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Great Outdoors University (GOU) is a youth conservation education program of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) whose mission is to connect kids with the great outdoors in meaningful, life-changing and lasting ways. GOU participants are children and youth who would not likely have the opportunity to learn about and experience the great outdoors otherwise. GOU is currently providing programming in Memphis and Nashville, with plans to expand across the state.
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State Officials and Non-Profit Leaders Gather to Promote Getting Children Outdoors
Governor Phil Bredesen has declared June 2010 as "Tennessee Great Outdoor Month." The proclamation culminates the recent efforts of the Every Child Outdoors - Tennessee (ECO-TN) Coalition. A copy of the proclamation can be viewed by clicking here.
Earlier this month, the coalition hosted the first ever Tennessee Governor's Summit on Every Child Outdoors Tuesday, Montgomery Bell State Park. Over 150 community leaders from the educational, natural resources, governmental and other sectors attended the summit to better understand and discuss the connection between youth detachment from the outdoors and the lack of physical exercise and increased health risks. |
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 The Tennessee Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights has passed both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly unanimously and has been sent to the Governor for action. The legislation was crafted with help from TWF as part of the Every Child Outdoors – Tennessee (ECO-TN) Coalition, and raises awareness of the value of outdoor experiences for children. Specifically the legislation states that “every child should have the opportunity to walk in the woods, play outside, explore nature, watch wildlife, grow a garden, splash in the water, camp under the stars, learn to swim, climb a tree, go fishing, fly a kite, and visit a farm.”
ECO-TN is made up of over 100 organizations and its mission is to promote and support opportunities that encourage children to engage with and experience the outdoors. Martha Lyle Ford, TWF’s Director of Education and Great Outdoors University serves as Co-Chairman of ECO-TN, and has been instrumental in the passage of the Tennessee Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. To read a copy of the bill, click here. |
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 TWF’s Great Outdoors University (GOU) program recently expanded to include Nashville youth and families in its programming. GOU Nashville models itself after its successful sister program in Memphis and is guided by the same mission: to connect kids with the great outdoors in meaningful, life-changing and lasting ways.
Anna Ransler was hired in April to be the Program Coordinator for the Nashville program. Ransler became familiar with GOU and its mission during the summer of 2008 when she interned for TWF and wrote grants for the program. She is a graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) and previously worked for the Tennessee House of Representatives and clerked for the Environment and Conservation Committee, Higher Education Subcommittee, and Wildlife Subcommittee. |
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 Once again, Great Outdoors University (GOU) - Memphis is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds! Kate Friedman joined the TWF team in March to serve as the GOU Memphis program coordinator. An environmental educator for more than 18 years, Kate's experience and enthusiasm for getting kids outdoors has helped the program achieve record capacity for 2009.
The summer began with a six week summer camp program for kids from BRIDGES Future Builders. Future Builders is a hands-on, experiential learning program for middle school students. Thanks to GOU Memphis contract naturalists, the students got to participate in fishing, horseback riding, paddle boating, swimming, hiking and wetlands exploration during the day camp sessions. |
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Click here to read a great article on GOU-Memphis.
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TWF  to Partner with ArtsMemphis & Ducks Unlimited for Events in October The Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s outdoor education program, GOU, is being recognized for its work in introducing youth to the outdoors by the Memphis Conservation Through Art program. Conservation Thorough Art is a weeklong celebration founded by ArtsMemphis and Ducks Unlimited that aims to raise funds and awareness for wildlife conservation efforts, local arts groups and environmental education.  This year, GOU has been selected to be a beneficiary of a portion of the funds raised through the Conservation Through Arts events. Additionally, GOU has partnered with ArtsMemphis and Ducks Unlimited to contribute to the schedule of events in Memphis.
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