‘Teens to Trails’ helps schools start outing clubs

EDGECOMB – Teens To Trails or “T3”  awarded support to eight Maine high school Outing Clubs across the  state: Brunswick High School, Deering High School, East Grand School, Fort Kent Community High School, Maine School for Science and Mathematics, Monmouth Academy, Thornton Academy and Yarmouth High  School. 
    With the generous support of the Horizon Foundation and  L.L.Bean, T3 is ensuring that all Maine teens have access to needed  outdoor experiences and opportunities to connect with nature. Half  these outdoor adventure programs are brand new this school year and several were established by student initiative.
    Through the Grants-to-Clubs program, outing clubs will receive needed gear including backpacks, snowshoes, and canoe paddles, as well as funds to help with transportation costs and outdoor program fees.  
    “With a network of support in place for teachers and Outing Club Advisors, we will encourage an Outing Club in every one of Maine’s  high schools,” said Carol Leone, Teens To Trails Founder.
    Research confirms that positive outdoor experiences can fight growing  trends in teen depression, suicide, unwanted pregnancies, smoking and  obesity, giving teens confidence and a self-awareness that will follow them through life.  A teenager’s mental and physical well-being is closely linked to the natural world, and yet many Maine high school students are inexperienced and uncomfortable in the out-of-doors.      “High school Outing Clubs are the most effective way we have found for engaging teens in their natural world, making safe outdoor experiences accessible to every student in the state,” said Leone. “Teens get to experience fun, outdoor adventures and they get to do it with their friends – a successful combination for 
teenagers.”  Teens To Trails is spreading the word that the health and happiness of our youth is at stake.
    For information on the Teens To Trails and Outing Clubs, visit www.TeensToTrails.org.  The Grants-to-Clubs Program was made possible in 2008 through the generosity of L.L.Bean and a grant from the Horizon Foundation.