Sunshine for the Mind: Outdoor Program Aims to Boost Mental Health for Tennessee Students

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — When you’ve been cooped up inside all day, going outdoors can be a welcome reprieve. Outdoor Chattanooga believes it’s important for students’ mental health to get outside. There’s a new year-round program designed to help kids from underserved communities experience both the mental and physical benefits of nature.

A Concern for Mental Health

According to a Tennessee Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, more than 16-percent of high school students in Tennessee have considered suicide, and 13-percent report having planned how they would end their own lives. This is alarming and highlights the importance of initiatives aimed at improving mental health.

Nature as a Remedy

Dr. Margaret Wilkins, a child psychologist, shares, “Hiking is one of the best exercises, both physically and mentally, because it gets you outdoors. And outdoors is, you know, lots of fresh air, lots of connection with nature, which is kind of like a natural way to induce endorphins.”

Introducing the Outdoor Program

In response, Chattanooga Outdoors and the Tennessee State Conservancy have launched the Outdoor Leadership Club and Camp this year. Anthony Beasley, the Outdoor Chattanooga Camp Director, explains, “It is an outdoor program after school, and we teach them leadership skills, but we also do various outdoor activities, from hiking to canoeing, to just different things. Leave No Trace, 10 essentials, teaching them different things that they can take forever.”

Targeting Marginalized Communities

Currently running in two Title 1 schools, the program aims to support historically marginalized communities. “It’s very imperative to me that we offer it to those specific demographic and communities, because, like I said, oftentimes they don’t even know what Chattanooga has to offer, or what’s like right in our backyard,” Beasley says.

Expanding Horizons

Orchard Knob Elementary is one of the schools that’s a part of this new initiative. Though limited to a few schools right now, Outdoor Chattanooga and the Conservancy aim to expand in the future. “We would love to be able to grow, because we already see more demand than we can meet, and I know that this is being looked at as an amazing opportunity to be a great model for our state in other locations as well,” Beasley adds.

Dr. Wilkins on the Benefits of Nature

Dr. Wilkins further emphasizes the benefits of nature for the youth. “There’s, you know, a real benefit in terms of creative thinking, in terms of being able to kind of just broaden your worldview. And being in nature is one of the things that just, it’s very peaceful and calming.”

The initiative seeks not just to educate but to heal and inspire, helping young minds find peace and creativity in the great outdoors. As Outdoor Chattanooga and the Tennessee State Conservancy work to grow this program, the hope is that more students will have the chance to experience the benefits of nature and improve their mental wellbeing.