Mental Health for Youth

Roots & Resilience: Outdoor Mental Health Skills for Youth

Roots & Resilience is a series of outdoor sessions designed to teach youth evidence-based mental health strategies—such as mindfulness, coping skills, emotion regulation, and self-compassion—while immersing them in nature. The program’s dual aim is to strengthen inner resilience in a supportive group setting and harness the restorative power of the natural world to enhance well-being and learning.

Globally, one in seven adolescents experiences a mental disorder (WHO, 2021). Rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm continue to rise, with many youth unable to access timely or appropriate support due to stigma, cost, or long wait times. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these challenges, intensifying loneliness and disconnection. Current systems, often focused on crisis response, struggle to meet the growing demand, revealing an urgent need for proactive, community-based approaches that foster resilience before distress escalates. At the same time, today’s youth are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. The term “nature-deficit disorder” (Louv, 2005) describes the decline in outdoor play and time spent in green spaces, driven by urbanization, technology use, and safety concerns. Research consistently shows that nature exposure reduces stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms while improving mood, attention, and sleep. Even brief time outdoors—just 10 to 15 minutes—can lower cortisol levels, enhance focus, and promote calm. One review found that 98% of studies reported improved mental health from outdoor engagement. Integrating nature with mental health skill-building is therefore not optional—it’s a powerful, evidence-based synergy. Outdoor experiences create a multisensory, embodied context for learning coping tools, making them more memorable and effective. Being in nature also models mindfulness, interconnection, and balance—core foundations of well-being.

YOUTH would be the biggest beneficiaries from Roots & Resilience in meaningful, long-lasting ways—emotionally, socially, and physically. This then impacts our future generations

1. Stronger Mental Health and Emotional Regulation
Through evidence-based strategies such as mindfulness, grounding, and cognitive reframing, youth learn to manage stress, regulate emotions, and build self-awareness and compassion. These are protective factors that reduce anxiety and depression. Practicing these tools outdoors allows youth to feel their effectiveness in real time, making them easier to apply in daily life.

2. Reduced Stress and Anxiety Through Nature Connection
Time in nature has measurable benefits for mental health—lowering cortisol, improving mood, and restoring calm. The natural environment engages the senses and activates the body’s “rest and restore” system. Youth begin to associate being outdoors with peace and safety, discovering a healthy, accessible coping tool they can use beyond the program.

3. Enhanced Social Belonging and Connection
Group experiences in nature encourage cooperation, empathy, and open communication. Away from screens and social pressures, youth form authentic friendships and a sense of belonging. Strong social bonds are proven predictors of resilience and emotional well-being.

4. Improved Focus, Creativity, and Academic Readiness
Nature exposure enhances concentration and executive functioning—skills vital for learning. Youth who practice mindfulness and self-regulation outdoors often return to school with greater focus, creativity, and emotional control, which supports both mental health and academic growth.

5. Reconnection to Nature and Sense of Purpose
Many young people today are disconnected from the natural world. Roots & Resilience helps them rediscover curiosity, gratitude, and care for their environment. This sense of connection fosters meaning, perspective, and hope—key antidotes to isolation and disconnection.

6. Preventive, Lifelong Impact
Rather than responding to crisis, this program builds resilience early, providing lifelong tools for well-being. Learning to ground, breathe, and reflect in nature strengthens emotional stability and fosters habits that support mental health throughout life.

In essence, Roots & Resilience empowers youth to develop strong inner “roots” of self-awareness, resilience, and calm—nurtured by the healing and restorative power of the natural world.