Over 3,000 kids to participate in outdoor education and recreation programs

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (August 20, 2007) – The Sierra Club’s Building Bridges to the Outdoors Project is thrilled to announce nearly $200,000 in funding to support a wide range of programs that utilize outdoor education and recreation as a vehicle for ensuring excellence in education, developing a workforce capable of meeting the challenges of the future, and improving the quality of life for communities throughout New Mexico.  An additional 3,000 children will be able to attend these programs free of charge thanks to the funding by the Sierra Club.

Three of the five grant recipients received matching funds from the New Mexico Community Foundation.  Matching grants were awarded to: (1) Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (Taos) to support wilderness/outdoor adventure programming, hands-on conservation work and service-learning; (2) Santa Fe Mountain Center (Tesuque) to support Emergence, a youth development, experiential adventure-based learning program focused on Native American communities; and (3) National Indian Youth Leadership Project (Gallup) to support Project Venture, an award-winning prevention and youth empowerment program that incorporates outdoor, experiential education, service-learning and culture.

Two additional grants were awarded to (1) Rivers & Birds (Taos) to support the Watershed Learning Project, a nine-day nature immersion program for fifth grade public school students to explore local water issues while inspiring joyful learning, cultural connections with our Earth, and stewardship; and (2) Sandia Mountain Natural History Center (Albuquerque) to support the Traveling Ecology Field Program which teaches students across the state basic ecology principles, interconnectedness of nature and the human impact on the environment.

“The Sierra Club rarely sponsors another organization’s efforts, but we feel these programs are unique because of the opportunity they provide to connect children with the outdoors, contributing to the cognitive, physical, social, mental, spiritual, and emotional well being of our kids,” stated Michael Casaus, the Sierra Club’s New Mexico Youth Representative.

The Sierra Club’s sponsorship of these programs will help to fight nature-deficit disorder. This condition refers to the absence of nature from childhood experiences, which plays a role in a child’s poor physical and mental health.  It has been proven that outdoor experiences improve children’s health and academic achievement.  A Sierra Club funded study by the California Department of Education found that students who participated in a week-long outdoor experience raised their science scores by 27%, improved their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills and experienced better self-esteem.  The long-term goal of the Building Bridges to the Outdoors program is to ensure that every child in New Mexico is given an opportunity to experience and enjoy the outdoors.  For more information visit: www.sierraclub.org/youth.