Background: Outward Bound New Zealand (OBNZ) was established in 1962, as part of an international network of outdoor education schools founded in the United Kingdom by Kurt Hahn, with the central values of empowering people to fulfill their potential, fostering compassion, and developing courage. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide…

Successful hiring, training, and pairing or grouping of staff requires administrators to consider the relationship between their programs' goals and the specific outdoor leadership skills of individual leaders. Authors have divided outdoor leadership skills into a three-category structure, and models of outdoor leadership have focused on skills…

Sixty-three outdoor adventure programs were reviewed to research the availability of general liability insurance for outdoor programs. Data were gathered on populations served, activities, insurer, and amount of general liability coverage. Three companies offered policies with high risk activity exclusions. Alternative ways to provide for…

Illustrates how principle and virtue ethics can be applied to decision-making processes in experience-based training and development programs. Principle ethics is guided by predetermined rules and assumes that issues being examined are somewhat similar in context, whereas virtue ethics assumes that "correct behavior" is determined from…

A survey of trainers of challenge course facilitators resulted in a list of general competencies to be included in facilitator training. Includes technical skills involving challenge or ropes courses, group initiatives and low ropes, safety and environmental issues, and program administration. Facilitation skills involve recreational, educational,…

Two student-initiated volunteer projects that became independent community-based organizations are examined with attention to building appropriate partnerships at each stage of program development, and the characteristics of these partnerships: clear communication, shared goals, mutual respect and trust, complimentary roles/skills,…

Outdoor experiential program providers must be aware of certain issues in order to reduce or eliminate liability claims against their organization and employees. These include liability insurance, liability education, risk control, and record keeping. Recommends that all outdoor program providers provide risk management training to employees and…

Stresses the need for documenting the application and outcomes of specific adventure activities with specific client groups and documenting critical therapeutic/clinical incidents in adventure therapy programs. Overviews current trends in documentation of therapeutic adventure programs and provides recommendations from the medical and mental…

Four students at St. Louis University High School developed a project to clean up the environment while saving energy and natural resources. Aluminum and steel cans were recycled and the money was used to buy and plant trees. Students learned about recycling, organization, money management, and improving the environment. (JMM)

Summarizes risk-management research in categories of practical relevance to outdoor recreation stakeholders and the research community: conceptualization of risk; risk/benefit studies; risk monitoring; risk management in organizations and programs (identification, evaluation, control, planning, evaluation); legal issues; and risk communication.…

Defining the nature and extent of risk associated with adventure education, this article notes the riskiest activities and delineates three main causes of accidents: unsafe conditions; unsafe acts; and judgmental errors. Careful program organization, staff selection, routine safety inspections, and emergency plans are also addressed. (SB)

Focuses on risks and challenges of conducting adventure programming in foreign countries. Recommends actions to take before the crisis (involving assumptions, risk evaluation, emergency evacuation plans, awareness of medical-care costs, and foreign communications systems, family procedures plan, briefings); during the crisis (meeting staff and…