The Youth Outdoors Initiative is a joint program of the YMCA and National Park Service with a focus on youth development, recreation, service, social and environmental responsibility and healthy living that emphasizes the value and significance of natural and cultural resources in nearby parks and communities. 

We invite YMCAs, conservation partners and others to explore this site to learn how YMCAs and National Park Service sites across the country are leveraging their resources to expand the reach and impact of both organizations. Our toolkit provides tangible resources around partnership development, program curriculum ideas and activities and program evaluation. Our hope is to support YMCAs and like-minded organizations across the nation in engaging children with meaningful outdoor experiences, teens and young adults with leadership and service opportunities and develop children and teens as the next generation of changemakers who are caretakers of our public lands.