Information for parents page
 

 

THINGS ARE DIFFERENT

There was a time when children would go off on their bicycles and explore and play outdoors. All would be well if you were home by dinner and before the streetlights were on. Even after dinner it would be OK to sneak out and go to a field and look at the stars in the sky with your buddies.

Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, family life has become different. In most cases both parents have jobs outside the home. Single parent households are common. Youth are more sedentary, and their lives are often ruled by a long list of programmed and scheduled activities. Most kids lack the outdoor experience.

With the advent of computers, video games, and television, children have more and more reasons to stay inside, The average American child spends 44 hours a week with electronic media.

Sociologists have identified a phenomenon called Nature Deficit Disorder. In 2005 author Richard Louv did a study that showed that over the last 30 years children are spending less time outdoors and this results in a wide range of increasing behavioral problems.

Attention disorders and depression have been attributed to lack of connection to the outdoors. Several studies show that kids who don't get nature-time seem more prone to anxiety, depression and attention-deficit problems. Going outside and being in the quiet and calm can help greatly.

The Scouting Program is one of the best ways to get kids outside and active. Scouting has all the elements, experiences and facilities that are desperately needed by today's youth. It will help him be physically fit, make him a good citizen, and develop his character with values that are timeless.
Scouting and the Yankee Clipper Council still provides places and programs for children and young adults to explore the outdoors.

Issues For Children and Young Adults
· The average child ages 8-18 spend 44 hours per week with electronic media.
· In 1947 25% of families had both parents working outside the home. This rate increased to 33% in 1976. By 2010 over 75% of families have both parents working outside the home.
· Today, almost 30% of children are being raised in single parent homes. Most of these parents are women.
· Children spend 7.5 hours per day in front of a screen, educators and parents and only 4 minutes a day in unstructured imaginative outdoor play.
· Only 20% of children live within walking distance of a park or play ground. This fact makes kids even less inclined to spend time outdoors.
· In 1980, 5% of children and young adults suffered from obesity. In 2011 19% of children and young adults suffer from the long and short-term effects of obesity. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Yankee Clipper Council, Boy Scouts of America In Action
· In 2010 Yankee Clipper Council provided 37,074 youth hours of family interactive programs.
· The Yankee Clipper Council membership includes over 2,000 trained adults who provide character and value based mentoring to over 8,000 young people
· In 2010 Yankee Clipper Council provided over 1,593,872 youth hours of Scout Programs.
· Yankee Clipper Council has two camps: Wah-Tut-Ca and Lone Tree Scout Reservations. In 2010 Yankee Clipper Council provided over 344,896 youth hours of outdoor camping activities at these camps.
· Scouts at Wah-Tut-Ca have over 8 hours per day in an open program where they can choose their own adventure.
· Lone Tree and Wah-Tut-Ca Scout Reservation. They provide almost 500 acres of woodlands and over 2 miles of lakefront shoreline. Spending time outdoors and in the woods is encouraged.
· The average Cub Scout in a Yankee Clipper Day Camp burns over 200 calories/hour and a Scout at Wah-Tut-Ca will burn almost 700 calories in one nature hike.