The North Face Creates Power of Nature to Encourage Youth to Experience Outdoors

The North Face's Power of Nature initiative encourages young people to get outdoors. Courtesy of The North Face

The North Face is determined to get young people off their phones and into the great outdoors.

The company has introduced Power of Nature, a new global impact platform, dedicated to reconnecting the next generation with nature. At the same time, the company is investing $1 million, in partnership with the VF Foundation, to the National Park Foundation to help youth explore national parks and partake in outdoor educational experiences. The North Face is owned by VF Corp.

The average American child today averages just seven minutes of unstructured outdoor play a day, with one in 10 not playing outside at all, according to The North Face. As a result, they are experiencing increased anxiety along with decreased physical and mental health.

“With Power of Nature, we’re not just inspiring the next generation to get outside — we’re helping them build lifelong connections to the natural world,” said Caroline Brown, global brand president of The North Face. “In partnership with the National Park Foundation and The VF Foundation, we’re on a mission to give kids the opportunity to explore wonder of our national parks, many for the first time. Power of Nature was created to close this ‘nature gap’ and help transform the next generation from anxious to adventurous.

As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation works to protect and preserve over 430 national parks across the U.S. Thanks in part to The North Face and VF Foundation, the organization hopes to enable over over 300,000 youth to engage in national park programming during the 2025-26 school year. This includes classroom activities, virtual and in-person field trips, and first-time experiences in public lands for students within communities who’ve historically lacked access.

“Nature should be a right, not a privilege, and too many young people do not have access to the outdoors,” said Gloria Schoch, executive director of The VF Foundation. “By working with the National Park Foundation, we’re making sure more kids across the country experience the confidence, creativity and curiosity that nature ignites.”

In the coming months, The North Face will use its network of athlete ambassadors to promote the initiative, activate Power of Nature in-store experiences and expand the platform internationally through collaborations with local partners.

“First experiences in nature can spark a lifelong love for the outdoors and inspire the next generation to care and protect our national parks,” said Jeff Reinbold, president and chief executive officer of the National Park Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with The North Face and VF Foundation’s commitment to inspire young people to explore and discover the wonder of our national parks.”

The North Face has been working to protect public lands and wild places for 60 years. In 1989, the brand cofounded The Conservation Alliance and in 2010, it launched the Explore Fund, a decade-plus long initiative that invests in community-led outdoor organizations.