WHY RISKY KIDS? Our world is an amazing place filled with amazing people. However just like individuals, the communities we're all a part of can struggle through adversity. Below we identify just a few of the challenges we face in the world around us today: Diminishing Engagement In Outdoor Recreation Increased Indoor Leisure Time Increased “Screen Time" Increased Obesity Reduced Sense of Personal and Emotional Control Increased Social Isolation Markedly Increased Rates of Clinically Significant Depression and Anxiety And sadly, this is all just among children. However there's so much information and knowledge out there that someone, somewhere must know how to change all of this? They do, and the answer is simple. PROGRAM PURPOSE Kids demonstrate an innate and seemingly inevitable desire to seek out risk and challenge. Whilst to guardians this can be a source of much angst, it’s actually one of our greatest tools for creating change. Organic Risky Play has the following benefits, it: Helps in forming identity Improves resilience and persistence Creates opportunities to exercise judgement Helps to develop risk mitigation strategies Facilitates social and peer support Promotes cooperation and group formation Celebrates individual models Increases Active Living later in life Improves physical health and ability It also helps to alleviate all of the symptoms we saw above. When we have healthy kids, we end up with healthy adults, and that creates a healthy community which improves economic growth and cohesion, bringing us all closer together. When you combine this natural process with our understanding of developmental psychology, physical strategies, growth mindset tactics and more, should we simply stop at letting kids run wild? The better answer is to harness this innate behaviour, engage it, direct it and challenge it to create courageous, brave and Risky Kids.