O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Club – Youth Conservation Program

GO – Get Outdoors!

What is an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors club?

An O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors club is a youth conservation program which also features a leadership component and performance awards. The theme of the program is “Discovering Your Place in the Outdoors.”

No matter what specific outdoor interests individuals may have, everyone can work together to help improve our natural resources.

The program gives young people a chance to “get outdoors” and participate in local conservation projects, as well as a wide variety of recreational activities, including:

Fishing, Hunting, Camping, Archery, Canoeing, Wildlife photography, Mountain biking, Hunting dog training, Orienteering, Target shooting, and more!

Who can be a member?

Any student, under the age of 18, who has an interest in outdoor activities, and would like to learn more about conservation, leadership and themselves, may be a member of an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Club.

“Our club welcomed anyone with an interest in the outdoors. We had members who enjoyed photographing ducks, and we had members who enjoyed hunting ducks. Every member respected one another’s outdoor interests.” — Marty Peltz, youth coordinator of the former Peterborough Junior Conservation Club.

What’s in it for youth?

We have fun! We plan our own meetings and activities. We go camping, fishing, target shooting, etc. We travel and meet new friends. We learn new outdoor skills. We plant trees, stock fish, build nesting boxes, and do hands-on work to improve our environment! We earn distinctive conservation and leadership awards.

How does an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors club work?

Youth members will get as much out of an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors club as they choose to put in — there is no set curriculum or required program of work to participate. The club is free to take on as many projects and activities as it chooses.

Youth members are encouraged to work toward the distinctive O.F.A.H. Conservation Leadership Award while earning a series of O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Performance Crests and O.F.A.H. Outdoor Heritage Pins. Performance crests signify participation in each of the following O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors programs elements:

• Conservation,
• Outdoor Exploration,
• Education,
• Public Relations
• and Fund Raising

The O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Workbook includes suggested activities for each program element. As well, the O.F.A.H. may be available for advice, suggestions and support material.

Start an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Club in your community today!

If you’d like to start an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors club your community, the O.F.A.H. will provide a free start-up kit which includes a variety of resource materials such as a compass, first aid kit, planning calendar, wildlife calls, videos, posters, banners and a leadership gavel.

The kit also includes step-by-step, O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors Workbook with important suggestions for club development, outdoor activities planning, leadership training, youth club mentoring and more.

For more information, or to arrange an O.F.A.H. Get Outdoors program presentation, please call the O.F.A.H. at (705) 748-6324 or e-mail us at robert_pye@ofah.org