The Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association, released its first annual report showcasing data from its 2021 Thrive Outside program work and participation research.
Since the launch of the Thrive Outside Community Initiative in 2019, the Outdoor Foundation has connected 49,855 youth and their families to the outdoors. Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the Thrive Outside Initiative reached 14,849 youth in 2021 and launched its second cohort, welcoming the communities of Maine, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Twin Cities into the program.
Last year also marked the first National Thrive Outside Day, with inclusive and accessible outdoor programming and engagement opportunities in eight Thrive Outside Communities serving more than 1,000 youth.
Research conducted in 2021 demonstrates that Thrive Outside program providers and partner organizations value the network. Overall, more than 90 percent of Thrive program providers indicated they are “highly satisfied” with the network. Working with cohort one backbone organizations, the Outdoor Foundation created a youth survey in 2021 to assess the impact of outdoor experience dosage on positive youth development and environmental education outcomes. Full findings from the annual report can be found here.
The 2021 report also shares information about the Outdoor Foundation’s collective impact approach to social change. The collective impact model brings people together to achieve social change. The Thrive Outside program work integrates mechanisms in which backbone organizations, service and program providers, and community partners can pool resources and insights as well as build relationships with each other. This boosts the capacity of every Thrive Outside Community and strengthens the full national network.
Visit outdoorfoundation.org for more information.
