Example Program 1: Parental Information

What is the Outdoor Experience about?
HOW?
Adventure Based Experiential Learning is founded on the premise that learning by doing is a powerful and effective way of learning. Both research and experience support this. Work by Maslow, Bandura and others in the U.S. from the 1960s onwards agrees with the findings of recent researchers, such as Simon Priest in Canada, that people tend to retain in memory far more of what they do than of what they hear, see or read. This will be no surprise to many educators. From ancient indigenous cultures, to medieval craftspeople to modern Corporate Managers, experiential learning has been the preferred method of many educators throughout history. Most learning has been experiential learning.

WHAT?
Our focus is LIFE SKILLS. Our aim is to provide experiences that will equip young people with skills that allow them to make positive life decisions and cope with our ever-changing world.

WHY?
With increasing demands on young people to take in more information, there seem to be fewer opportunities to reflect on values, beliefs and relationships with self, others and environment. The Outdoor journey can provide many such opportunities.

" Over the years I have learnt to accomplish many things and deal with many a problem on such outings. Personally I learnt to discover my many strengths and weaknesses when dealing with these problems in the outdoors. Also participating and interacting in group situations has given me a whole new outlook and perception on life, to show control and discipline in the choices I make, and the things I choose to accomplish."
~ Yr 12 Student, St. Michael’s Grammar School.