Welcome back to this week’s Benefits of Parks post, where we will be covering the benefits parks will bring to Columbia Valley’s teenagers. Last week we looked into the benefits of parks for young adults. You can find all of the posts from this series on our website, cv-prd.org, under “District News/Events.” Each blog post is also being posted to our Facebook page on Sundays! For the purposes of this blog post, we are considering teenagers to be between the ages of 13 and 17.
Parks encourage teenagers to stay out of trouble.
Teenage rebellion is typically fueled by boredom; parks can decrease the chances of teens getting into trouble. Teens need a safe and fun place to hang out with their friends. When other park-goers are present, youth are more likely to be accountable for their actions. Instead of finding trouble, teens could rather play a game of basketball at the community park. Parks encourage fun social spaces for everyone, including teenagers.
Parks encourage teens to get active.
Our teenagers have been through a lot over the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic. While we always want youth to get active outside, we’ve had to encourage them to stay inside and keep their distance. As more vaccines become available to community members, the days of getting outside and being active are becoming more of a possibility. However, with the severe lack of parks in Columbia Valley, where will the teens play? CVPRD is hoping to provide more parks for everyone in the community. When youth have access to parks, they are more likely to be active. Being more active not only increases teenager’s physical health but their social and mental health as well. Getting outside has become more important than ever for teenagers, and they need a safe park place to do so.
The information from this blog post comes from the sources linked below. We encourage community members to check them out if they are looking to learn more about the benefits of parks.
Columbia Valley Park & Recreation District 