The new Nature Niños Prescott campaign has started to help local families with young children safely explore nature.
Scientific data supports that spending time outdoors is beneficial to physical, mental and emotional health. So, the City of Prescott Recreation Services Department, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension SNAP Education, Yavapai County Community Health Services, and the Community Nature Center collaborated to offer this program.
Benefits
One goal of Nature Niños Prescott is to provide targeted spaces where working families can enjoy the various benefits of the outdoors through messaging via a communication campaign offering bilingual materials.
Sites were considered for families with children ages 3 to 8. Twelve sites were chosen for the initial launch in celebration of National Trails Day, Saturday, June 5, 2021.
Program Offerings
- Ongoing application of materials to address concerns, unknowns and misconceptions about outdoor recreation and outdoor spaces.
- Monthly guided exploration times with professionals to demonstrate and assist with techniques to engage young families.
- Incentives for first-time families to engage and learn in natural spaces and address cognitive or emotional barriers to initial engagements.
- Follow-up engagement on social media platforms to serve as accountability and a support system along with industry tips for healthy snacks, being prepared and how to serve as a steward to public lands.
Outdoor Industry Report
Outdoor Industry Association commissioned a one-time special report from research partner NAXION to share exclusive insights about Americans’ engagement in outdoor activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines demographics and psychographics of the new outdoor participant — defined as someone who participated in an outdoor activity for the first time during the pandemic or after a significant lapse.
Findings show that:
- New participants are more likely to be female, younger, living in an urban area and slightly more ethnically diverse than existing participants.
- New participants primarily sought socially-distanced outdoor activities to spend time with loved ones safely, to exercise, stay healthy, or reduce screen-time fatigue.
- New participants largely are motivated by outdoor recreation opportunities with low barriers to entry accessible within 10 miles of their homes, including walking, running, biking and hiking. (Full report can be found at www.outdoorindustry.org).
The public is encouraged to follow the City of Prescott Recreation Services Department on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram for updates using @prescottrecservices.
