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Hike Ontario

Hike Ontario. Young Hikers Program. Presented by Terri LeRoux Active Trails Summit April 14, 2007. Hike Ontario’s Young Hikers Program is a group of activities & initiatives designed to introduce youth to the joys and benefits of hiking.

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Hike Ontario

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  1. Hike Ontario Young Hikers Program Presented by Terri LeRoux Active Trails Summit April 14, 2007

  2. Hike Ontario’s Young Hikers Program is a group of activities & initiatives designed to introduce youth to the joys and benefits of hiking. In 2007 Hike Ontario received funding under the Trails for Life Program to further develop our Young Hikers Program.

  3. Our goals are simple. Hike Ontario wants to: • Get kids active. • Get them out on the trails and pathways of Ontario. • Increase their level of physical activity. • Instil an appreciation for the diversity and richness of Ontario’s trail system. • Provide youth service providers with valuable resources.

  4. Why youth? For the health of it. 63% of Canadian children meet minimal standards for physical activity. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 1998. From 1981 to 1996 the prevalence of overweight increased by 92% in boys and by 57% in girls. Moreover, during that same time frame, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in both boys and girls. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Over half of children and youth aged 5-17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. Physical activity improves self-esteem, enhances psychological well-being, overcomes boredom and provides positive leisure pursuits. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. $2.1 billion, or about 2.5% of the total direct health care costs, can be attributed to physical inactivity. Canadian Medical Association Journal 163(11).

  5. Why youth? To address Nature Deficit Disorder & the impacts of modern culture on children’s relationship to nature. • A 2002 British study reported that eight-year-olds could identify Pokémon characters far more easily than they could name otter, beetle, and oak tree. • Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, nature needs its children: where else will its future stewards come from? • Staying inside too much can • indeed do weird things to people, • simply because it puts us in a • context where our existence is the • primary reference point. • In today’s society, safe, regimented • sports are favoured over imaginative • play.

  6. Core Program Components Provincial Youth Advisory Council Activity Resource Kit Young Hikers Website

  7. Provincial Youth Advisory Council Will ensure the relevancy of the project and contribute to the long term sustainability by recruiting and retaining a core of dedicated, involved youth Will provide youth with an opportunity to develop leadership based skills

  8. Activity Resource Kit A kit that will provide youth service providers with a cost effective, easily administered activities that will introduce youth to three key areas: • Health & Recreational benefits of hiking and walking: e.g. activities to get youth active and out on the trails • Natural and Cultural Heritage along Ontario’s trails: e.g. activities of environmental and cultural history importance • Responsible and Safe Hiking: e.g. Leave No Trace, Trail Users Code of Ethics, Hug A Tree etc.

  9. Young Hikers Website Will provide an interactive opportunities for youth to learn more about hiking and walking in Ontario through: • online activities • contests • awards programs • youth networking The site will also provide youth service providers with access to valuable resources

  10. If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, "the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.“ David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia.

  11. For more information contact Hike Ontario at: Phone: 1-800-894-7249 or (905) 833-1787 Email: info@hikeontario.com www.hikeontario.com

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