Grassroots Conservation Campaign
Youth Education Programs - Goal: $2.625 million
What is it?
Youth are our future. That’s why Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are targeting school age children with programs such as Ringnecks, hunter safety, habitat days, youth advisory boards and Whistlers, our quail youth program. By incorporating active participation in conservation, hunting, wildlife and other outdoor activities, these programs are helping grow concerned citizens who care about and value the future of the land. These programs also are aimed at recruiting and retaining young hunters and encouraging them to be safe and responsible as they enjoy the rich traditions of hunting.
Why is it important?
Sadly, children today are too plugged into passive pastimes like television and video games. Kids today don't venture outdoors and enjoy the natural wonders of our world. They're disconnected from wildlife and nature. Author Richard Louv has given this disconnection a name, "Nature Deficit Disorder." He links it both to physical and emotional health, even poor classroom performance. In his recent book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Louv explains that "We are in the middle of an experiment where we are raising the first generation of 'denatured' children." By teaching youth how to enjoy and appreciate nature, we will help to inspire and raise the next generation of conservationists, outdoorsmen and women and hunters. In the process, we will teach kids not WHAT to think, but HOW to think regarding the environment. Through youth education programs, our sons and daughters will learn to develop an appreciation for the outdoors and at the same time prepare for their role in assuming responsibility for protecting and conserving wildlife habitat. In short: they cannot be asked to protect something they don't value, so we're working to pass that value from one generation to another.
How will we achieve it?
To get young people to enjoy and appreciate the benefits of the natural world, we must invite them to enjoy the outdoors. "Invitations" will come in the form of scholarships to conservation camps, schoolyard habitat projects, classroom visits that explore the natural environment, youth mentor hunts, conservation days, hunter education and firearms safety classes. There is a wide variety of ways to lure the electronic generation to explore the outdoors where they experience real adventure. This must be a priority, not merely a goal.