Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program originally aired August 11 as a Zoom event. If you missed it and would like to learn more about this wonderful program please see the link below.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program has been establishing a network of trails designed for kids and families with the goal of improving both their health and well-being and the health of our parks, public lands, and nature. The program, founded in Asheville, has more than 200 trails in the country, and more than 1.5 million users, and counting. During this presentation, the program’s Director, Jason Urroz, will discuss the need for the program, the history and growth of its trail network, data demonstrating its success, and what’s in store for the future. One thing is for sure, after the presentation, you’ll want to get your kids, grandkids, or random kids from the neighborhood in parks!
For the last decade, Jason Urroz has served as the Director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program—a program that partners with public land management agencies to convert their preexisting trail into a kid- and family-friendly trail through the installation of signs and self-guided brochures that turn an “ordinary” hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure. Combining best-practices and principles from the fields of environmental education and interpretation, Urroz’s program has established a national network of more than 200 TRACK Trail locations in national parks, state parks, city/county parks, and other public lands, crossing state and agency boundaries through a common mission to engage kids and families in outdoor recreation as a way to foster lifelong wellness and meaningful connections to nature.
As a component of the program, Urroz developed one of the largest Park Prescription initiatives in the country—TRACK Rx—with more than 150 doctor offices and hospital systems prescribing outdoor recreation and the program’s network of trail locations to their patients.
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