get outside! Think back to a time when your family was in the great outdoors. Perhaps it was a camping trip, a hike up the mountain, a day at the beach, or an adventurous vacation. What differences did you notice in your kids? What about the family dynamic? Most will remember an initial lament of lost comforts like television or computers, but many also find in natural spaces a healthier and more connected family energy. Don’t we laugh and play together in nature unlike anywhere else in our busy, highly-wired urban lives? Getting outside may be the best thing we can do for the health of our families, and in particular our kids.
By Greg Stevenson When teenagers struggle with the demands of adolescent life, the wilderness can also provide the learning and reconnection that is needed. Adventure programs and outdoor education provide opportunities for youth to not only get outside but learn experientially, interacting with the natural world and experiencing subjects first-hand. The challenges of outdoor adventure can also have wonderful impacts on self-esteem and social development. By venturing into the wild, youth often find strengths in themselves that they never knew they had. Personal responsibility grows, both with respect to self and also interpersonally with those in their adventure group. So get outside! Opportunities abound in the spring and summer, either as a family or in youth outdoor education programs. You’ll notice the positive impacts. Greg Stevenson is Executive Director with CanAdventure Education www.canadventure.ca
Nature offers an opportunity for all of us to unplug from the distractions integral to a society that keeps accelerating with each technological advance. Twitter limits us to 140 characters per communication. Facebook updates us on hundreds of status changes in real-time. Streams of consciousness and social drama have become standard fare in the age of instant messaging.
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