By: Anna LoPinto
Campers Climbing in North Carolina
While the 2010s were defined by a dramatic rise in personal access to technology it was also a decade noted for an increasingly sedentary adolescent population. In the 2010s, the popularity of smartphones, streaming services, virtual reality, social networking sites, iPads, and video games correlated with a sharp decrease in physical activity among youth and young adults.
NC Llama Trek Adventure Course in the Appalachian Mountains
Time outdoors grew in scarcity as screens became the catalyst for entertainment, communication, and even education. By the end of the decade, researchers estimated that the “average American child spent less than 10 minutes a day playing outside, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.” More conservative estimates maintained that children spent at least twice the amount of time looking at screens as they did in the outdoors. This societal change was unfortunate as adequate play in the outdoors fosters “physically healthier children, increases in cognitive and social development, improvements in sensory skills, increases attention spans, and improves mood”.
Fishing in the Florida Keys
SOAR’s work became increasingly important as parents had to navigate the different challenges of the new decade. This is where SOAR comes in! SOAR provided the outdoor spaces, engaging physical activities, and programs tailored for youth and young adults with AD/HD and/or LD.
Here are a few important SOAR moments of the 2010s:
- Founders of SOAR, Jonathan and Wandajean Jones retire (2011)
- John Willson becomes Executive Director (2012)
- Spanish Immersion Course is started (2013)
- First SOAR Gala (2014)
- Annual Eagle 5k reintroduced (2014)
- GAP Year Program at Eagle View Ranch started (2014)
- Record high summer enrollment at over 600 participants (2015)
- New record high summer enrollment at 625 participants (2016)
- New record high summer enrollment at 674 participants (2017)
- Academy at SOAR enters autumn with full enrollment for the first time (2018)
- Completed construction of alpine tower at Eagle View Ranch (2018)
Route Planning
SOAR’s approach of focusing on strengths instead of deficits, along with incredible outdoor adventures, has been critical to ensuring the success of thousands of campers and students throughout the past 45 years. The best part is that we are just getting started!
Would you like to be an integral part of our mission? You have the ability to change the life of an AD/HD/LD child. Please consider donating $45 for 45 years. As a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, your donations will be used for our Scholarship Endowment Fund. We envision a day when any child with a learning or attention challenge will have an opportunity to experience these life-changing adventures.
We thank you for your continued support and interest in SOAR!
Smiles at the Climbing Gym
Would you like to be an integral part of our mission? You have the ability to change the life of an ADHD/LD child. Please consider donating $45 for our 45 years. As a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, your donations will be used for our Scholarship Endowment Fund. We envision a day when any child with a learning or attention challenge will have an opportunity to experience these life-changing adventures.
We thank you for your continued support and interest in SOAR!
