“Young people with stronger connections to nature fared better during the pandemic. Nature-based outdoor learning helps youth build resilience, boost self-esteem, and increase group cohesion.” This develops social-emotional skills (SES), which equip youth to recover from setbacks, maintain a positive outlook and lays the foundation for career pathways. These skills are valuable: The Conference Board of Canada has identified increasing employer demand for SES, such as leadership, cultural competence, problem-solving, collaboration and communication. Unfortunately, employers often find that entry-level hires lack these important SES. One of the most promising mechanisms to equip our youth with SES can be found outdoors.

Findings from the national youth-serving charity Outward Bound Canada’s latest report indicate outdoor education plays a key role in building the skills youth need to succeed in this rapidly changing world. Outdoor learning programs typically involve the guided facilitation of nature-based experiences in small groups, facilitating camaraderie and the development of communication, co-operation, and trust. Participants overcome difficult situations without a contrived, definitive, or predetermined solution. In the field, young people are encouraged to participate, make and learn from their mistakes while fostering a stable and lifelong connection to nature. Yet access to nature is not equal. Lower-income households reported a lack of access to outdoor space. Those with the least access to nature also have the worst levels of physical health and mental well-being. Investments in SES development, and access to outdoor programs, will help build a socially inclusive future. This requires rethinking SES training and development. We need to consider formal and informal skill development as part of a lifelong learning process that leads to mental well-being and broader economic outcomes. The groundwork for a more equitable and resilient future lies within all types of learning, in traditional and natural spaces. It’s time to invest in Canada’s COVID Kids and help shape our country’s future.