River protection depends on people who have the opportunity to fall in love with a natural place.

“I have a wish for humanity: that all of our children would become field naturalists as they grow up. Imagine living in a society where every youth has the chance to explore the Earth on foot and in hand, getting to know its creatures on a first-name basis. ” — Gary Paul Nabhan

Research shows that the outdoor experiences of our youth provide the foundation for a lifelong ethic of stewardship. This is why Prairie Rivers Network has teamed up with Illinois Public Media (Champaign-Urbana’s PBS affiliate), Kickapoo State Park, the U of I College of Media, the Danville Public Library and Keep Vermilion County Beautiful on a project to connect teens and their families with Kickapoo State Park. Middle and high-school students from the Danville Boys and Girls Club will produce video Public Service Announcements, aimed at other teens, to encourage them to visit and use the park.

Prairie Rivers Network’s part is to lead the youths in a day of fun activities in the park this June, including canoeing, fishing, photography, and exploring a stream. In conjunction with the project, the teens will talk with their peers about barriers to visiting the park and create strategies to encourage more teens and families to take advantage of this great, free resource.

Some of the public service announcements will be shown on WILL TV during this September’s airing of the new Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. The project will culminate in a public celebration at the Danville Public Library on September 1, where all the student videos will be shown.
PRN encourages you to invite young people in your life to take an outing to your local state park and help cultivate our next generation of nature advocates.

Visit the project website for photos, videos, and lots of posts from the student participants: www.youthmediaworkshop.org/kickapoo.