Giving inner-city kids a chance to experience rural life
BoingBoing has a nice little piece about The Fresh Air Fund, which has been around since the late 1800’s and takes city kids to the country to experience what real life on a farm is like.
Can you imagine what it’s like for a young kid (6 to 9 years old) from the city, which they may have never left, into the country for the first time?
From the Fresh Air Fund site:
“Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend one of five Fresh Air Fund camps.”
These guys are are based around NYC, but what a great thing to do! As a suburban child, I got to experience summer camp-type stuff in the 70’s and 80’s, and I’m sure I would have loved it even more if I were growing up in a big city. Post about some similar plans you know about around the US or around the world.
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