Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) will show Coloradans that “Kids grow better outside” with the launch today of its multi-year “Generation Wild” campaign.
The integrated, statewide effort aims to address the issue of kids spending too little time in unstructured, outdoor play—as few as 4-7 minutes per day—and reconnect kids with nature. It features television spots, digital ads and outdoor media, and promises exciting surprises to inspire kids (and their parents) to get outside, letting their imaginations and curiosity run wild.
“For GOCO, Generation Wild is a mission-driven movement, tightly connected to the work of our organization and countless partners across the state of Colorado. We see an opportunity to transform how often an entire generation of Colorado kids gets outside,” Great Outdoors Colorado Executive Director Chris Castilian said. “Together we can reduce barriers to outdoor experiences and make getting Colorado kids outside a priority.”
Campaign content offers parents and their children inspiration for getting outdoors with easy-to-do tips and tricks. Ads and collateral feature “100 things to do before you’re 12,” a list of activities like rolling down a hill or making a mud pie, and more involved adventures like riding a horse or hiking a 14er.
“Many of today’s kids are over-scheduled, over-screened, and over-protected, and we’re going to show how easy it is to get outside and have fun. Letting kids explore the outdoors doesn’t have to be time-consuming or costly. It starts in the backyard,” said Castilian.
Seven 15-second videos have been produced for the campaign’s initial phase under the creative direction of Sukle Advertising. Each of the spots relies on a different creative medium to stand out and to distinguish the numerous ways “Kids grow better outside.”
Creative materials for the campaign are dual-language to reach both English and Spanish speakers.
Generation Wild has garnered widespread support from dozens of community groups, youth-and outdoors-focused nonprofits, arts and cultural organizations, and private sector businesses, which are helping spread the word about Generation Wild.
Lists of “100 things to do before you’re 12” will be distributed statewide by Colorado State Libraries, and more than 40 Boys and Girls Clubs of Colorado sites will introduce kids to the program this summer. The lists will also be available at nine Colorado state parks through a partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Denver Parks and Recreation will distribute copies at its recreation centers.
Getting kids to spend more time outdoors is important and beneficial for numerous reasons, including:
American kids, on average, spend less than 10 minutes outside in unstructured play, which is half as much time as their parents did;
Outdoor physical activity is not just fun, it offers many health benefits, including strengthening the immune system, improving cognitive abilities and lowering stress. It makes kids healthier and happier;
Colorado may boast the nation’s healthiest adult population, but its youth obesity rate is rising rapidly.
The Generation Wild campaign builds on the work of GOCO’s $25 million Inspire Initiative, which aims to connect youth and their families with the outdoors through the work of collaborative coalitions working in communities across Colorado.
“Coloradans need to know about easy and close-to-home opportunities to connect to outdoor resources because it improves their lives,” said Jackie Miller, GOCO’s director of youth initiatives. “We know that when people experience the outdoors they begin to appreciate the outdoors, which has long-term implications for our state.”
To view the list of “100 things to do before you’re 12,” or for additional information, visit GenerationWild.com.
It’s been a busy few months here at OnSight, and we wanted to take a moment and share some of the videos we’ve had the opportunity to produce with our clients and partners. Take a second and take a look.
We’ve got a few new videos we’re excited to release. The first was created for the Great Outdoors Colorado Great Outdoors Summitin June. The 4:30 video showcases some really stunning Colorado landscapes, and highlights opportunities for Coloradans to protect and experience the value of Colorado’s outdoor resources. (Produced in partnership with Travis Rummel and Ben Knight with Felt Soul Media.)
The second is a 1:30 video released just this week for the Yes on 1A for DIA campaign. The video has a driving, hyperkinetic energy that showcases the economic engine DIA has become. The 1A for DIA campaign will be engaging voters in both Adams County and Denver to support new commercial businesses at DIA, bringing new manufacturing, new retail, and an estimated 12,000 new jobs to the airport. (Produced in partnership with Milkhaus.)
The third video is an infographic for the Keep Colorado Local campaign on social media, helping viewers connect the dots between the craft brews they love, and the liquor laws in Colorado that have made our craft brewing industry so strong and diverse.
When the going gets tough, the tough build a new web site.
There’s no place like your home page.
Those might be a little different than you remember, and that’s because we want you to look at OnSight’s work in a new way: digitally.
While OnSight has offered creative services for years, our creative team has recently kicked it into high-gear, designing and building new and innovative online homes for a number of our clients. Below, we’ve highlighted a few to show you how we’re helping our clients tackle issues with new solutions, fresh design, and innovative web sites.
Since “fortune favors the bold web designer,” we aim to evolve as quickly as the new technologies and trends in our industry. Let us know if you have a bold new idea for your website, and we’ll help you make that happen.
Keep Colorado Local
Visit KeepCoLocal.com to learn more.
Out-of-state corporations want to change the way we do business in Colorado by allowing chain stores to sell alcohol. Their goal is to boost profits, and what they won’t tell you, is that the effort will send money out of our communities, force hundreds of small businesses to close, curtail Colorado’s thriving craft industries, undermine safety, and give underage kids more access to alcohol.
As you can imagine, Coloradans won’t take that kind of thing laying down, and so a group of locally owned and independent businesses formed a coalition called Keep Colorado Local. In order to help this coalition share their message and gain new members, we knew we had to build a unique and dynamic system. The Keep Colorado Local web site not only informs supporters, allowing them get active and share our message, but also gives coalition members access to resources and communications tools.
As this coalition continues to grow and create new innovative ways to preserve Colorado’s unique business climate, our web site will be the dynamic online home for these efforts.
The Outdoors Summit
Learn more at TheOutdoorsSummit.com
Kids today spend half as much time outdoors as their parents did. Colorado may boast the nation’s healthiest adult population, but its youth obesity rate is rising rapidly. Barriers like time, transportation, money, access, and lack of interest keep kids from getting outside and developing the lifelong passion for the great outdoors that is vital for the well being of Colorado citizens, our wildlife, and our way of life.
Changing this trend is no small undertaking, and that’s why Governor Hickenlooper, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and Great Outdoors Colorado teamed up to tackle this head on. OnSight worked with these entities to develop the strategy, messaging, and of course, the online hub for the announcement of these new initiatives, which synthesized into the Outdoors Summit. In June, OnSight helped organize the Outdoors Summit, an unprecedented gathering of national and state leaders, advocates and visionaries focused on connecting Coloradans, especially our kids, with the outdoors.
Our creative team developed the logo, web site, and conference materials to promote and brand this unprecedented day-long summit.
Perlmutter for Colorado
Learn more at PerlmutterForColorado.com
OnSight is proud to work with the hardest working man in Congress, and this spring, we took on the overhaul of Ed Perlmutter’s campaign web site. The new Perlmutter for Colorado site is now mobile and social-friendly — critical components for any modern campaign — and features new interactive tools that allow supporters to learn more about Ed and get engaged in his campaign by volunteering, sharing testimonials, and donating.
Inspiring youth to reconnect to nature is the focus of a new five-year initiative that Great Outdoors Colorado is launching this month, and a four-minute video announcement sets out the goals of the project while showcasing some of Colorado’s most stunning landscapes and wildlife.
“Children today spend half as much time outdoor as their parents did. Just living in Colorado does not ensure that its young people are able to enjoy its incredible natural treasures, from urban parks to the mountain backcountry,” Lise Aangeenbrug, GOCO executive director, said while announcing the initiative at The Outdoors Summit today in Denver.
The first-of-its-kind “Inspire Initiative” will start with five pilot communities in its first year and focus on providing funding for “places, programs, and pathways” that will give youth and theirfamilies meaningful experiences in the outdoors. GOCO released the initiative’s request for proposals this week and theinitial planning grants of up to $100,000 will awarded in October. The initiative will eventually invest up to $25 million to implement projects in 15 communities across the state. Grants will range between $1 million and $5 million per pilot community.
GOCO will partner with selected communities to address local barriers that prevent kids from getting outside. Investments will be made in building or enhancing parks, school play yards, and other outdoor destinations as well as in trails needed to get kids safely to these places. Additional investments will be made in expanded outdoor education and recreation programs for kids of every age. Finally, the initiative seeks to fund more service learning and youth employment opportunities as pathways to careers in the outdoors.
The new initiative was crafted after a year of engaging Coloradans through a listening tour in 13 communities across the state, surveys of the public and stakeholders, and close examination of current trends in population, recreation, and other factors in Colorado.
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has funded more than 4,500 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. The grants are funded by GOCO’s share of Colorado Lottery revenues, which are divided between GOCO, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Conservation Trust Fund and school construction.
Jam-packed program set for The Outdoors Summit! Only one week left to get discounted registration!
Starting with a plenary session featuring Governor John Hickenlooper, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and business leader Kent Thiry, keynote presentations then include:
Explore, Empower, And Create: Building the Next Generation of Diverse Conservation Leaders, Juan Martinez
Using Active Transportation to Redesign Our Cities, Gabe Klein
The Re-Wilding Revolution: Re-Envisioning Cities as Places Where People and Nature Thrive, Scott Sampson
Nature as Normal, Heather Tallis
Breakout sessions in the afternoon include Planning for the Next 100 Years of Transportation, The Colorado Pedal Project, Lost? The Colorado Mapping Project, Keep it Colorado, and much more! There’s also a lunch field trip to Johnson Habitat Park and an evening reception.
The full program, including breakout sessions and information about the lunch ride and lodging options, can all be found at the Outdoors Summit web site.
Early Bird pricing of $100 is available through 5/21. Regular price registration is $125.
The Outdoors Summit is presented by Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources with sponsor support from DaVita Health Care Partners, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, The Nature Conservancy and Jim Kelley and Amie Knox.
OnSight is working with Great Outdoors Colorado and Governor Hickenlooper to host the inaugural Outdoors Summit in Denver. The event will convene hundreds of leaders from around the state to help us launch new initiatives to protect, preserve and enhance the state’s great outdoors.
Learn more at TheOutdoorsSummit.com
Kids today spend half as much time outdoors as their parents did. Colorado may boast the nation’s healthiest adult population, but its youth obesity rate is rising rapidly. Barriers like time, transportation, money, access, and lack of interest and understanding about outdoor experiences keep kids from getting outside and developing the lifelong passion for the great outdoors that is vital for the well being of Colorado citizens, our wildlife and our way of life.
Colorado’s population is also rapidly expanding, meaning ever-expanding urban areas and increasing pressure on our parks, rivers, trails, open spaces and wildlife habitat.
You can learn more at the web site TheOutdoorsSummit.com. Due to limited space, event invitations are limited. If you are interested in attending, send a note to info@theoutdoorssummit.com.
