Once upon a time, a guy named Richard Louv who wrote a book called, The Last Child in the Woods. Pretty soon, people all across the country were organizing to create programs that would get little kids outside. People who didn’t even care about these little tykes before were suddenly aware of “Nature Deficit Disorder” and they became die-hard advocates for “No Child Left Inside”.

While all these changes were going on, we couldn’t help but wonder, in perhaps the stereotypical selfish young adult way, what about us?!

We, the youth of America, need access to the outdoors as much as toddlers and teenyboppers. Luckily, we can speak for ourselves. And that’s where Outdoor Nation comes in.

With the support of a coalition of retailers, outdoor educators and conservation groups, Outdoor Nation rose to stardom in June 2010 in New York City’s Central Park.

We took matters into our own hands and hosted the first-ever Outdoor Nation Youth Summit with more than 500 delegates, representing all 50 states.

The result of the two-day event was a solid commitment to break down the barriers to the outdoors—not just for us, but for everyone. We love to prove the stereotypes false!

ON Declaration