This edition of SNEWS® Live is brought to you by The North Face
SNEWS® Live: The outdoor industry has been talking about getting kids outside for years now. That old refrain is repeated so often it's beginning to sound like a tired cliché. Though few can question the importance of introducing the younger generation to the wonders of nature, fewer still in the business of outdoor recreation seem to offer much in the way of a solution to this issue.
But the Outdoor Industry Foundation is hoping to kick start change. OIF, the charitable arm of the Outdoor Industry Association, has committed $100 million over the next 10 years to support youth outreach programs. At the biannual OIA breakfast meeting held during Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah, President Frank Hugelmeyer announced the "I Will" campaign. This new initiative encourages outdoor professionals to support both financially and as outreach volunteers the organizations that actively work toward getting children into the outdoors.
Hugelmeyer noted that there are many programs in communities large and small across the country already working to take this challenge head-on. Organizations like Outward Bound and Big City Mountaineers make it their job to bring young people to the outdoors and provide them with worthwhile experiences that will last a lifetime.
"We don't have to create programs. They already exist," Hugelmeyer said. "We just need to lift them up. The asset is here. And the reality is, it's our responsibility."
SNEWS® Live was there at the OIA breakfast meeting to bring you Hugelmeyer's opening remarks, which included an inspiring and very touching account of taking his own son outdoors to connect with nature.
Listen now:
Subscribe directly to SNEWS® Live by clicking on either button below:
SNEWS® Live is produced by SNEWS® Production Studios. To learn about the benefits of placing your advertising on SNEWS® Live or to submit a story idea you believe would be perfect for a SNEWS® Live report, send an email to SNEWSLive@snewsnet.com.
SNEWS® CHAT -- Have a comment, idea, retort, or an engaging thought that was inspired by this article or from our opinions expressed in the SNEWS® View?
Just click here to comment now.
Getting green fitness equipment from the gym to home Jan 30, 2012 In fitness, it isn’t easy being green — at least when it comes to retail equipment options to sell for use in the home. SNEWS takes a look at the latest sustainable fitness equipment technologies — those that feed power back to the grid — and what it will take for consumers to purchase the products for home use. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Product Trends
StairMaster StepMill gets competition Jan 11, 2012 Now that the patent on the StairClimber’s StepMill technology has run out, two other manufacturers, Johnson Health Tech and Med-Fit Systems, are introducing new products to the rotating staircase market – Matrix ClimbMill and Nautilus K2 Vertical Climber. Plus, Star Trac has something in store for later this year. SNEWS takes a look. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Product Trends
"Telemark skiing " by gary neptune (02/08/2012 11:08 MST) Comments"Cybex Settlement " by Samuel Baruch (02/08/2012 10:59 MST) CommentsJoin the conversations -- Ideas, Community. Becoming a member of the community is free. Click here to join now.
Log in to view or participate in SNEWS Reader Surveys.