Adventure, Aging, and Nature Deficit Disorder

Adventure, Aging, and Nature Deficit Disorder – rethinking how to break screen addiction

How the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield and the National Grid Foundation partnered up to help the environment and ended up bringing generations together.

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As this is being written the first snowstorm of the winter is upon us and most young people in our communities are inside, warm, safe, and looking at a screen. This is not a problem by itself. The problem happens when it’s no longer a snowstorm, and it’s sunny, or it’s in a group of people, or at school, or with family, and the screen becomes more important than the world around us.

While not a medical term, at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield we’ve been describing this phenomenon as “nature deficit disorder,” a term first coined by American author and journalist, Richard Louv. For us though, this deficit has an expanded meaning.

Nature also includes conversation with those around us. Those before and after us. Our community depends on our ability to interact with each other beyond a screen, to be able to share ideas, and communicate articulately.

According to the Child Mind Institute, the average American child is said to spend 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.

Anecdotally, local state park officials have told us that nearly 80% of local high school students do not visit their local parks, including BreakHeart, Middlesex Fells, and Pine Banks.

This deficit is unfortunately not just a problem among young people. The most recently community health needs assessment by Beth Israel Lahey Health found that social isolation was a leading detriment to health among older adults. Worst, anecdotally it’s been found that adults who interact mostly behind a screen have increased levels of anger and depression.

To that end, it became apparent that one of our programmatic goals should be reduce this deficit among young people. We never expected to help the adults as well.

For the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield, the National Grid Foundation became the lead investor and partner in reducing this deficit and bringing generations together.

Since 2018 the National Grid Foundation has donated over $40,000.00 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield. Most of that money directed at a variety of environmental programming.
Together we have created, maintained, and expanded community gardens, started environmental leadership clubs, promoted and joined in local conservation efforts, toured local parks, began hiking groups that went out nearly every week in the Summer, trained in outdoor skills, and even learned about wildlife preservation.

However, this was just the start. The National Grid Foundation’s funding was a catalyst not just for environmental programming, but for much more. On one hand, it was easy to break a person’s addiction to their screen when they’re hiking up Castle Rock, learning about wildlife at the Zoo, or being instructed on survival skills in the wild. It’s another to do it by having a conversation.

As these programs began to grow so did the volunteers who asked to help. Soon retirees began to volunteer at our Clubs around these programs. Initially it began with help at our gardens, that grew to volunteers assisting with recycling efforts and outdoor skills. Eventually retirees began to volunteer for programs completely unrelated. For example, three senior citizens lead a weekly carpentry program at our Clubs.

What we soon learned is that young people were not just willing to put down their phone to help and learn about the environment. They were willing to put down their phone to learn about each other, to learn about the volunteers, and just as importantly to be listened to.
Programs like this have shown incredible results.

According to Generations United, interacting with seniors enables youth to develop social networks, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, positive attitudes towards aging, a sense of purpose, & community service. Young children who interact with older adults in a co-located facility, or shared site, experienced higher personal & social development by 11 months compared to children in non-inter-generational facilities. Young teens involved in inter-generational mentoring programs are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, & 52% less likely to skip school.

Seniors benefit as well. Senior Lifestyle reported, that seniors that spend time with children perform better on cognitive tests & are in better physical health. They also reported that 45% of seniors say they want to work with children.

The National Grid Foundation funds local non-profit organizations with the goal ultimately being improved lives in the communities National Grid serves. With this funding, the National Grid Foundation has done just that. They created programs that taught children skills, improved their own community, but connected generations that will create a life-long impact on both young person and adult.

As we approach the third year of our partnership, we realized it was not enough to simply continue these programs. We wanted to promote their success and invite the public to join with us. If you’re an adult, who likes to hike, join us. If you’re a young person who wants to learn to fish, come to our Clubs. Together, our two organizations along with your help, can be a catalyst for change not just to improve our environment, but to bring generations together, and build a great future.