Urban Youth Perspectives on the Benefits and Challenges of Outdoor Adventure Camp

Consistent evidence indicates that urban youth, and particularly youth of color, report relatively low levels of participation in quality youth program experiences and spend less time outdoors as compared to non-urban and White youth. Outdoor adventure camps (OACs) provide an excellent opportunity for engaging these youth in experiences that can help promote positive youth development (PYD). In the present study, we examined the experiences and perceptions of 75 urban youth who participated in a 3-day high adventure camp experience. Through a mixed-method approach, results indicated that urban youth from all racial and ethnic backgrounds grew in several PYD outcomes including social competencies and self-improvement capacities. Many youth also reported growing in their connection to nature as a consequence of participating in the OAC. Youth thought camp was a positive and worthwhile experience, reflecting key attributes of a PYD setting. Overall, the OAC provided a challenging and engaging growth environment for youth. Findings highlight implications for socially just and culturally inclusive outdoor adventure programming aimed at diverse urban youth.

A phenomenographic study of factors leading to variation in the experience of a school-based wilderness experiential programme

Adventure programming provides an exemplar for interventions through which adolescents may experience holistic development, interdependence, competence, and learn to model pro-social values. This study used a phenomenographic methodology to investigate the different ways in which a sample of 37 adolescents experienced a 27-day school-based wilderness adventure programme and identify aspects of the programme that were critical to variation in programme outcomes. The analysis revealed four conceptions of the programme: (a) long gruelling school hike, (b) school initiation/rite of passage programme, (c) once-in-a-lifetime group adventure, and (d) multifaceted learning and development opportunity. These categories of description are structured hierarchically, relate directly to programme outcomes, and evolve from different levels of awareness in six critical dimensions of variation, including: (a) programme characterisation, (b) the nature of group processes and interactions, (c) the nature and level of connection and interactions with adult group leaders, (d) the depth of engagement in various components of the programme, (e) the personal relevance that experiences had for participants, and (f) the type of growth and learning that was perceived to have accrued from these experiences. These findings and their implications for both adventure programming design and implementation, and for research on psychological interventions are discussed.

Educational expeditions - et norsk perspektiv

The topic of this article is the Norwegian concept of “friluftsliv” (outdoor life), used as a pedagogical tool to support personal growth. While supporting personal growth appears to be a central pedagogical strategy within Anglo-American and British youth expeditions and adventure programming, this does not appear to be case in the Norwegian outdoor tradition. My research question is: Do Norwegian Outdoor Education students experience a learning outcome related to personal growth, and to their abilities as leaders/mentors, during ski expeditions? I have collected data through a three-year period, after three ski expeditions with Outdoor Education students from an outdoor bachelor-programme at Telemark University College.The students have given written answers to questions regarding personal growth in which several informants’ express thoughts about experiences related to “self” and “identity”. They reflect upon experiences related to “mastering” and “performing”, to acceptance of their own strengths and weaknesses, and about developing self-confidence. They also reflect upon learning outcomes related to interpersonal relations and abilities, self-control, communication and caregiving. The informants have experienced, as leaders/mentors, that it is important to be able to, to “read” situations, to make good assessments of the situations, and to make good decisions related to the situations. As a follow up to this, the informants highlight the importance of being aware of each individual in the group, the importance of encouragement, being positive and caregiving. This study has shown that ski expeditions in “a Norwegian tradition” may have a potential when it comes to encouraging reflections related to personal growth and leadership abilities. Hopefully this study can contribute to increased awareness of the pedagogical potential, for personal growth, within the Norwegian concept of “friluftsliv”pedagogy? Key words: Educational expeditions, Adventure programming, Outdoor educa-tion and Personal growthSammendragArtikkelen handler om friluftsliv brukt pedagogisk med tanke på personlig utvikling. Bakgrunnen er en undring rundt hvorfor temaet personlig utvikling, som står så sentralt i britisk og angloamerikansk pedagogisk friluftslivs-tradisjon, ikke er viet større plass i norsk friluftslivspedagogisk tradisjon. Problemstillingen har vært: Opplever norske bachelorstudenter i friluftsliv at de lærer noe om seg selv og sine egenskaper som ledere under lange ferder i vinterfjellet? Datainnsamlingen har foregått over tre år, i etterkant av tre lange vinterferder med tjuefem 3. års studenter ved Høgskolen i Telemark. Studentene har svart skriftlig på spørsmål knyttet til personlig utvikling. Flere av dem gir uttrykk for en opplevelse av å ha gjort seg erfaringer knyttet til selvbilde/identitet som kan koples til personlige utvikling. Informantene reflekterer bl.a. over opplevelser knyttet til det å mestre og prestere, det å akseptere egne styrker og svakheter, samt det å utvikle troen på seg selv, også i lederrollen. I tillegg reflekteres det over opplevelser av læring knyttet til mellommenneskelig ferdigheter, selvkontroll og kommunikasjon, samt mellommenneskelig forhold knyttet til utøvelsen av lederskap og over omsorgsoppgaver lederskapet innebærer. Opplevelser av læring knyttet til det å ha overblikk, lese situasjoner, gjøre vurderinger og treffe nødvendig tiltak, er også gjenstand for refleksjon. I forlengelsen av dette reflekteres det over viktigheten av å ha fornemme den enkelte, det å oppmuntre, være positiv og gi omsorg. Studien har vist at lange vinterferder, i en norsk tradisjon, har et potensiale til å utløse refleksjoner knyttet til personlig utvikling og ledelse. Kanskje kan denne studien øke bevisstheten rundt de pedagogiske mulighetene som ligger i menneskers møter med andre mennesker i natur?Nøkkelord: Friluftsliv