FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 17, 2008
AUGUSTA-- Getting kids into the outdoors and restoring a healthy balance of nature in the lives of children in Maine is the subject of the Governor’s Conference on Youth and the Natural World, to be held at the Augusta Civic Center Oct. 2.
Maine Governor John Baldacci is set to kick off the conference, which will bring together parents, governmental representatives and leaders in education, health, child development and outdoor recreation to address the issues and work toward solutions.
The event is open to the public.
Governor Baldacci will introduce keynote speaker Larry Selzer of the National Forum on Children and Nature and Chief Executive Officer of The Conservation Fund, who will address the issues surrounding children’s increasing disconnect from nature and decreasing participation in outdoor activities, which is fueling an obesity epidemic and threatening children’s physical and mental health.
Statistics are alarming.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, youths between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 6-1/2 hours a day with electronic media— adding up to more than 45 hours a week. That’s equivalent to a full time job!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that obesity in children increased from about 4 percent in the 1960s to close to 20 percent in 2004. And a 2007 Maine CDC report indicated that overall obesity rates in the state have risen more than 100 percent in only17 years –from 12 percent to 26 percent. These studies also show that about one-quarter of Maine high school students are overweight and 36 percent of Maine kindergarteners have a body mass index greater than the 85thpercentile.
In addition, a study by Sandra Hofferth at the University of Maryland indicated that, from 1997 to 2003, there was a decline of 50 percent in the proportion of children aged 9 to 12 who spent time in such outside activities as hiking, walking, fishing, beach play, and gardening.
The conference will give participants the opportunity to learn from one another about efforts that have worked across Maine and how they can replicate those successes in their own communities.
As a result of the conference, organizers are hopeful that parents and educators learn more about the importance of getting kids outdoors and will incorporate more outside play and activities in home life and school curricula.
A highlight of the conference is the premiere of the Maine Outdoor Youth Movie Festival, which was designed for kids to express, through film, why being outside is important to them. Selected films will be shown and filmmakers will be recognized during the conference luncheon. Olympic snowboarding gold medalist and Farmington native Seth Wescott is among the judges.
The conference will also feature a climbing wall, a 3-D slide presentation, titled, “Nature Up Close,” and the latest in “Tour Du Neighborhood” bicycles for attendees of all ages to try outside.
The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is open to all.
Admission is $25 for adults and $10 for students, including a continental breakfast and lunch.
Registration is strongly recommended. To register and find out more information go to www.take-it-outside.com or by contacting Gale Ross at (207) 287-5266 or gale.ross@maine.gov.
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