Why YHP?

Why is there a Need for Such a Program?

Recently, news reports have declared that Ontario's children are in trouble. Child obesity in Ontario is on the rise and leads to other fundamental concerns including the increasing cost of health care and the decrease of healthy child development (physical and mental). Compounded with this discovery are the recent announcements of recreation facility closures in Ontario including swimming pools, rinks, and outdoor education centres. The onus for child recreation falls on the family in the after school hours that continue to dwindle as work demands increase. Many families cannot afford potentially expensive organized sports such as hockey, soccer and martial arts. Physical activity and recreation which was once a healthy part of a child's school day, is becoming less and less a priority in Ontario schools. The time for non-profit organizations to assist the youth in Ontario is now. Programs, such as the Young Hiker Program, offer a community solution to dwindling budgets and lack of services for Ontario's youth.

Statistics indicate that:

Over half of children and youth aged 5-17 are not active enough for optimal growth and development. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.
Physical activity improves self-esteem, enhances psychological well-being, overcomes boredom and provides positive leisure pursuits. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.
64% of Canadians are not active enough to reap the health benefits of a physical lifestyle. Canadian Medical Association Journal 163(11).
$2.1 billion, or about 2.5% of the total direct health care costs, can be attributed to physical inactivity. Canadian Medical Association Journal 163(11).
Almost half of all schools (46%) do not have a policy to provide daily physical education classes to students. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Institute 2001.
63% of Canadian children meet minimal standards for physical activity. Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 1998.
From 1981 to 1996 the prevalence of overweight increased by 92% in boys and by 57% in girls. Moreover, during that same time frame, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in both boys and girls. Canadian Medical Association Journal.

It's not just about hiking for the health of it.

The Young Hikers Program isn't just about increasing activity levels and fighting obesity. It's also about getting more young Ontarians to embrace the provinces largest classroom - the great outdoors.

The greater the opportunities children have to explore the natural world, the more inclined they will be as they mature, to preserve, protect and respect the environment.

Mounting evidence indicates that more and more children are disconnected from the natural world.

Nature Deficit Disorder , a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods , refers to the alleged trend that children are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. Problems that find resolution simply - take a child outside.

"Nature- the sublime, the harsh, and the beautiful- offers something that the street or gated community or computer game cannot. Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity." -Richard Louv.