Google Analytics insert for Experience Industry Management



Parks and Recreation Magazine's November 2016 issue features Cal Poly Experience Industry Management Faculty.

Parks and Recreation Magazine's November 2016 issue features Cal Poly Experience Industry Management Faculty.

Does your agency face a challenge simply connecting with youth in your community? Do you have programs designed to get youth outdoors, but feel that the ever-changing landscape of social media and technology needed to reach them is a maze? Are your state-of-the-art outdoor recreation and education programs really cool but participation is waning?

In an effort to identify social media messages that resonate with youth, and that will ultimately encourage them to connect with nature, researchers from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, embarked on an exploratory investigation of urban youth's motives to spend time outdoors and their social media use.  Rather than viewing social media and technology as the downfall of youth's engagement with nature, we sought to find out how agencies can capitalize on the convergence of nature and technology.

Despite the well-known mental, social and physical health benefits of spending time in nature, youth are increasingly disconnected from natural areas and outdoor recreation activities. This separation can hinder environmental awareness and opportunities for physical, social, and mental health enhancement.  The impacts of limited contact with nature . . . [to continue reading select this link]. 

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