In collaboration with the
Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, Youth Voice One Vision (YVOV), youth from the
Urban Ecologist Program of the Seneca Park Zoo Foundation, and support from the
Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative, City Council and Mayor
Lovely Warren have adopted a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBOR). This
bill defines a list of outdoor activities that all children should have the
right to experience, and serves as a tool to help guide priorities and
decisions regarding access to nature and funding, so that all of Rochester’s
children have equitable access to the outdoor experiences that are crucial for
healthy development.
Rochester Children’s Outdoor
Bill of Rights
The Rochester Children’s
Outdoor Bill of Rights is intended as a guide to enable children and adults of
Rochester to develop healthy, active lifestyles by spending more time outdoors.
Exploring the wonders of our natural world will help children learn to
appreciate and care for Rochester’s abundant natural resources. As the future
citizens and leaders of Rochester, a city uniquely rich in natural resources,
our children are entitled to:
Learn to Take Care of Our
Planet
Children develop an appreciation
and a sense of responsibility for preserving our natural resources by spending
time in nature while they are young. They learn to value the natural world
through involvement in activities like planting trees or gardening, picking up
litter and recycling, taking part in stream cleanup, wetland and prairie
restoration efforts.
Learn to Swim
Swimming is a low impact
activity that provides excellent exercise. It is ideal for long term health and
wellness, unlike other sports and exercise that contribute to the premature
breakdown of the body. Learning to swim also builds confidence and opens up
many opportunities for outdoor engagement.
Play in Clean Rivers and
Lakes
Water is essential to all life
on Earth and is an abundant natural resource in Rochester. Children have the
right to explore clean and healthy waterways and understand how they play a
role in recreation and conservation, from skipping rocks and studying turtles
to sloshing in puddles to fishing and boating.
Grow and Harvest Food to Eat
Children can learn much by
observing plant and animal life cycles. They gain an understanding of the
nurturing capacity of the Earth by digging in the soil, finding worms, and
planting seeds and watching them grow into flowers and food.
Explore Nature in
Neighborhoods
Children should be able to
safely explore their community green spaces and learn to appreciate their
natural surroundings. They need to know the diversity of nature found in their
own backyard and nearby parks. It is important that every child has the
opportunity to safely engage in physical activities that allow them to explore
their surrounding environment.
Listen to the Sounds of
Nature
Listening to the sounds of
nature is associated with a decrease in the body's sympathetic response, and an
increase in parasympathetic response, which helps the body relax and function
in normal circumstances. This has s a profound impact on our brains and our
behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety, brooding, and stress, and increase our
attention capacity, creativity, and our ability to connect with other people.
Observe a Starry Sky
Viewing a sky full of stars
inspires a sense of wonder and perspective for our place here on Earth.
Stargazing offers a great opportunity to introduce children to math concepts
such as counting, identifying shapes, and tracing patterns, as well as the
opportunity to learn about light pollution and the scale of human impact on the
planet.
Go Camping
Children need to spend time in
nature away from computers, television, cell phones and electronic gadgets to
quietly reflect. Every child should have a camp-like experience in nature,
where they can fully immerse themselves in the benefits of nature.
Follow a Hiking Trail
Children have an innate
curiosity. They need to discover paths that are new to them and follow trails
that show them the wonders of the natural world; to watch bugs and hear birds;
to touch and smell leaves and see creatures crawling on a log.
Play in the Snow
Encouraging children to play
outside in all weather builds resilience and adaptability. It also saves them
from a life where the conditions of outdoor play are dependent on warmth and
sun which are limited at certain times of year.
Learn to Ride a Bike
Riding a bicycle helps build
strength, balance and bilateral coordination as well as offering full body
sensory awareness which helps children with attention and focusing. Learning a
to ride a bike at a young age also builds confidence and allows children to
safely explore further than they would on foot, while gaining a better
understanding of their community and a more accurate perception of their
surroundings.
Discover Wildlife
Experiences with wildlife can
have a profound impact on child development. Children’s innate interest in
animals is biological: they are drawn to and curious about species that are
different than human and in many cases children have an instinct to want
to care for or nurture creatures that are small and vulnerable, which should be
encouraged to promote empathy and connectedness to the living world.
NEWS RELEASE -- CITY ADOPTS
CHILDREN’S OUTDOOR BILL OF RIGHTS TO GUARANTEE EVERY CHILD EQUAL ACCESS TO
NATURE https://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=21474847257
Contact
Department
of Recreation & Human Services
Stephanie Benway, Environmental Education Specialist
Stephanie.Benway@CityofRochester.gov