Non-scientists get excited and engaged by participating inthe scientific process. Including undergraduates on a paper annotating Drosophila genes is head and shoulders more exciting than rediscovering some genetic principal published 70 years ago. The purpose of outreach is engagement, not simply checking off the outreach box.
It's the way it has been done since at least the 19th century, but sure.
just because things have always been done some way doent mean it's right nor even efficient. plenty of societal strategies have been ditched over the millennia.