RELEASE: OAK Welcomes New Steering Committee Members

The Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a national strategic partnership of more than 120 organizations, announced new additions to its steering committee. The new committee launches alongside a new website as OAK reaffirms its commitment to connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors, ensuring millions of kids can improve their health and wellbeing through

Powerful Together: Celebrating OAK’s work to connect kids with nature in 2023

By Jackie Ostfeld Outdoor play should be a time-honored tradition for our kids, yet far too many children face barriers preventing them from experiencing the benefits of our natural world. Whether it’s a lack of close-to-home natural areas, the cost of transportation, parents forced to work two or three jobs just to pay the bills,

RELEASE: OAK Celebrates Creation of American Climate Corps

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House announced today the creation of the American Climate Corps, a new program offering young people the workforce training and services needed for careers in the clean energy and climate resilience fields.  This new Corps will: Offer over 20,000 young Americans a pathway to jobs in clean energy, conservation, and

OAK Week 2023: A Look At the Ways We’ve Grown

By Jackie Ostfeld, OAK co-founder and chair Every year, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) hosts a week of advocacy events in D.C. to push for more equitable access to the outdoors for children and families across the country. As our membership and participation increases, it is heartening to see the event grow each year, with

Outdoors Alliance for Kids Celebrates Leadership with 2023 Annual Awards

Previous awardees of the OAK Acorn Award Tigran Nahabedian, Lily Kay and Uriel Llanas stand next to 2023 winners Nazma Begum (second from left) and Saanvi Mylavarapu (third from left). The Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) annual awards were delivered last week during OAK’s annual advocacy week in D.C. Established in 2016, they are bestowed

There’s Federal Funding to Close the Nature Equity Gap – If You Apply For It

Runners in a park in Boston. (Photo Credit: iStock.com, Orbon Alija) by Jackie Ostfeld, OAK co-founder and chair The climate and nature equity crises are two sides of the same coin – the same communities that lack access to nearby nature are also experiencing the brunt of climate change impacts.  A history of racist land-use

To All the Fourth Graders in Michigan, Nature Awaits

guest post by Elayne Elliot, Chapter Director of Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter and Jackie Ostfeld, OAK Chair and Director of Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign Sierra Club and our partners have a long history of working to expand access to the outdoors for all Michiganders, starting with the pivotal role that we played in

Growing Stronger Together in 2022: Outdoors Alliance for Kids

by Jackie Ostfeld, OAK co-founder and chair As we head into winter, I am welcoming the short days and long nights as an invitation to slow down, rest, and reflect. Walking through my neighborhood park on a crisp cool day, I am filled with gratitude for my nearby parks and public lands, places I go

A Gala Sendoff, and an Important Reminder that Nature Heals

by Ayodele Abdul-Hadi, OAK Advisor Outdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp (left) poses with Ayodele Abdul-Hadi at the 2022 Glamp Out gala.Credit: Ayodele Abdul-Hadi Right on the waterfront, with a serene view of the sunset and San Francisco city skyline, I was part of a group of about 200 people attending the first in-person Outdoor Afro

Our Kids Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis, Nature Can Help

by Jackie Ostfeld and Monica Lopez Magee Youth environmental activists hike in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. in May 2022.Photo by Chris Rief As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth continue to face upheavals in their family, social, and educational lives. Their daily routines are disrupted by exposure alerts and quarantines,