What's Happening in Raleigh, NC…

Raleigh has been selected to participate in the ‘Let’s Move! Outside’ effort, an initiative conceived by First Lady Michelle Obama in association with the Department of the Interior.

The idea is to give children the opportunity to go outside to learn and play, instead of remaining indoors. The Department of the Interior’s David Jayo said one of the reasons Raleigh was picked was that the city boasts more than 200 parks.

In Raleigh, children began planting flowers and bushes around the Annie Wilkerson Nature Preserve Park, but many of them did not understand what they were doing, or why. The program helped them to understand the process.

Nancy McFarlane, the mayor of Raleigh, said she has seen societal changes due to the fact that children go outside less and less. She believes an understanding of the natural world helps enhance mental health, which in turn helps build character. Children learn a lot when they have a real connection to the environment, and they develop concerns for nature and the natural world, she adds.

Winning the initiative also means the YMCA located in the Triangle area will receive funding for the upcoming two years, which it will use to develop programs to help kids learn and play.

Communities such as these may benefit from working with flyer printing companies that can create sheets providing information to residents about many different kinds of programs.