Consulting

Experiential and Outdoor Education

imageExperiential Education is simply a way of saying “learn by doing,” and I like to do the learning outdoors whenever possible.  As one of my former field instructors said to my group, “Who you are out here is who you really are.”  Nature has a way of getting to the essence of things quickly and allows us to put our lives into perspective.

Young people who live in the city rarely have the opportunity to get away from the “concrete and craziness”, as one young man put it, in order to breathe fresh air, rest their eyes on miles of trees, and have quiet time to hear their own hearts speak to them.  It is a privilege to witness a group of young people move from feeling fear about everything from bugs to bears, and worries about sleeping outside for the first time, to a deep sense of serenity and peace.  They are able to let down their guard, relax and even just have fun!  What is even more interesting to me is that this process works exactly the same way for adults. I have a large collection of quotes from people of all ages about how their experiences in the outdoors changed their lives.

I recently completed three years as the Experiential Education Coordinator for the Futures First Initiative, a $2 million demonstration grant awarded by the Dept of Labor to Milwaukee Public Schools. My partners include Riverwest Outdoor Enterprises, Urban Ecology Center, New Vision Wilderness and the Turner Hall Climbing Gym.

If you would like to add an Experiential Education component to your school, organization, or professional development program, please contact me today.

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