YOUTH ENGAGEMENT
Building the future...
Our goal of this Youth Engagement initiative is to inspire a new generation of sportsmen and women and to instill in them a knowledge and respect for wildlife by advocating for youth participation and access to hunting, fishing, and shooting sport opportunities.
The advancement of America's outdoor heritage and the future of these ideals is something that the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) values above all else. CSF places great pride in the youth of this country and believes they have the right to the same opportunities past generations were afforded when it comes to hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.
Pittman-Robertson Modernization Act
The steady decline in hunting license holders over the past four decades threatens not only America’s hunting heritage, but also represents a fundamental challenge to maintaining funding streams that are vital to state-based wildlife conservation. With bipartisan legislation such as the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act which was introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus members with the assistance of CSF staff, state agencies will have the necessary financial and technical assistance needed for hunter and recreational shooter recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) efforts.
Hunting / Fishing Appreciation in Schools
The public-school education system provides a key opportunity to encourage adolescents to participate in hunting, fishing and natural resource conservation. CSF continues to work with state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses across the country to incorporate hunter education in the classroom or as part of an after-school program, as well as encourage the state high school athletic associations to recognize competitive fishing tournaments and clays/target shooting as sanctioned high school sports.
Families Afield / Apprentice Hunting
CSF is committed to advancing policies that encourage participation from new hunters, such as the “try it before they buy it” method - or better known as apprentice hunting. As of 2019, more than 40 states have passed some type of apprentice license and more than 2.2 million such licenses have been sold nationwide. CSF has worked diligently in more than 15 states in recent years to help establish or expand apprentice hunting seasons.
College Student Hunting and Angling Licensing
Currently, 25 states have passed legislation that allows non-resident, full-time college students to obtain hunting and/or angling licenses at the same price as state residents. These measures are intended to maintain access to, and encourage participation in, hunting and angling for student-sportsmen and women, who, due to the financial constraints faced by many students, may otherwise not be able to afford it or may be prone to lapse during their college years. CSF has worked on numerous college student hunting and angling licensing bills in recent years and is working with state agencies, caucus leaders, and in-state partners to push this initiative in the remaining 25 states.