Perception Of Youth Towards Outdoor Recreation

Perception of Youth towards Outdoor Recreation

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Perception of Youth towards Outdoor Recreation

Introduction

Physical fitness is an essential factor for every individual irrespective of age, gender, caste, color, creed or nationality. Every person, no matter what their age, needs to have some sort of physical activity in their life so that they can remain healthy and physically fit. Although the age for exercise and physical activities does not matter; however, the type of activities designed for the different age groups is different.

One of the major ways to remain active and healthy is outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation refers to the activities that are undertaken out of the boundaries of an enclosed building or walled community, most of the time in natural settings. Usually, these activities are physical in nature and boost up physical strength and endurance. In addition to this, these activities also boost up mental skills and capabilities.

There was a time when outdoor activities were very popular among the people of every age group, especially the youngsters or teenagers. However, this popularity has been constantly decreasing for the past few years. Teenagers these days do not take these outdoor activities seriously, in fact, many of them have stopped taking part in them altogether. This piece of writing will discuss in detail how the youth of today, especially the teenagers, perceives the concept of outdoor recreation and how it can be improved in their eyes.

Discussion

History of Outdoor Recreation

The history of outdoor activities is not new, in fact, it is relatively as old as the humans themselves. However, a proper name or terminology had not been coined for these activities. The termed gained a lot of popularity in the beginning of the decade of 1960s when people became gradually aware of the advantages of outdoor recreation. People, especially youngsters, started going into the wilderness to explore nature and their true selves. However, the popularity of these activities has reduced a little since the last decade, owing to a rapid advent in technology.

Youth Perception of Outdoor Recreation

The nature of outdoor activities ranges from a number of low physical exertion activities to those activities that require a high level of physical exertion. Sometimes, these activities comprise simple running or jogging, and sometimes they include rowing, fishing, hunting, hiking and trekking ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"yplYYRcg","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(M, 2015)","plainCitation":"(M, 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":40,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/M385WN65"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/M385WN65"],"itemData":{"id":40,"type":"webpage","abstract":"Does your teenager spend more time outdoors and looking for outdoor games and activities ideas? Here's the list of fun outdoor games for teenagers. Read on","container-title":"MomJunction","language":"en-US","title":"Top 10 Outdoor Games And Activities For Teens","URL":"https://www.momjunction.com/articles/outdoor-activities-for-teens_00351874/","author":[{"family":"M","given":"Rakhee"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2020",1,29]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",4,29]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (M, 2015). However, it has been observed that the young generation of today, especially the teenagers, consider the outdoor activities as a complete waste of time and like to spend more time indoors ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"BcSqqbSv","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Lovelock et al., 2016)","plainCitation":"(Lovelock et al., 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":37,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/ZELMGJ5X"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/ZELMGJ5X"],"itemData":{"id":37,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"This investigation considers the participation of children, adolescents and young adults in nature-based recreation. We draw upon the recreation narratives of forty-seven adult recreationists in the activities of tramping, angling, hunting and mountaineering, obtained from in-depth interviews. In particular, the study considers the transitions from childhood through adolescence to young adulthood, and examines how our participants maintained their participation, or alternatively, disengaged from their activity over this period. The paper provides empirical support for the role of family, and early exposure to nature based recreation in fostering enduring participation. Failing this, the role of school, club and outdoor organizational support and mentoring, right through to tertiary study was highlighted. We also identify a critical role for unstructured outdoor play for young children in nature. The paper discusses challenges for this, and for mentoring, in both formal and informal senses, as pathways into nature-based recreation in an increasingly risk averse society.","container-title":"Leisure Sciences","DOI":"10.1080/01490400.2016.1151388","journalAbbreviation":"Leisure Sciences","page":"1-20","source":"ResearchGate","title":"The Participation of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in Nature-Based Recreation","author":[{"family":"Lovelock","given":"Brent"},{"family":"Walters","given":"Trudie"},{"family":"Jellum","given":"Carla"},{"family":"Carr","given":"Anna"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016",5,4]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Lovelock et al., 2016). The major reason behind this disliking is the advancement in technology. Most of the youngsters like to stay indoors and participate in indoor activities like playing games over the internet or on X-box or PlayStation.

Benefits of Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor recreation is an amazing phenomenon that has a number of perks and benefits. These outdoor activities prove to be helpful in boosting up the physical and mental health of the participants and make them both mentally and physically fit. In addition to all these benefits, outdoor activities or recreation helps in the improvement of focus and sleep patterns ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"0W5QYf0s","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Larson et al., 2013)","plainCitation":"(Larson et al., 2013)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":42,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/WUWE869R"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/aDSOzgCJ/items/WUWE869R"],"itemData":{"id":42,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"This study examined adult (i.e., parent or guardian) reported metrics of young people's (age 0 to 17 years) outdoor recreation participation, state park use, and recreation-related benefits across a demographically diverse population in north Georgia. Methods included on-site (n = 1,039) and off-site (n = 279) intercept survey sampling in state parks and flea markets near the parks. Results revealed most guardians were aware of youth recreation benefits and particularly valued communal recreation experiences such as interactions with family and friends in outdoor environments. State parks were particularly popular locations for socially oriented recreation, especially for Latino families. Results suggest that understanding of young people's recreation and park use patterns could be enhanced through closer examination of adult perceptions regarding children and youths' time outdoors.","container-title":"Children, Youth and Environments","DOI":"10.7721/chilyoutenvi.23.3.0089","journalAbbreviation":"Children, Youth and Environments","page":"89-118","source":"ResearchGate","title":"Young People's Outdoor Recreation and State Park Use: Perceived Benefits from the Parent/Guardian Perspective","title-short":"Young People's Outdoor Recreation and State Park Use","volume":"23","author":[{"family":"Larson","given":"Lincoln"},{"family":"Whiting","given":"Jason"},{"family":"Green","given":"Gary"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013",1,1]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Larson et al., 2013). The exhaustion and tiredness after the conduction of these outdoor activities make it possible for the participant to sleep better which ultimately leads towards better productivity and focus.

Conclusion

Hence, it can be concluded that outdoor activities have always proven to be beneficial for the human health. Especially youngsters need to undertake and participate in such activities so that their physical and mental health may improve. However, a little different scenario is being observed in the current times as the popularity of outdoor recreational activities is reducing among the younger population due to the increase in available technology.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Larson, L., Whiting, J., & Green, G. (2013). Young People’s Outdoor Recreation and State Park Use: Perceived Benefits from the Parent/Guardian Perspective. Children, Youth and Environments, 23, 89–118. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.23.3.0089

Lovelock, B., Walters, T., Jellum, C., & Carr, A. (2016). The Participation of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in Nature-Based Recreation. Leisure Sciences, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2016.1151388

M, R. (2015, April 29). Top 10 Outdoor Games And Activities For Teens. MomJunction. https://www.momjunction.com/articles/outdoor-activities-for-teens_00351874/