For over 170 years, the YMCA has been a place for community programs, fitness facilities like swimming pools, and recreational camps. The National Park Service announced a partnership with the organization to provide unique and educational summer camp experiences focused on national parks.
This collaboration is another way for little kids and teens aged 5-15 to know more about their environment and connect with the various national parks throughout the United States. With 63 national parks and 433 sites total, there's lots of information for kids to explore, with a new theme each week related to the Department of the Interior.
Thanks to the YMCA summer camps, American youth can have four to six weeks of camping experiences to provide education and fun. The program has been around since 2015, and has continued to gain traction.
🗣️ Do you think kids spend too much time in front of screens?
🔘 Yes — it's rotting their brains 🧠
🔘 No — screens are the future 💻
🔘 There should be a good balance ⚖️
🔘 No idea — I don't have kids 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
It aims to get 15% more campers signed up each year, giving those kids something constructive to do beyond being sedentary and abusing screen time. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, some teens spend up to nine hours on screens per day.
They can utilize hands-on tactile education to learn about the national park system, environmental responsibility, leadership, and meet like-minded peers. By understanding more about the environment they live in, kids can also understand how precious and viable the ecosystem is.
They can also learn more about respecting wildlife and avoid becoming bad park tourists. In other words, the series of summer camps can be one of many ways for kids and teenagers to form good habits that'll become second nature as they grow into adulthood.
This program is one of many funded by the Inflation Reduction Act signed by the Biden administration in 2022. Under the restoration section, the program has received funds of $1.3 million from 2023 to 2025. From learning about animal habitats to hot springs, it's something they'll remember forever.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
