SOS Outreach
This project's parent organization is SOS Outreach
It operates in United States
It uses Outdoor pursuits
Entered the Sport For Social Inclusion Award
More about SOS Outreach
SOS Outreach is a youth development non-profit that increases resiliency and protective factors in underserved youth through outdoor adventure sports. SOS uses the popular hook of outdoor sports like snowboarding, rock climbing, paddleboarding, etc. to hook and maintain engagement of participants in the SOS curriculum. Youth engaged in the program not only take part in sports, but they are educated in core values (Courage, Discipline, Wisdom, Compassion), leadership techniques, cultural acceptance, tolerance and community responsibility.
The decline in youth involvement in outdoor activities has been precipitous in recent years. A 2008 report from the United States Center for Disease Control recorded a double-digit drop in participation in outdoor activities among youth ages 6 to 17 from 2006 to 2007. A 2010 report from the United States National Wildlife Federation further highlighted that by the time today’s youth attend kindergarten, they’ve watched on average 5,000 hours of television – enough time to earn a college degree; resulting in record setting percentages of obese and Attention Deficit Disorder youth.
During the 2009 fiscal year, SOS Outreach provided outdoor programming for 5,191 participants in 15 states in the US and New Zealand, this year SOS hopes to serve 5,500 youth with 22,000 program days.