Natasha Blakely, natasha.blakely@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Tuesday, May 21, a group of youth environmental advocates and representatives from dozens of green, equity, healthcare and youth organizations will join agency officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of Interior, and U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss ways to transform youth access to nature.
The event is part of OAK Week, an annual event sponsored by the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) to advocate for outdoor accessibility, youth engagement, conservation, nature equity, and more. OAK is a partnership of more than 130 organizations with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors, including KABOOM!, National Park Trust, Outdoor Foundation, REI, Sierra Club, The Corps Network, The Wilderness Society, and YMCA of the USA.
OAK Week 2024 will open with a nature walk around Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, followed by breakout sessions. Special guests Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, and Andrea Delgado, Chief of Staff for Natural Resources and Environment under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will give remarks in the late morning. The day will close out with dialogues on the American Climate Corps, Every Kid Outdoors program, and youth engagement and activity sessions.
The keynote session and dialogues are open to the media, and they are encouraged to participate in the walk.
What: OAK Week 2024
When: Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Who (Invited Guests):
- Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
- Andrea Delgado, Chief of Staff, Natural Resources and Environment, US Department of Agriculture
- Representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service,
- Members of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids
- Youth leaders from Center for Native American Youth, Conservation Nation, Detroit Outdoors, and Young, Gifted & Green
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.