September 30, 2026 — Jeff Rawlinson, President of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®), joined fish and wildlife agency leaders at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) to recognize their role in bringing archery into schools.
For nearly 25 years, state and provincial agencies and NASP® coordinators have helped schools bring archery into the school day by connecting educators and staff with training from NASP®. During the 2025-2026 school year, their work helped NASP® reached more than 1.32 million student archers.
“We were so very honored to enjoy breakfast with the directors and leaders of our conservation community in North America at the 2026 AFWA Conference,” Rawlinson said. “We all share an amazing connection to helping kids find archery and the outdoors. We are so proud of the work they have done with us in reaching over 1.32 million student archers last year and are so appreciative of their continued support.”
“During the AFWA meeting, we also had the opportunity to present at the Hunting and Shooting Sports Participation Committee to R3 coordinators for state fish and wildlife agencies, where we discussed the reach of in-school archery and the opportunity it gives students to try the sport, often for the first time” Rawlinson said. “Together we are a powerful force in expanding youth archery participation.”
For NASP®, that participation begins with instruction during the school day. State fish and wildlife agency staff who serve as NASP® coordinators help schools establish and retain their programs, giving students a chance to learn archery alongside their classmates. NASP® thanks those coordinators and the agency leaders who support their work.
The National Archery in the Schools Program promotes international-style target archery as part of the in-school curriculum to improve educational performance and participation in the shooting sports among students in grades 4-12. To learn more about NASP® visit: https://www.naspschools.org.
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