As children and teens become increasingly attached to electronic devices, it is imperative to focus on time spent in an outdoor environment, free of screens and full of possibilities. What we’re up against is an unprecedented rise in screen time for children and teens under the age of 18. The rise in screen time is approaching from multiple angles… computer-led instruction in schools, free time at home on a tablet. Younger generations are consuming information through technology now more than ever before. All of this time spent on screens undoubtedly leads to lasting effects on child development. For example, an article titled “Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development”, published in the National Library of Medicine’s online database, claims serious public health issues have been raised concerning children’s heavy reliance on screen media including links to cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional aspects of their development. Take a moment to read any of the various published scholarly articles surrounding the emergence of consequences and concerns stemming from excessive screen time for children and let them serve as evidence that an intervention must be made.
There must be an outlet for this demographic that allows them to reconnect with their peers in real life, form their own opinions and learn through unstructured adventure. As the search continues for solutions to the mounting impacts of increasing screen time on mental and physical health for youths, there is great potential in encouraging more green time and less screen time. This notion was the foundation for the origin of the North Carolina Youth Outdoor Engagement Commission, spearheading the distinct mission to connect and engage youth with the outdoors in North Carolina. The North Carolina General Assembly, along with several lifelong outdoors advocates, saw it fit to create an agency solely dedicated to this mission. With funding from the General Assembly, and support from outside donors, NCYOEC has become a pioneer for the state’s efforts to protect and improve the mental and physical health of North Carolina’s youth through outdoor programming, grant funding, and outreach efforts.
The impact NCYOEC has had thus far on the 18 and under demographic is measured through several categories of data. For the purposes of this initial blog post, we will focus on the Go Outside Grants program. This program, which began in 2018, laid the ground work. Explain program. Below is a map of the impacted counties, 98 so far, of the 100 in North Carolina. Alongside the map are the number of grants awarded, amount of funding utilized by grant recipients, and the number of students impacted at the time of this post.
There is always more work to be done. In our next blog post, we will discuss another of our programs to benefit North Carolina youth, the Outdoor Patch Program. If you’ve made it this far and have not yet subscribed to our newsletter, be sure to do so using the link below! For more frequent updates, follow us on social media for a glimpse into the difference NCYOEC is making in the lives of children and teens.