NPS: Bringing Youth Outdoors Together and Environmental Steward Program

Overview

The Bringing Youth Outdoors Together and Environmental Steward Program focus on youth development, recreation, service, social and environmental responsibility, and healthy living that emphasizes the value and significance of natural and cultural resources in nearby parks and communities. The program provides young people--particularly youth from underserved communities in urban, rural, military, and native settings -- with outdoor experiences and excursions to their local national park. Centered on recreation, conservation and service, the program provides the following: 

• Unique recreational opportunities 
• Learning experiences in nature and history 
• Service learning through simple, memorable work projects 
• Exposure to career field offered by the National Park Service 

The objective of this Agreement is to expand educational, service, and outdoor recreational opportunities for children, youth including active-duty military families' members, on public lands and waterways and reinforce the recreational mission of the NPS. 

Program Goals
We develop the next generation of stewards of our public and cultural lands working with partners. Our collaboration goals are: 

• Connect young people to the outdoors through recreation, education, and volunteerism.
• Create opportunities for local communities to increase connections to the outdoors in partnership with local NPS units, non-profit partners, educational organizations, and state, local and tribal governments.
• Lay the groundwork for young adults to become the 21st-century stewards of our cultural, historical, scientific, and recreational legacies.
• Provide opportunities for youth to connect with natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources within their local communities and through the use of technology.
• Exposure youth to job fields and leadership development opportunities via mentorship, volunteerism, internships, and employment within the NPS.

Types of programming opportunities offered should fit into four main focus areas for children and youth up to age 18 years old:

• Recreation. To connect more children, youth, and families, including active military and veterans and their families, NPS will develop or enhance outdoor recreation partnerships in communities across the country. NPS will support new and enhanced opportunities for outdoor recreation by working with non-profit partners, educational organizations, and state, local and tribal governments.
• Education. To increase outdoor educational opportunities, the NPS will partner with non-profit organizations, educational organizations, and state, local and tribal governments that have expertise in delivering such services.
• Volunteerism. To increase volunteerism on public lands, NPS will partner and coordinate volunteer opportunities on its lands and waters with non-profit organizations and industry that have a track record of working with volunteers.
• Career Exploration. The objective is to enhance awareness of diverse career fields within the National Park Service (NPS) and to provide teenagers aged 15 to 18 with exposure to potential pathways to these opportunities through summer employment and internship opportunities.

The NPS may choose to fund multiple awards to meet the goals and objectives of these efforts.

This is a Master Cooperative Agreement; There are no firm award ceilings as that will be dependent upon how much money is authorized in the annual appropriations. That said, Task Agreements are typically $50K-$150K depending on the scope and complexity.

Master Cooperative Agreement – A legal instrument with a non-Federal entity in which more than one project is anticipated. This type of cooperative agreement includes a detailed description of all types of work that can be done under the agreement (see full announcement for more details).