Despite the influx of winter weather this month, children in the eastern Upper Peninsula are being encouraged to spend more time outside.
The #906OutdoorChallenge a new year-long movement getting kids, teenagers, and even parents, to reduce their screen time and improve their mental health.
906 in the #906OutdoorChallenge isn't just a play on Upper Peninsula's area code, it's the number of hours the challenge wants people to spend outside this year.
"It averages out to be 75.5 hours a month or about 2.5 hours a day," said Stephanie Woods, coordinator for the Chippewa County Communities That Care, one of the organizations leading the #906OutdoorChallenge.
The Chippewa County Communities That Care is one of many individual Communities That Care offices found in every county of the Upper Peninsula. This coalition's goal is to reduce substance abuse, mental health illness such as depression or anxiety and destructive behavior like binge drinking.
"This was an idea that came about from a group of us. The coalition worked together, and we were trying to figure out a way to help with that youth mental health epidemic that's going on," Woods said.
The Upper Peninsula's mental health epidemic has been an on-going issue for the past five years, and it is affecting youths of all ages, according to Woods. The top concern at the moment for the Communities That Care group has been the increase in depressive symptoms, which include tiredness, feelings of sadness, and a loss of interests.
"We've been seeing [that] depressive symptoms have increased for a while, but it's really increased since COVID," Woods said. Seasonal changes, excessive computer usage are among the behaviors that are contributing to the increase in depressive symptoms for youth, Woods said.
The Journal of Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience reports that a variety of mental health problems can occur from excess screen usage, such as heightened ADHD symptoms, increased social isolation, and interrupted sleep patterns.
The #906OutdoorChallenge doesn't require exercise or physical work. Instead, all kids and parents have to do is spend time outside sitting under a tree, read a book in the sunshine, hang out with friends at the park, or even sit on a bench and do some people-watching, Woods told WCMU.
As an incentive, if any child or adult spends 50 hours outside every month, the Chippewa County Communities That Care will give out prizes that will continue to encourage outdoor activities.
Another goal for the #906OutdoorChallenge is to spread the challenge throughout the rest of the Upper Peninsula and get as many people involved as possible.
While this may be a challenge aimed particularly at the Upper Peninsula, Woods said that anyone from the Lower Peninsula is welcome to join in and log hours.
