generations of outdoor enthusiasts.”

Recognizing an urgent need to reconnect kids with nature, The Conservation Fund launched the Forum in 2007. The mission of the Forum is to elevate the issue of reconnecting children with nature to the highest levels of the national consciousness; connect the fast-growing grassroots side of this movement to some of the most powerful engines of American society in the public, private and nonprofit sectors; and create ways for every American to help through nationwide demonstration projects.

Since 2007, the Forum has received 560 proposals from projects seeking endorsement. Forum advisory panels culled the best ideas for investment in children’s health through nature, particularly in the areas of education, technology and community. Ultimately, the Forum endorsed 30 projects based on their relevance, impact and sustainability. By endorsing these projects, the Forum commits to raising visibility and support for such initiatives.

“The National Forum on Children and Nature proudly endorses Teens Outside for its vision, creativity and commitment to the well-being of future generations,” said Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “Collectively and individually, these demonstration projects are a platform for advocating for change locally and nationally.”

The Forum includes 51 dynamic public and private leaders and is chaired by Governors M. Jodi Rell (Connecticut); Edward Rendell (Pennsylvania); Mark Sanford (South Carolina); Brian Schweitzer (Montana); and honorary co-chair Richard Louv, bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods. The mayors of Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago are Forum members, as are the CEOs of The North Face, REI and the National Audubon Society, among other organizations.

To learn more about the RU Teens Outside program and RU ABLE, contact Mark Wagstaff at (540) 831-7724 or mwagstaff@radford.edu. To learn more about the Forum and its projects, visit www.ForumOnChildrenAndNature.org.