Mayor Becker Launches SLC Kids Explore Challenge to Salt Lake City Families
Go, Seek, Discover: 30 Minutes in Nature for 30 Days
SALT LAKE CITY – Mayor Ralph Becker launched the SLC Kids Explore program on Thursday and issued a challenge to local youth (and their parents) to spend at least 30 minutes a day outdoors connecting with nature for a 30-day period. SLC Kids Explore was designed to create exciting new outdoor opportunities for students and to raise public awareness about the enormous health and societal benefits of spending time in nature.
“Our children benefit enormously from spending more time in the outdoors,” said Mayor Becker. “Our goal for the SLC Kids Explore project is to create and instill a passion and appreciation for nature in our kids through outdoor play and educational experiences. Salt Lake City is home to one of the most beautiful natural settings in the country and it’s important we pass on our enjoyment and benefits of getting outdoors, and a sense of stewardship, to our children.”
A directory of free nature activities is available on the new public calendar at www.goseekdiscover.com with suggestions on different ways families can get active while having fun and exploring new dimensions of Salt Lake City. Participants can post their activities, share stories and earn activity pass rewards for themselves and their families.
An important element of SLC Kids Explore is to lay the groundwork, through education and outdoor experiences, to cultivate the next generation of local environmental stewards. These young people will certainly be tasked with addressing the increasingly devastating effects of climate change and the mounting pressures on ecological balance. For many Salt Lake City children, more contact with nearby nature, surrounding mountains and parks will literally open up new vistas with lifelong impacts.
slcGreen Blog 