Research tells us that time spent outdoors in unstructured play can lower stress, take the edge off anxiety, improve kids’ math scores and critical thinking, and encourage them to think more creatively. Yet in spite of a generation of growing data about the good that comes from going outside, current statistics suggest that most American kids average just four to seven minutes a day in outdoor play. 

While childhood may have moved indoors, Jeannette Lutter-Gardella is doing her best to reverse the trend. An outdoor educator at Carl Kroening Nature Center in North Mississippi Regional Park, she’s been building close ties with neighborhood schools for the past few years through the Nature from the Inside Out program, which invites elementary school students from across North Minneapolis for repeat trips to the park, so they can experience how nature can nurture us through all four seasons. 

Supported in part by the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s People for Parks Fund, the program is serving students from Jenny Lind, Bethune, Las Estrellas, Emerson, and Green Central elementary schools, where the majority of students are from economically disadvantaged families. Not only does the program help to pay for the transportation costs to bring kids to and from the park, People for Parks Fund support has also allowed the nature center to invest in bog boots, raincoats, snow pants and other outdoor gear to make sure kids don’t have to come in from the cold. 

“We tell kids there’s no bad weather–just the wrong clothes,” says Lutter-Gardella. “High quality gear is important for enjoying the outdoors, especially if you haven’t grown up with access to outdoor experiences, or have lost those connections. Our goal is to help reestablish that relationship with the outdoors.”

Images courtesy of Nature from the Inside Out.

Nature from the Inside Out is one of 11 programs made possible in 2024 by the People for Parks Fund. Supported by proceeds from the Posters for Parks event, and from private contributions from people like you, People for Parks provides small grants to support big ideas for getting diverse communities out into the parks, and connected to each other.

“What I like most about the People for Parks projects we’ve funded this year is the way they highlight all the ways people connect through the parks–not only through recreation, but also through community-building, social justice, and even literacy,” says Miluska Novota, Chair of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee. “These small, community-based efforts have a big impact when it comes to making people feel welcome and valued throughout our Minneapolis parks.” 

Here’s a look at the other People for Parks Fund projects your support for the Minneapolis Parks Foundation made possible this year: 

• The Mississippi Park Connection helped make kayaking more inclusive by offering community-focused experiential kayak outings created by and for veterans, BIPOC, and LGBTQI+Pride communities.
• The birding boom keeps growing thanks to the work of the Urban Bird Collective which promotes outdoor access and personal healing for the BIPOC community through guided walks that teach bird identification and nature appreciation. 
• MPRB’s Department of Community Connections and Violence Prevention hosted Somali Festival: Bridging Cultures, Embracing Outdoors, a community-wide celebration with Somali food, local performers, youth activities, and park program resources. 
• The Great Northern Greenway Coalition helped to raise community awareness about what’s possible with the growth of the Great Northern Greenway recreational trail in North and Northeast Minneapolis, connecting even more of the city through a continuous riverfront park system. 
• StartAnew is turning North Commons Park into a safe space for women impacted by incarceration and the justice system in the It’s OK 2 B U program, using the park to build community, provide mentoring, and promote continued education.  
• MPRB’s Pop Up Camps broke down barriers to accessing traditional summer camp experiences by bringing the fun to a dozen neighborhood parks, including East Phillips, North Commons, and Whittier throughout the season. 
• Building life-saving skills and supporting life-long fun, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board offered swim lesson scholarships at Theodore Wirth Park, Webber Natural Swimming Pool, Lake Nokomis, and the Jim Lupient Water Park, reducing economic barriers and drowning risks for kids of color.
• With a host of free family fishing clinics catering to Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali speakers, Baztec Fishing and Outdoor taught non-English speakers where the fish are biting. 
• Linden Hills’ Minnesota Streetcar Museum made Minneapolis park history more inclusive by providing American Sign Language interpreted streetcar tours, to help reach the one in five Minnesotans who are deaf or hard of hearing. 
• At Loring Park’s Juneteenth celebration, Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute will prove Leaders are Readers, by celebrating the genius of Black readers and authors with fun read-alouds and a big book give-away. 
• And with additional help from a bequest from the estate of Harold & Mary Ann Feldman, MPRB brought ADA accessibility to a picnic shelter at Lake Nokomis, replaced barbecue grills at Nokomis Community Center and Minnehaha Falls, and converted an aging tennis court near Minnehaha Creek into a bee lawn for yoga, meditation, picnics, and playing catch. 

You can support great parks projects all year round with an end of year contribution to our People for Parks Fund. Visit the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s donate page to make a difference.