NATURE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

BEFORE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, CANADIAN youth already had a high incidence of mental health issues. A 2019 study in Ontario revealed that one in five youth ages 4 to 17 years suffer from a mental health disorder, a rate that has not decreased for 30 years. That same year, Canada’s youth suicide rate was determined to be the third highest in OECD countries. And the pandemic didn’t help. Youth have been particularly vulnerable to the social and structural disruptions brought about by the pandemic and, as a group, are more likely to report increases in stress and anxiety since the onset of the crisis. In 2020, there was an increase in the number of hospitalizations due to mental health disorders in youth ages 5 to 24 and a dramatic increase in the number of eating disorders reported. The number of calls, texts and online clicks for help from the Kids Help Phone doubled in 2020 from the previous year.

Clearly, the kids are not all right. Participating in some form of outdoor education might help. “A big part of it is simply getting outside,” says Andrew Young, executive director of Outward Bound Canada. “There’s all kinds of research on how nature has a positive impact on physical and mental health.” Just 20 to 30 minutes in a natural setting — including urban parks — has been shown to decrease stress in the body, and 120 minutes in nature a week is associated with health and well-being. It’s why Parks Canada is working with physicians to give prescriptions to get out in nature, pointing to evidence that in addition to decreasing stress, time in nature may improve immune function, lower blood pressure, boost creativity, increase energy, lead to better sleep and improve mood. Kids who spend time outside are more likely to have healthier body weights, and a 20-minute walk in a park can improve concentration scores in kids with ADHD similar to prescription stimulant medication. Teachers have observed that outdoor learning can improve kids’ attention spans and decrease disruptive behaviour. Though getting outside is no cure-all for youth mental health problems, there can be little denying that time outside is critical for youth well-being.

Time in nature promotes not only mental health directly but also the sense of well-being young people — especially teens — derive from healthy social relationships. Benefits for youth can come in the way programs are structured and facilitated. Rather than hurling a bunch of students together on the first day of a long outdoor trip, Young says, “we do a ton of work up front to prepare kids for performing in a group, and making sure people feel welcome and included.” By the time boots hit the ground, “the kids feel like they are part of a community.” An independent review of the impact of Outward Bound programs in Canada suggests this kind of learning helps improve social connectedness among youth, improves their ability to collaborate, and increases compassion for one another. “If every kid in this country had outdoor education in their Grade 9 year, and we focused on using that as a tool to build community and getting kids used to being in nature, I think we would shift the school experience dramatically,” Young says.