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ISSN: 0840-8114

PathwaysTHE ONTARIO JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATIONAutumn 2007, 20(1)

Art credit: Chris Gyuk

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PathwaysThe Council of Outdoor Educators of

Ontario Board of Directors

President: Shane Kramer

Past President: Grant Linney

Vice President: Currently Vacant

Treasurer: Astrid Turner

Secretary: Laura Yakutchik

Director At Large: Jane Wadden

Director At Large: Kyle Clarke

Director At Large: Peter Goddard

Central Region: Steve Turner

Eastern Region: Margot Peck

Western Region: Denise Biega

Northern Region: Bonnie Anderson

Membership: Ron Williamson

Our mailing address:

The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario1185 Eglinton Avenue EastToronto, ON M3C 3C6

Our website address:

www.coeo.org

COEO

Formed in 1972, The Council of OutdoorEducators of Ontario (COEO) is a non-profit,volunteer-based organization that promotes safe,quality outdoor education experiences for peopleof all ages. This is achieved through publishing thePathways journal, running an annual conferenceand regional workshops, maintaining a website,and working with kindred organizations as well asgovernment agencies.

Contributions Welcome

Pathways is always looking for contributions. Ifyou are interested in making a submission, ofeither a written or illustrative nature, please referto pages 35 and 36 for the submission guidelines.

If you are interested in being a guest editor, or ifyou have any questions regarding Pathways, pleasedirect them to Kathy Haras, Chair of the PathwaysEditorial Board.

If you’d like more information about COEO andjoining the organization, please refer to the insideback cover of this issue or contact a Board ofDirectors member.

Our Advertising Policy

Pathways accepts advertisements for products andservices that may be of interest to our readers. Toreceive an advertising information package, pleasecontact Kathy Haras, Chair of the PathwaysEditorial Board. We maintain the right to refuseany advertisement we feel is not in keeping withour mandate and our readers’ interests.

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FeaturesEducation for Character .................................................................. 4

Bill Elgie, Ross MacLean and Rebecca DykstraEducation for Environment ............................................................. 7

Grayson Burke with Scott TavenerEducation for Wellbeing ................................................................ 10

Rob RidleyEducation for Curriculum ............................................................. 12

Anna-Marie Mills and Kevin O’Dwyer

ColumnsEditor’s Log ...………...………….........................…………..…..…… 2

Kathy HarasPresident’s View .......……...……..…….............…………..……....…. 3

Shane KramerTous Nos Voyageurs ...............……...………........…….……..….…. 15

Graham Thompson and Erin HorvathBackpocket ..............................……...………........…….……..…..…. 19

Charlotte JackleinIn the Field ............................……...………........…….……..…..…. 21

Mary Breunig, Tim O’Connell and Garrett HutsonOpening the Door ......................……...………........…….……...…. 23

Christy NorwoodWatching Our Step .................……...………........…….……..….…. 25

Brian Lisson and Sarah OosterhuisThe Gathering ....................……...………........…….……............…. 29

Bryan GrimwoodBeyond Our Borders ............................……...….…….……..…..…. 30

Peta WhiteBackpocket ..............................……...………........…….……..…..…. 31

Jerry JordisonReading the Trail ....................……...………........…...….……....…. 33

Kathy HarasTracking ....................……...………........…….……......................…. 34Submission Guidelines ...………........…….…….........................…. 35

PathwaysPathways Editorial Board

Chair: Kathy HarasSchool of Outdoor Recreation, Parks

and Tourism, Lakehead University

Scott Caspell

Bob Henderson

Ian Hendry

Zabe MacEachren

Darrell Makin

Gavan Watson

Managing Editor: Randee Holmes

ISSN: 0840-8114Pathways is printed on recycled paper.

Pathways is published four times a year for The Council of OutdoorEducators of Ontario (COEO) and distributed to COEO members.Membership fees include a subscription to Pathways, as well asadmittance to workshops, courses and conferences. A membershipapplication form is included on the inside back cover of this issue ofPathways.

Opinions expressed in Pathways are those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect those of the Pathways Editorial Board or COEO.Advertising included in Pathways should not be interpreted as anendorsement by COEO of the products or services represented. Allrights reserved.

Articles in Pathways may be reproduced only with permission.Requests must be made in writing and should be directed to KathyHaras, Chair, Pathways Editorial Board.

THE ONTARIO JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATIONAutumn 2007, 20(1)

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ditor’s LogE

Sketch Pad — Art for this issue of Pathways was generously provided by Chris Gyuk and

Jennifer Owens. Chris lives in Hamilton and works at Adventureworks building high and

low rope courses and climbing walls. Jennifer is a student living in the Hamilton area and

has a passion for painting.

As the greens of summer change to the vibrantcolours of autumn, many of us also make atransition in our work as outdoor educators.Whether it’s a change of the topics we arepresenting, a return to the classroom, or aswitch from campers to students at ouroutdoor centre, the fall is often a special timein the annual cycle of change. It issimultaneously a time for new beginnings,getting down to business and grasping thatone last opportunity for summer fun.

The columns in this issue of Pathways reflectthe transitional nature of autumn. Under thecategory of new beginnings, Grayson Burkeand Scott Tavener from Cedar Ridge Camp,Graham Thompson and Erin Horvath fromNew Vision Unlimited, and Anna-Marie Millsand Kevin O’Dwyer from ABLE describe theirexperiences starting new outdoor educationprograms. I review a risk management CD-ROM, while Charlotte Jacklein and JerryJordison share new-to-you activities.

While some programs are looking forward,others are celebrating their past successes. Itseemed like this summer I went from oneJamboree celebrating the 100th Anniversary ofScouting to another. Rob Ridley reflects on themeaning and relevance of this venerableoutdoor education organization in today’sworld while Bryan Grimwood considersCOEO’s annual conference. Bill Elgie, RossMacLean and Rebecca Dykstra combined toshare their perspectives on the successfulrestoration of a section of the Bruce Trail thathappened last spring. Christy Norwood sharesher experiences as a student on a remarkablefield trip to the Northwest Territories.

Under the category of change, Mary Bruenig,Tim O’Connell and Garrett Hutson share thechanges that have occurred in the outdoor

recreation stream of the Recreation andLeisure Studies program at Brock University.Brian Lisson and Sarah Oosterhuis explain thenew Association for Challenge CourseTechnology (ACCT) practitioner certificationstandards and the potential changes this willcreate for outdoor educators and programs inOntario. Change is not limited to Ontario,however. In “Beyond our Borders,” Peta Whitedescribes the changes that have occurred inoutdoor education in Saskatchewan.

Regular readers of Pathways will notice somechanges within these pages as well. Whetheryour strength is the written word or visual art,the Editorial Board invites you to share yourwork with other readers. To encouragesubmissions, the instructions to authors andartists will now appear in every issue and willbe supplemented by additional informationon the COEO website. The hope is to alsohave a current index posted before the newyear to make searching for previous articleseasier and more efficient. Can an onlinearchive be far behind? As always, please shareyour ideas about how Pathways can better serveyour needs.

As those of you who were at the COEOconference discovered, I have made a personaltransition of my own this fall and returned toLakehead University as an assistant professorin the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parksand Tourism, the very department from whichI graduated. I am excited to be back up northteaching future outdoor educators but missthe familiar rhythm of life at Adventureworks!and working in the field as an outdooreducator on a regular basis. This change willtake some getting used to but as with thechanging seasons, it will all be fine.

Kathy Haras

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resident’s ViewPCOEO has spent much of its time over thepast couple of years promoting the values ofoutdoor environmental education (OEE).We’ve done a lot of work on the outreachfront, working with those who can help uspromote OEE to policymakers, the public andpoliticians. An impressive product of ourefforts has been our well-received researchsummary, Reconnecting Children ThroughOutdoor Education. (Get your copy now if youhaven’t already!)

There is no question that our promotion andadvocacy work must continue. However, inthis my final year as president, I feel that it istime for the Board of Directors to turn itsattention in another direction — to addressthe organizational health of COEO. This is theissue I will focus on during my last year oftenure.

We have an organization of over 200members, yet we often struggle with thevolunteerism that keeps the organizationgoing. Sometimes the Board of Directors hasbeen at fault for this. We haven’t always beenprepared with meaningful opportunities forfolks who have expressed an interest involunteering. Other times when we call forvolunteers, no one seems to answer, especiallyin some of our key leadership roles. This mustchange, and through the visioning sessions oflast spring and subsequent board work we areforming a plan to deal with both issues.

By this time next year, at the 2008 AGM, weintend to propose to the membership a planto reorganize the Board of Directors. We’lleliminate some of the current positions andreplace them with others. For example, thepositions of “Director-at-large” and “RegionalReps,” which sound rather amorphous, will bereplaced with “Directors with specific Areas ofResponsibility” (DAOR). We hope this willattract more people to the board, as they willunderstand up front what they arevolunteering for. Of course they will still have

input into all that goes on with COEO, butthey will also have a special area where theycan focus their energies. For instance, a“Director of Communications” wouldspearhead a team who would look aftercommunications coming into and going outof the organization. The team under thisdirector could include other board membersas well as folks from the general membershipwho, while perhaps not yet ready to committo a board position, would be willing to spendtime occasionally writing letters on behalf ofCOEO, making presentations to outsidegroups, and so on. Over time these volunteersmight eventually wish to do more and bebetter prepared to be part of a future board.

The DAOR positions will also make the jobsof the board members somewhat easier byspreading the duties and responsibilities of theorganization. The president’s job will be tocoordinate the coordinators.

This plan will allow COEO to build itscapacity to accomplish the goals of theorganization and create a better sense ofcommunity amongst its members. It is alsohoped that it will allow us to build our profilein the rest of the province with educators,governments and the public. The fine detailsof this will be worked out this year with theinput of the current board, and we will keepyou posted on our actions.

Finally, I’d like to take this time to thankeveryone who attended the 2007 COEOConference and helped make it a success. Iconfess there were times when I wasn’t surehow it would all come together, but thefeedback has been wonderful. Thanks to allthose who contributed to making it happen,and especially to Judy Kramer and Pam Miller.Thanks, too, to those who have alreadyvolunteered to organize Conference 2008 —we are already looking forward to it!

Shane Kramer

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ducation for CharacterE

In Grade 9, Upper Canada College (UCC)students participate in a week-long outdooreducation program in Halton Region, west ofToronto. This week is the culmination of over60 days of total outdoor educationprogramming between Senior Kindergartenand Grade 9. Activities during the expeditioninclude moving water canoeing, mountainbiking, hiking, orienteering, and rock climbing.To minimize disruption at the school, all 130students participate at the same time. As aresult, the program is too big for UCC tooperate on its own, so it is run in partnershipwith Adventureworks! Associates. The entiregrade is divided up into nine groups of 11 to13 boys per group. Each group is led by acombination of Adventureworks! staff andUCC teachers. The schedule is structured in acircuit, with each group starting and ending ata different location. Every group completesevery activity, just in a different order.

One of the main goals of the Grade 9 programis to help deepen students’ appreciation andunderstanding of the green spaces all aroundus. During this journey, the students areexposed to how much natural beauty there isso close to home. Students get to see Ontario’sgreenbelt firsthand as they canoe the CreditRiver in spring flood, climb the sheerlimestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment atRattlesnake Point, and hike through theCarolinian forest of southern Ontario alongthe magnificent Bruce Trail. This trip is uniquebecause it all happens in the shadow of theGreater Toronto Area. Although many of ourboys will have gone camping in northernOntario, very few of them have ever gone on amulti-day outdoor expedition within 30minutes of Toronto.

Students at UCC are involved in a wide varietyof community service projects starting in theprimary grades right through to graduation.UCC wants its boys to turn into men of goodcharacter. The service program promotes asense of responsibility, compassion, honourand integrity. We like to say that “UCC is aprivate school with a public purpose,” and our

Building a Trail, Building Characterby Bill Elgie, Ross MacLean and Rebecca Dykstra

commitment to service is a reflection of thatbelief.

As part of this week-long outdoor educationadventure, all Grade 9 students spend half aday doing environmental service work forsome group or organization operating in theexpedition area. These projects help protectand preserve the natural areas of north HaltonRegion, and the boys are able to give backsomething to the area they are travellingthrough. In past years we have partnered withConservation Halton and Credit ValleyConservation.

An ideal service project for nearly 120 Grade 9boys is both hands-on and significant. Thestudents need to be actively engaged and feelthat what they are doing is not a make-workproject. A large-scale project that has allstudents working together on one taskcontributes to the students’ sense ofcommunity and has the potential of being “cool.”

Because the students hike on the Bruce Trail,we have wanted to work with the Bruce TrailClub for many years. Until last year, we hadnever been able to find an ideal project thatcoincided with the timing of our Grade 9program, which is late April. That all changedlast fall when Dr. Kathy Haras fromAdventureworks! got in touch with Ross McLeanfrom the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club(BTC). The Caledon Hills BTC needed help torehabilitate the section of the Bruce Trail thatruns along the Cheltenham Badlands. We hadhelp to give in the form of 140 eager studentsand staff. It was a match made in heaven!

The Bruce Trail is a public footpath along theNiagara Escarpment, running from Queenstonto Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.It was conceived and is currently maintainedand developed by volunteers, people who giveof their time and energy simply because oftheir love of the land.

The Badlands area in southern Ontario iscomposed of soft Queenston shale, and as

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Education for Character

such is subject to erosion. Within closeproximity of a huge urban population, it wasbeing “loved to death” and the trail wasbecoming badly impacted. For a volunteergroup to undertake major trail rehabilitationwould require a lot of resources, both humanand financial.

The Caledon Hills BTC quickly accepted UCC’soffer of 120 students who would work inteams of 12 or 13 for a half day. The designand planning process began with some of theCaledon Hills BTC’s most experienced traildesigners (all volunteers) spending daysstudying the land and pricing materials. Evenwith some in-kind donations, the cost of theproject came close to $9,000 and all funds hadto be raised by the club without any help fromgovernment sources.

The plan involved installing landscape fabric,pinning in cedar logs with angle irons, andcarrying in sand and gravel by wheelbarrowalong the entire route of about a kilometre.This involved 400 cedar logs, 700 angle ironsand truckloads of aggregate. The goal of thisproject was to restore one of the most highlyused sections of the Bruce Trail in order toallow it to remain open to the public.

In the week before the students arrived,volunteers from the club laid out the project andinstalled the cedar logs; for safety reasons wedid not want the students using sledge hammers.

Before students could commence their part ofrestoring the trail, a number of obstaclesneeded to be addressed. Developing a sense ofownership in the students with regards to themagnitude of what they were undertaking, aswell as the unusual combination of Bruce Trailvolunteers, many of whom were retired, and14-year-old boys created complexities thatcould not be overlooked. The volunteers hadalready invested much into this endeavourand had a strong desire to see the trailcompleted within the week. Most of the boyswould not see the trail completed during theirhalf day at the Badlands and were not initiallymotivated to undertake three hours ofphysical labour.

In order to maximize our success andcombat initial barriers, the groups ofboys would have to be empoweredwith regards to what theywere embarking on. Atthe beginning of eachhalf daysessionBruceTrailvolunteersgreeted thegroup of students and UCC andAdventureworks! staff and gave them a brieftour and lesson regarding the use of the trail.While this was logistically important, it playedan even larger role in preparing the group totake ownership over their work. The groupslearned that the Badlands are one of the mostused sections of the Bruce Trail, and weregiven a geography lesson of the areaexplaining the susceptibility of the soil toerosion. The briefing also consisted ofshowing the group what they would be doingto prevent the trail from being closed, andinforming them that they were a crucial part ofa 50-year solution.

The knowledge that what they were doing wasgoing to be leaving such a grand impressionreally helped to motivate the students.Another motivating factor was seeing thespectacular Badlands. During the week each ofthe groups hiked on numerous sections of theBruce Trail. This, in combination withincredible sight of the Badlands, helped manyof the students gain a sense of the importanceof what they were doing.

An additional factor that led to the success ofthe week was stressing the importance ofgroup work to the students. The majority ofthe work done on this section of the BruceTrail involved strenuous activity for a numberof hours. It was imperative for the students towork together to achieve their goals. Eachgroup had their own ideas regarding how tomaximize their group’s potential: some boysraced one another down the trails, somedecided to move the wheelbarrows in teams,A

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Education for Character

and others switched roles often. Regardless ofwhat method they chose, each group of boyssoon discovered that when they worked as ateam they could achieve so much more, andbe much less tired at the end of a hard day,than working individually. Although thestudent groups obviously varied in quality,most responded with an enthusiasm that overthe week was contagious.

The week on the Cheltenham Badlands was agrand success. The students learned thatworking together was imperative inaccomplishing the project, and after takingownership of this project, working togetherbecame nearly second nature. Without thesense of ownership instilled in eachparticipant, attaining our goals would havebeen problematic. All those involved in therestoration of the trail got to be part of awonderful project that will allow the trail tobe enjoyed for many years to come.

In the end, the combination of Bruce TrailClub volunteers and UCC students provedhighly effective. Bill Elgie, Director of theOutdoor School of UCC, e-mailed CaledonHills BTC Trail Coordinator, Ross Maclean,with the following message: “I have had thepleasure of doing service work with manyorganizations over the years, and the projectlast year was one of the finest I have seen. Youwere well-organized, you brought out largenumbers of volunteers and your enthusiasmwas highly contagious. At the end of the week-long program, many students picked their halfday of service work with you and your team ofvolunteers as their highlight of the trip. I hopewe can work with you again soon.”

Almost immediately after completion, outsideaccolades began to pour in for the largestsingle trail rehabilitation project in the historyof the Bruce Trail. Paula Terpstra is the NaturalHeritage Coordinator for Ontario HeritageTrust (OHT), the group that holds title to theBadlands. She wrote: “I was very impressed bythe excellent footpath that now exists. Itclearly involved a substantial commitment of

volunteer labour and materials. I’d like toextend congratulations for a job well done, bothon behalf of the OHT and myself personally.”

The highest award for such work within theBruce Trail Association is the Philip and JeanGosling Award. More than 40 years ago, Philipwas one of the founders of the trail and itsfirst Trail Director. He was a naturalist andwanted the Escarpment celebrated for itsnatural beauty. About five years ago he donatedan award to be given annually for the greatestcontribution to the trail from an environmentalperspective. The thinking was that we “mustwalk lightly on the land.” Trail improvementsthat helped to protect the ecology of theescarpment were thus to be recognized.

At this year’s BTA Annual General Meeting, theCaledon Hills Club was the unanimous choiceof the judges to receive this award, inrecognition of the major rehabilitation of thetrail through the Badlands property. ChrisWalker, the chair of the Awards Committee,wrote: “Congratulations . . . [on] the excellentwork in treadway restoration at the Badlands. . . .A tremendous amount of planning, expertiseand volunteer hours went into the completionof this major treadway upgrade.”

These congratulations were extended toeveryone who had worked on the trail — adultvolunteers and UCC students. It was hardwork but we had created a footpath that willstand up well to the thousands who each yearwalk on this magnificent landscape. Thestudents took pride in their achievement andgrew in their knowledge of the landscape andthe importance of contributing to theircommunity.

Bill Elgie is the Director of Upper Canada College’sNorval Outdoor School. Ross MacLean is the TrailCoordinator for the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club.Rebecca Dykstra had the privilege of spending fivedays on the Bruce Trail working in combinationwith the Bruce Trail Association, Upper CanadaCollege and Adventureworks! Associates as theservice project coordinator.

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ducation for EnvironmentE

In 2007 Cedar Ridge Camp opened for its firstseason as a traditional co-ed summer campand year-round outdoor education andrecreation centre. The first imperative for thefledging endeavour involved devising a campdoctrine and outdoor curriculum; it seemed arudimentary task. The mission would centreon creating a program that would encouragepersonal development and growth through ashared outdoor experience. Our main goalswere to promote the formation of close bonds,both amongst individuals and with thesurrounding environment; teach the value ofteamwork; instil the worth of hard work; andencourage skill acquisition through both workand play. The primary goal of our outdooreducation centre was to design programs thatwould fuse our ethos with the specific aims ofeach group. Whether working with corporategroups, schools or outdoor enthusiasts wewould concentrate on teambuilding,leadership and environmental education.

Though our initial statement of beliefs andobjectives remained static throughout ourinaugural season, we were met with aserendipitous variable that we hadunderestimated: our surrounding environment.As we continuously discovered more aboutour local region, our programming evolved toincorporate the staggeringly diverse landscapeand its vast offerings.

In November of 2005 I received a phone callfrom Peter Ruys de Perez, whom I had knownthrough our shared association with KilcooCamp. Growing up, Peter had spent hissummers at the now-closed Camp Mazinaw, aboys’ camp on Mazinaw Lake. Those years hada formative effect that he retained throughoutthe intervening decades. Peter long held adesire to return to camping, ideally with hisown venture. Following a welcome earlyretirement, he sought to make his dream intoa proverbial reality.

With me on the line, Peter explained that heintended to buy a summer camp and wasinterested in obtaining my opinion regardinga prospective property. Knowing that Peterhad spent much of the previous five yearsscouting possible sites without success, Iexpected little more than a rundown huntingcabin and a free lunch from our fact-findingsojourn. Still, flattered by his request, I agreedto go along.

On a November’s day, as we drove northward,Peter and his wife, Kelley, explained thegeneral layout of the property, adding acautionary and obligatory, “It needs a littlework.” Located 30 km east of Bancroft, whatwould become Cedar Ridge sat on a privatebay with 3,400 feet of waterfront and 150acres of diverse terrain. As we pulled up to thefirst building, my albeit low expectations wereamply exceeded.

Originally YMCA Camp Wangoma, since the1980s the property had been a church-runChristian camp. Though slightly ragged, it hadthe perfect footprint for a summer camp.Peaceful, pastoral and serene, it boasted aplethora of open fields, a spectacularwaterfront, a large-scale dining hall, and asecondary winterized lodge with beds for 80and a fully functional kitchen of its own,furnishing the grounds with year-round activitycapability. Following a rainy tour we drovehome, feverishly discussing the site’s potential.A month later, Peter completed the purchaseand Cedar Ridge’s inception was official.

By March of 2006, after a winter spentgenerating a camp philosophy and assemblingan advisory board/think tank of former campdirectors, doctors, lawyers, school boardsuperintendents and outdoor professionals,we were ready to begin restoring the site. Dueto the previous owners’ severe lack of fundingand fading business, it had endured years of

Cedar Ridge Camp: Using the Local Environmentby Grayson Burke with Scott Tavener

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Education for Environment

neglect. Peter and I agreed that, beforewelcoming a single visitor, every building andsystem had not only to conform to codes, butexceed them. Thus, throughout the followingyear, we encountered a diverse array ofsurprises as we navigated a crash course inwater and septic systems, plumbing, buildingfoundations, and sundry other aspects ofconstruction.

We quickly found ourselves ensconced in theday-to-day reconstruction, thus puttingprogram design and area explorationtemporarily on hold. Typically — and in directopposition to our naïve optimism — wefinally finished resuscitating the camp longpast our self-imposed deadline and well overour projected budget.

Before arriving in the Lower Madawaskaregion, we had grossly undervalued the localenvironment’s attributes. Having spent themajority of my camping life in Haliburton,Bancroft had long been nothing more than aTim Horton’s stop on the way to Ottawa.Aside from the closeness to both the

Madawaska River and Algonquin Park, we hadlittle understanding of the region; that wouldquickly change.

The abundance of wildlife in the area rapidlybecame apparent. Though the camp’s formerincarnation, Natureland, boasted an obvioussylvan connotation, we had assumed it hadbeen an arbitrary and generic title, akin to asuburban street name. However, as deer, elk,wild turkeys, blue herons, snapping turtlesand an otter (aka “The Creature”) emergedfrom the surrounding woodlands and lake, werealized how apropos a designation Naturelandhad been. Never in my camping experience,whether on-site or on-trip, had I enjoyed sucha close interaction with wildlife. While drivingthrough or wandering about the grounds, deersightings became commonplace. So numerouswas the deer population that we had tocaution visitors about the danger of navigatingthrough fields of grazers.

Unique to the area, an extensive elkpopulation had taken up residence nearby.Once native to Ontario, elk had vanished by

the late 1800s, largely due to humansettlement and unregulated

harvesting. In1999, a massive

cooperativeeffort to

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reintroduce the animal to the area began.Today, over 150 elk call the neighbourhoodhome. Commonly, grazing or ambling elkwould upstage our staff during activities. Atfirst, the wildlife acted merely as a curiousbonus, but organically, over time, became ateaching tool. Campers had to learn how toexist harmoniously with the animals. It proveda beneficial happenstance.

As the site slowly evolved and structures beganto return to respectable shape, our focus at lastreturned to programming. The environmenthad already begun to inspire a broad andinnovative range of ideas, yet we still wantedto offer many of the standard camp activities,including climbing, archery, kayaking, sailing,canoeing and a wide variety of sports. Oncethe capacity for these activities wasestablished, we began to explore the myriadoff-site possibilities.

Throughout curriculum development, wecontinued to stress the importance of camperand environment interaction and the value offorming a close bond with nature. Co-optingPeter’s experience at Camp Mazinaw, eachsummer camper would take part in amandatory canoe trip. Although in closeproximity to Algonquin and Bon Echo parks,the propinquity to a stunning array of world-class rivers held a special allure; theMadawaska, Petawawa and Ottawa are allwithin a two-hour radius.

Upon hearing of our location, whitewateradvisor and seasoned river instructor, SteveReble, excitedly quipped: “What Whistler is toskiers and snowboarders, the Ottawa Valleyand Lower Madawaska region is to whitewaterpaddlers.” This became immediately apparentas each weekend in the spring and earlysummer found the roads awash with kayak-and canoe-strapped cars. We were able toutilize the whitewater, sending day-trips toPalmer Rapids and the Ottawa. TheMadawaska served as an ideal two-daysojourn, allowing beginners to develop theirriver skills in a challenging but safeenvironment.

While river possibilities influenced our waterprogramming, the extensive trail systemsnearby helped to fashion our on-landtripping. Commonly used by snowmobiles inthe winter and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) inthe fall, the gigantic system of paths provideda great opportunity for mountain biking andhiking. With onsite access to such a massivetrail system, we had another unique featurethat shaped our activity schedule.

The city of Bancroft and surrounding regioncorrectly bills itself as one of Canada’s bestnatural, year-round playgrounds, with eachseason drawing a different sub-culture ofadventure seekers. Whether it is paddlers inthe spring, mountain bikers in the summer,hunters in the fall, or snowmobile and sleddog drivers in the winter, each season providesthe opportunity for different recreationalpursuits. With the infrastructure toaccommodate winter adventurers, we searchedfor potential curriculum opportunities. Asidefrom the aforementioned ATV andsnowmobile prospects, we were ecstatic tofind an active dog sledding and luge — yes,luge — community that we could utilize. Inthe coming months, we intend to make use ofthese disparate activities, using underutilizedtools for a fuller learning experience.

During Cedar Ridge’s inaugural year, weemployed many of the principals that we haddiscussed in the days following that first visit,yet the area’s surrounding wildlife and diversenatural environment had an unexpectedlyprofound effect on our dogma. As we continueto grow and evolve, we will rely on ourteaching axioms while remaining fluid enoughto adopt and incorporate the surfeit of naturalresources.

Grayson Burke is currently the Director of CedarRidge Camp and has a degree in Recreation andLeisure Studies from Brock University. He can bereached at grayson@cedarridgecamp.ca. ScottTavener is one of the founding staff members ofCedar Ridge Camp.

Education for Environment

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A Century of Being Preparedby Rob Ridley

ducation for WellbeingE

Those of us lucky enough to work in theoutdoor education field know very well thatoutdoor experiential and environmentaleducation goes beyond the teaching of scienceand principles of the physical world. Whilethose outside the field think of theseconnections to the curriculum first andforemost (and there are indeed someopportunities here), we know that everythingwe teach can be done so from anenvironmental perspective.

No matter the subject — be it math, science,language, art, health, drama, music, theindustrial arts, business, drafting or others —experiential and environmental connections canbe made. By its very definition, experientialeducation can provide the perfect conduit fordeveloping knowledge about such subjects.

As I have said, we in outdoor experiential andenvironmental education know this already,but do we know what company we keep in thefield?

In Ontario, we have school boards that runoutdoor education programs, conservationauthorities, provincial and national parks andmany competent private providers as well. Butthere are more — many more, in fact — thatare not recognized as the great providers theyare of outdoor experiential and environmentaleducation. Ironically, they are in some casesamongst the first outdoor education providersin this province.

Take, for instance, the Girl Guides of Canadaand Scouts Canada. In Girl Guides youngwomen of every creed and colour, of everyaspect of life, from urban and ruralcommunities, and from young children asSparks to young adults as Pathfinders andRangers, learn to be confident and experiencedleaders in our community through experientialand often outdoor education opportunities.

Scouts Canada as well, completely co-educational for the last decade, allows

children and adults alike, from five-year-oldBeavers to 26-year-old Rovers, to participate inprogramming tailored to their individualneeds through membership in small groups.

Both these great organizations are trying todevelop the youth of Ontario in four key ways:physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.

The founder of these movements, RobertStephenson Smythe Baden-Powell (“that’sPowell as in toll, not Powell as in towel”),developed them based on previous programs,such as Ernest Thompson Seton’s WoodcraftIndians. Seton, a prolific writer and artist, wasraised in the Lindsay and Toronto region, anda huge portion of the natural science andcampfire connections in the current programscan be attributed to him. Seton’s “Laws ofWoodcraft” were a model for Baden-Powell’s“Scout Promise” and “Scout Law.”

Scout Promise:I promise to do my best,

To do my duty to God and the QueenTo help other people at all times

And to carry out the spirit of the Scout Law.

Scout Law:A Scout is helpful and trustworthy

Kind and cheerful,Considerate and clean

And wise in the use of all resources.

All Scouting programs are designed topromote these ethics. Men and women of allwalks of life and of all cultures are welcome tobe members. This inclusion goes a long, longway to supporting the social development ofthe youth involved. Tolerance, understandingand the true meaning of citizenship are keycomponents of the programs offered.

Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound andfather of many other adventure-basededucational opportunities, refers to thesuccesses of Seton and Baden-Powellnumerous times.

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Education for Wellbeing

Scouts Canada is celebrating its 100th birthdaythis year, proof that scouting remainsprevalent today. Not surprisingly, and perhapsnecessarily, scouting has adapted with thetimes. There are Rover Crews that meet onlyonline since their members are all at differentuniversities. There are Venturer Companiesthat have taken on vocational education suchas emergency medical services or fire fighting.And there are badge programs that Baden-Powell never would have thought of, such ascomputers and space exploration.

This past summer, I was honoured to beinvolved with the management team forprogram at the Canadian Jamboree north ofMontreal. Youth — 7,000 of them — fromevery Canadian province and territory, as wellas seven other countries, participated in one ofthe most enjoyable and exhilarating outdooreducation opportunities ever.

There was no marking of tests and no rubrics . . .and yet every single person participatingwalked away from the event with a lifetime ofmemories and life skills well beyond the circleof their friends and neighbours who stayed athome this summer.

These youth spent over a week outdoors,cooking for themselves, sharing, challengingeach other, building friendships, learningpatience and getting more physical activity thansome youth their own age get all summer long.

Programs were challenging and educational,and yet, if you ask any one of the youthparticipating, they would each tell you firstand foremost that they were fun. High ropes,zip lines into the mountain lake, canoeing, flyfishing, canopy walks, biking and so muchmore. The program was active and popular. Itis interesting that towards the end of theJamboree the activity being sought after themost was 1907 Badgeworks — that is,traditional Scouting, Scouting from 100 yearsago. This is indeed a compliment to thefounders of the movement.

In his 1897 poem, “The Feet of the YoungMen,” Rudyard Kipling wrote,

Who hath smelt wood-smoke attwilight? Who hath heard thebirch-log burning?Who is quick to read the noisesof the night?Let him follow with the others,for the Young Men’s feet areturningTo the camps of proved desire andknown delight!

The social and spiritual learning that occursaround a campfire or under canvas, in mymind, far outweigh any day trip.

As an educator, I must admit that seeing theyouth demonstrate the development we arelooking for is the most rewarding thing of all.To see them giving each other a hand on thehigh ropes, to see them unafraid to sing asloud as they can around a fire, to see them notonly understanding but living environmentalawareness at camp, to see them act not only asindividuals but as a massive group is anincentive to continue to offer suchprogramming.

Partway through the week, as I stood outsidethe program headquarters with anotherprogram team member from the nationaloffice, a young Scout came up to us and askedpolitely if either of us had lost a $20 bill. Hehad found it close to where we were standing.When neither of us claimed it, he asked whathe should do with it. This in itself wasScouting at its best, but when we brought himto the lost and found and put it in anenvelope with the location it was found andthe finder’s name (in case it was not claimed)it was even more amazing to see that it wasput into a pile of other envelopes that hadfound money in them as well.

Education in its finest hour . . . and availableto all. Baden-Powell would be proud.

Rob Ridley has been teaching environmentaleducation for almost 20 years and is currently theField Centres Coordinator for the Peel DistrictSchool Board. He has been involved at all levels inScouting for the last 15 years as an adult.

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ducation for CurriculumE

Silvercreek Outdoor Education Centre hasbeen operating since 1982 under the auspicesof the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District SchoolBoard through a lease agreement with theCredit Valley Conservation Authority. The1400-acre property captures the NiagaraEscarpment within the Credit Valley watershedand provides a multitude of outdoorexperiences. Historically, the SilvercreekOutdoor Education Centre has deliveredoutdoor experiences that extend and augmentcurricular opportunities for over 30,000students in Grades 4 to 12.

Recently, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic DistrictSchool Board has expanded these curriculum-based outdoor experiences by establishing asatellite classroom from Archbishop OscarRomero Secondary School to deliver creditprogramming using the outdoor environmentat Silvercreek Outdoor Education Centre. Witha pre-existing low ropes course, a recentlyinstalled high ropes course, and access to theBruce Trail and Niagara Escarpment less than30 minutes from urban Brampton andMississauga, Ontario, the location just northof Georgetown is ideal.

The Adventure Based Learning Experience(ABLE) program is designed for students whorequire a non-traditional approach to learningwith varied program delivery options or needa flexible learning landscape. While thesesenior students have earned between 17 and20 secondary school credits, the regularsecondary setting has not led to continuedacademic or personal success. Entering itssecond year, this unique experiential learningprogram provides students from Mississaugaand Brampton the opportunity to “learn fromdoing” in an outdoor education environmentwhile earning high school credits towards anOntario Secondary School Diploma. Theprimary focus is on preparing students to

return to their community school, integrateinto the world of work, or successfullytransition to a post-secondary institution.

Most students in ABLE earn the followingcredits: Peer and Leadership Support (GPP3O); Fitness and Recreation Leadership (PLF4C); Church and Christ (HRE 4O); andLearning Strategies (GLS 4O). Some studentswill earn a credit in Entrepreneurial Studies(BDI 3C) through a blended mode of delivery;they combine the completion of anIndependent Learning Course with practicalexperience in running the breakfast club, classstore and other fundraisers. Above and beyondthis credit package, students have access toother Independent Learning Courses.

As an experiential learning program, ABLEuses various vehicles of delivery (low ropes,high ropes, wilderness experiences, initiativetasks, breakfast club, food bank and soupkitchen experiences) to present students withdeliberately designed learning experiences andchallenges. Each student has an opportunity todevelop a reservoir of skills through theirexperiences. Based on the work of BarryBennett in Beyond Monet, students completevarious assessment tools. The teachers useobservation, assessment and facilitation toextract data and assist students in the processof self and group analysis, goal setting,language deconstruction, peer feedback andpeer mentoring. From these experiencesstudents recognize the skills that maycontribute to credit attainment. Whether theexperience is in Algonquin Park or in a sciencelab, students use these methodologies toacquire knowledge and apply it. They learn touse various assessment tools in the midst ofexperience, written assignments, videojournals and verbal presentations.

Alternative Education, Not Alternative Locationby Anna-Marie Mills and Kevin O’Dwyer

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The program also makes use of experiencesthat focus on leadership, communication,team building and co-operative learning. As aresult, the ABLE program operates within atheory of group development that is based onTuckman’s (1965) familiar cycle of forming,storming, norming and transforming.

One approach to understanding how the ABLEprogram works is to recount a student’sjourney through this experiential learningenvironment. All the names have beenchanged to protect students’ identities andsome elements have been altered to provide amore composite example of a studentexperience.

Kara’s Path

Students are referred to the ABLE program byguidance counsellors or administrators.Assessing whether a student’s profile mesheswith the program criteria occurs through areview of credit counsel summaries and his orher Ontario Student Record (OSR). Afterdetermining an initial match, the student isoffered an interview. The principal receives arecommendation following the interview.

Kara’s first interview was abbreviated — shewas unprepared to be self-reflective and waspre-occupied with the slow pace of her watch.Although positive and extroverted, it wasclearly a veneer. Five months later, with a caston her foot, Kara’s second interview revealedanother semester mired by a behaviour patternthat left her frustrated and unable to achieveher academic potential. This interview exposeda more grounded candidate who self-identified a need for substantive change. Karaentered the program stalled at 23 credits,focused on graduating. She was a genuinelycaring person and willing to extend herself to“help” others, however this help was often at acost to herself.

In the forming stage of the class, the studentsbonded to the extent that peer pressureprevented them from moving into the

storming phase. Kara relied on her pre-existingpattern of conflict avoidance to placate anyand all perceived sources of disagreement.Each event designed to illicit and provideopportunities to resolve potential differenceswas quickly managed by Kara to placate thesource of conflict with altruisms such as“Can’t we just get along?” or “I thought wewere together on this.” Her pattern ofmanaging conflict in her life was now evidentin the classroom. Unrecognized by Kara wasthe fact that other students were generatingpressure through verbal and non-verbalconflict that reinforced her willingness toavoid conflict to the extent that she wouldmodify her own behaviour to provide relieffrom criticism.

Being walked all over is a major problem inmy life. It started in high school. I was madefun of in Grade 9 because I wasn’t totallyskinny like the other girls. A guy nameAkeem use to call me all sorts of names, my(student) agenda got ripped up in thesmoker’s area at school — it was soembarrassing. Those incidents have createdbottled feelings like was there somethingwrong with me. Why do they have it out forme?

– Kara

Her self-esteem was fed by her genuine caringbut was also her trap. She wouldaccommodate individuals’ conflict to thepoint and frequency that she could notrecognize what she personally stood for andwas willing to engage in high risk ventures inorder to “help” someone.

Then a boy named Ron came into my life.He didn’t compliment me, he didn’t have ajob and he lived at his friend’s house. Whata man, hey, well maybe I can fix him.Maybe those were signs to say goodbye but,no, I wanted to help and that is what I triedto do. Wrong again and again.

. . . [W]e argued, he pushed me, Ipunched him and he turned around and

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pushed me down the stairs. . . . I had tobe different and look what different gotme — six weeks in a cast and a foot thatstill hurts today.

– Kara

She was being manipulated by people in herlife and now in the class. Kara’s desire to beliked resulted in appeasement. A further issueexisted because the class as an entity did notwant to “storm.” This behaviour stifled furtherdevelopment and kept Kara in the cycle ofappeasing others. Both Kara and anotherstudent in the class were offered theopportunity to alter the behaviour of creatingobstacles to interference. Kara accepted thechallenge.Kara’s breakthrough moment was realizeddeep in Algonquin Park. With no place tohide, run to, or avoid others, she was forced todeal with issues stemming from class. Later,the class would identify the significant valueof Kara’s contribution. At that same time shedid not give in to the pattern of lowering herown standards to accommodate and beaccepted. She earned respect.

For me to succeed I need to set boundariesand limits to what will make me happy andnot what I will tolerate. It is the only way Iwill grow into dealing with problems andactions I have made, whether right orwrong. People know now that I have setsome boundaries and so do my friends, butI will have to re-evaluate my personalcontract every once in a while.

– Kara

Kara achieved six credits in the span of asemester in ABLE and is currently in her firstyear of college, living in residence.

Beyond the government’s focus onaccountability, assessment and standardizedtesting, some of the more significant studentsuccess has yet to find a “strand.” Fortunately,both ABLE students and teachers value thehuman face in education.

I believe that the goal of this trip(Algonquin) was to embed in our mindsthat not only can we accomplish overdifficult situations but also a strategy on howto do so, especially with other individualsdifferent from ourselves. . . . This trip putme in the most difficult, negative mindsetand through the most physical torture I haveever been in, and even though my mindwas expressing negative thoughts andfeelings, my mouth was so trained it filteredand edited my negative thoughts intopositive and well expressed communicatedissues. This made cold hard facts sound likewarm soft criticism and that has helped meas a person.

– ABLE student, 2007

The depth of these experiences goes wellbeyond credit attainment and initiates aprocess of lifelong learning.

Reference

Tuckman, B.W. (1965). Developmentalsequence in small groups. PsychologicalBulletin, 63, 384–399. (Reprinted in GroupFacilitation: A Research and ApplicationsJournal, 3, Spring 2001, 66–81. Retrieved 2October 2007 from http://dennislearningcenter.osu.edu/references/GROUP%20DEV%20ARTICLE.doc)

Anna-Marie Mills is a 14-year teacher withextensive trekking experience in Nepal, Vietnam,Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysiaand India. After teaching in Japan for three years,Anna-Marie became involved in adventure-basededucation while pursuing her interests of canoeingand backpacking.

Kevin O’Dwyer is a 26-year veteran in theteaching field, all within the Dufferin-PeelCatholic District School Board with qualificationsin Phys-Ed and Geography and an emphasis onWorld Issues. Kevin brings to the classroomextensive counselling experience he developedduring his 11-year commitment to union work.

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At first glance Sioux Lookout is a typicalnorthern Ontario town, situated within anintricate lake and river system, socially focusedon year-round outdoor activities, andenveloped by kilometres and more kilometresof undomesticated Canadian Shieldlandscape. You might think this would be anideal spot for outdoor education, just as wedid when we moved here only a couple ofyears ago. In fact, we specifically envisionedbuilding a not-for-profit business that wouldfill the need for alternative professionaltraining and youth programming through theuse of outdoor experiences. However, asyoung people ready to bring atypical forms ofoutdoor education to the culture of SiouxLookout, we were unaware of how the atypicalculture of Sioux Lookout would insteadexpose the need for change in our outdooreducation programming.

Before you Google “Sioux Lookout,” or plan aquick weekend visit to the town known for itsBlueberry Festival and Bearskin Airlines, thereare a couple things you should be preparedfor. Although the first word in the town’sname is pronounced the same as the first wordin the city of Sault St. Marie, they are asdifferent from each other as the spelling oftheir names. And despite the fact that placessuch as Perry Sound, Timmins, and even thecity of Thunder Bay are considered by most ofthe Ontario population to be located in“northern” Ontario, you would still need todrive many hours north on the Trans-Canadahighway (or fly many nautical miles in a planetoo small to have a toilet) to reach thenorthern town of Sioux Lookout.

Besides being located a great distance frommost of urban Ontario, you should also beprepared for the fact that approximately halfof its residents are Aboriginal. Bush planes dotthe shoreline ready to transport First Nations

visitors and their cargo to fly-in communitiesnorth of the town. Self-proclaimed as the“Hub of the North,” Sioux Lookout is one ofthe major towns that services over 40 FirstNations communities, and therefore hasnaturally become home to Aboriginal peoplewanting to live in a town that offers year-round road access and is merely a one-hourdrive to the closest Wal-Mart. Riding on acultural history proven to survive everythingfrom the harsh Canadian climate to theassimilation tactics of political and religiousgroups, the First Nations culture in town haschallenged us to continue developing thelearning process within outdoor education.

The remainder of this article is a collection ofobservations and anecdotes about lessons wehave learned in becoming more culturallyfluent facilitators. It should not be viewed as acomplete analysis of either Aboriginal ormainstream cultures but rather as a collectionof incidents that have influenced us andhelped inform our practice as facilitators.Furthermore we should point out that neitherof us is of Aboriginal ancestry; we have,however, spent a considerable amount of timein the North, which has allowed us to developclose cross-cultural friendships wherein realdialogue about cultural differences has takenplace.

We are very grateful to those Aboriginalfriends who have in a sense taken us undertheir wings and with great patience helped us,first, to realize when we have been culturallyinappropriate and, second, to learn other waysof doing things. Lastly, we would like to pointout that the terms “Aboriginal/non-Aboriginalparticipants” and “Aboriginal/non-Aboriginalcultures” are used here to refer to the twomain cultural groups in this area. Weacknowledge that there is diversity within themembership of the mainstream cultures, as

Cultural Diversity in Outdoor Educationby Graham Thompson and Erin Horvath

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Tous Nos Voyageurs

well as between the various AboriginalNations within Canada. These terms are usedhere simply to help highlight some generalsimilarities and differences that exist withinthese cultures.

While we for many years have understood thatecological literacy is highly valued andpracticed by most Aboriginal communities, westill made the mistake of approaching land-based experiences as challenges to beconquered. We failed to realize manyparticipants on such outings are quite relaxedand see the experience as a natural andeveryday experience. On one particularoccasion while on a canoe trip with some ofour friends, we were relying heavily on a mapto guide our direction, and inevitably thedecisions that faced our group. However, withtheir familiarity of the land and keen eye forseeing changes in landscape, our Aboriginalcomrades thought it was hilarious that werelied so much on an overvalued resource, andthrew the map into the wind, whicheventually carried it to its destiny at thebottom of the lake. It was us who venturedinto much of the learning that day, includingtrusting them to get us home.

In our efforts to become more experiencedoutdoor educators we have learned that manyAboriginal people in northern Ontarioconsider excessive eye contact and dramaticbody language to be intrusive. As students ofmainstream society in southern Ontario, wewere taught and often required to use a very“in your face” and upfront form ofcommunication. It appears to me now thatleadership in mainstream society hascorrelated animated body language withconfidence. Aboriginal leadership style is oftenfar more subtle, yet reflects a confidence rarelyseen in non-Aboriginal people. Both of ushave learned that, when facilitating a cross-cultural group, it is important for thefacilitator to be able to include and role modelother ways of leading. If not, Aboriginalparticipants may come to the conclusion thatthey can never be leaders because they do notnaturally lead the way that is most commonwithin mainstream Canadian society.

Appropriate eye contact and leadership styleare just two things that a facilitator of outdooreducation must be conscious of in order tofacilitate effectively when working with across-cultural audience. However, besidesappropriate facilitation, we have learned thatit is just as important to develop a programthat allows room for new forms of problemsolving and observation.

Recently we constructed a low ropes course ina quiet location just outside of town calledCedar Bay Recreation Complex, a place thathas an elaborate network of trails forhorseback riding in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter, as well acting as asummer day camp for the local youth (andtrillions of local bugs). With limited accessand just the most basic forms of infrastructure,Cedar Bay is a natural haven for groups tofocus on their own challenges and successes,and a comfortable place for many FirstNations people who even today continue toutilize the natural resources surrounding theircommunities.

“. . . leadership in

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During a region-wide leadership training campfor youth, we were privileged to haveparticipants from a number of northern FirstNations communities as well as non-Aboriginal youth from local towns includingSioux Lookout. Even though all the non-Aboriginal participants had some experiencesliving alongside Aboriginal peoples withinmainstream society, the majority were notfamiliar with the ways that Aboriginal cultureis different from the mainstream. This led tosome interesting group dynamics. In oneinstance, several participants voiced that theythought the Aboriginal youth were just shybecause they were out of their element. Whenasked by the facilitator, “Are you shy?” theAboriginal youth replied, “No, we’re just

listening”! The Aboriginal youth explainedthat some of the non-Aboriginal participantstalked more than they were used to, leavingfew chances for them to share their own ideas.

Since utilizing our new low ropes course toteach various life skills, we have become evenmore aware of the need to develop programsthat provide time and physical space forobservation. When comparing the problemsolving and group work styles of ourAboriginal and non-Aboriginal participants,we have noticed that there is an importantdifference: Instead of adopting the “brushyourself off and try again” strategy, manyAboriginal participants would rather wait,watch and try once they feel they know how to

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successfully complete the task. When workingin a culturally diverse group they will oftenstand back and silently strategize rather thanlead a conversation regarding strategy.Unfortunately many facilitators haveinterpreted this type of behaviour as “timid”or even “uninterested.”

One incident comes to mind where someparticipants prematurely concluded that someAboriginal group members were not interestedin participating. Part of the group was huddledtogether brainstorming possible solutionswhile randomly trying things to see whatwould work. The Aboriginal participants werestanding to the side observing and thinkingabout what might work. When we paused thegroup for a “teachable moment” we asked thegroup to observe the group’s physicalformation. The non-Aboriginal participantsrealized that they had put their backs to theAboriginal group members, excluding thementirely from their conversation. In an effortto include the Aboriginal members, one of theparticipants asked the others if they had anyideas to share. The Aboriginal participantsshared their observations and suggested asolution (as it turned out, the proposedsolution was the missing component of thepuzzle!). During the debriefing componentone Aboriginal participant explained that shedid not want to seem rude and interrupt thegroup but had in fact seen the solution earlyon in the group task. An interestingconversation followed that gave membersfrom both cultural groups a chance to inquireand understand more about norms withineach society. The Aboriginal participantsexplained that many of them have been taughtthat it is impolite to tell someone that theiridea is wrong because it robs that person oftheir learning experience. As facilitators wehave observed that it is not uncommon forAboriginal participants to wait to share theirideas until asked. This creates an interestinggroup dynamic when doing a problem solvingchallenge. We have learned that it is vital toacknowledge and talk about different culturalapproaches before beginning an initiative,first, to avoid misunderstandings and, second,

Tous Nos Voyageurs

to give participants the chance to tryapproaching the problem in a way that allowsall forms of expression.

Our learning is definitely ongoing as we striveto become more culturally sensitive andrelevant as facilitators in a culturallysegregated community. Although we havebeen living and working in northwesternOntario for over ten years, we still feel we areat the beginning of an awkward yet importantjourney of trying to see the world throughdifferent cultural lenses. This process hasmade us more aware of our own biases,processing preferences and leadership styles.Furthermore it has made us painfully aware ofthe many ways that other cultural expressions(in this case Aboriginal culture) are muted andsuppressed inadvertently by the way manyfacilitators unknowingly promote mainstreamcultures’ ways of communication, problemsolving and leadership. While oversight mayseem slight to those of us who see the worldthrough the lens of the dominant culture, wehave been told and have observed that itcommunicates volumes to members ofdifferent cultures about how their ways areviewed and accepted. We hope this article isviewed not as an anthropological case study,but rather as a small collection of observationsthat highlight an area in need of someattention, especially for facilitators whointeract with Aboriginal participants. Moreimportantly, we hope it is viewed as aninvitation for all facilitators to become moreculturally fluent facilitators within theculturally diverse country of Canada.

Graham Thompson and Erin Horvath live in a loghome in the northern Ontario community of SiouxLookout, where they are raising two young boys,Braeden and Tyler. Although both have years ofexperience providing outdoor education and eachcarry Master of Education degrees, it has only beenin the last year that they have made facilitatingexperiential learning a fulltime job. Their not-for-profit business is called New Vision Unlimited(www.newvisionunlimited.9k.com).

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ackpocketB

Bananas on Trail: Inspiring Global Connectionsby Charlotte Jacklein

Flecks of sunlight gleam on the windy lake,the autumn hills are a haze of gold and red,my group of students are navigating theircanoes through the rocky islets of theCanadian shield — and I’m thinking aboutbananas. Banana chips, to be precise.

As an outdoor educator, I love the immediacyof my work and the sense of living fully inevery moment. I value seeing the change instudents as they step out of the complexframework of their home lives and experiencethemselves and their surroundings from a newperspective. Much of the power of thisexperience often comes from the sense ofisolation and purity when travelling andworking together in a wilderness or outdoorcontext. Yet in reality, even if we are travellingweeks away from visible signs of the “outsideworld,” we remain closely connected to amultitude of other people and places.

Enter the banana chips. Here we are, paddlingthousands of kilometres from the nearestplantation, yet our next trail snack is bananachips. Tasty stuff, but loaded with complexitiesrarely addressed on an average day.

An ongoing challenge for me as an outdooreducator is to connect students’ outdoorexperience to the greater global world aroundus — in a positive way that empowers andencourages discussion, and doesn’t shattertheir outdoor experience or leave them feelinghopeless in the face of the world’s problems.Given the potential of outdoor education tohave a powerful impact on students, it followsthat we use it to explore social justice andglobal issues.

The following activities can be adapted to agegroup, time limitations and resources. Framedin a non-judgmental and open manner, theseactivities, in addition to being fun and lively,can lead to powerful discussions andrealizations among the students.

Race Around the World

This activity can be a lightning-fast energizerwith little discussion, or it can be turned into alengthier activity with an extended debrief.

While outdoors, present the students with thechallenge of, as quickly as possible, findingthings made in as many different countries aspossible (or specific countries, or three itemsfrom the same country, etc). Depending ongroup size, students can work individually, inpairs or in teams. Give students five minutesto fan out around the campsite and gothrough their bags. Clothing in particular isusually conveniently well labelled.

Once the students return, have them• sort the items by continent (or dress

someone up entirely in clothes from thatcontinent or country)

• lay out the items by distance (closestcountry to furthest away).

Possible debrief questions:1. Do you notice any patterns of where

things are made?2. What do you know about these countries?3. Why do you think things are made there?

The World on our Table

Before a meal on trail, have each student orpair of students pick up an item of food that’sabout to be served (e.g., trail mix, crackers, bagof cookies, and so on). Give the students a fewminutes to read any labels, figure out what’s inthe food and where the food came from, andto think about what resources and people werelikely involved in producing the food item.

Form a circle, then go around and have eachstudent or pair present their food item frombeginning to end. Depending on the age group,the response might look something like this:

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Backpocket

The label on these crackers says theywere made in Canada. The wheat wasprobably grown on the Prairies. Thewheat needed soil, sun and water togrow. Pesticides and fertilizer wereprobably applied to the wheat. Afarmer used machines like tractors,which needed gas that might havecome from Alberta. The wheat waslikely transported by train and thenperhaps ship from Thunder Bay. Thegrain was turned into flour and thenbaked into crackers in a factory. Thewrappers are made of plastic, whichuses petroleum products that mighthave come from Alberta, andcardboard, made from trees, perhapsfrom northern Ontario. The crackerswere then shipped to a grocery storewhere we bought them and broughtthem here by bus and then canoe.

Even a simple trail meal will inevitably involvea large number of resources and people.Increased awareness of this use of resourceswill give students a new perspective on theirfood, even if it’s a meal they’ve eaten manytimes before. During the debrief it’s importantthat the facilitator be conscious not to create asense of guilt, but rather foster a sense ofthankfulness and awareness of the privilege tobe eating good food.

The Great Banana Chain

This activity can take about 15 minutes, orwith discussion and debrief can be expandedto take much longer. The banana is only anexample, and could be changed to anynumber of products that we consume.Younger students in particular enjoy the role-playing and movements in this activity, whileolder students are able to go into more detailand also touch on related topics like fair trade.

1. Brainstorm what things we use orconsume on a regular basis. The facilitatorthen says, “Wow, it’s only 11 o’clock andwe’ve already used a lot of things today.Often the things we use have travelled from

far away and many different people andresources were involved in making them.We’re going to look at something simplelike a banana, and try to find out how manydifferent people and things were involvedin getting the banana to our bellies.”

2. Ask a volunteer to think of a motion andsound to represent eating a banana. Letthem act this out, and then ask the classwhere this person got the banana from.The next volunteer can be a store clerk,making a sound and a motion. Ask howthe banana got to the store. You’ll havelots of volunteers to be truck drivers,airplane pilots, ship captains. You can gothrough the sound/motion sequence frombeginning to end each time (if the setup isfast/concise), or simply let each newperson do their sound and motion, andthen do them all together at the end.

Possible roles: Store clerk – Shelf packer at store– Produce packers – Banana pickers – Pesticidesprayers – Waterers – River – Banana planters –Manager/owner – Burners – Loggers – Indigenouspeople – Wild animals affected by logging

Additional questions to consider: What doesthe machinery run on? – Where does the watercome from for irrigation? – What are theimpacts of clearcutting land? – Who lived onthe land before it was logged?

Get everyone to act out the banana chain frombeginning to end, complete with wild monkeys,falling trees, coughing pesticide sprayers,speeding trucks, and so on, and ending withthe person taking a bite from the banana.

Possible debrief questions:1. Do you have the power to change

anything in the chain?2. Do you think this system is fair?3. How can we make systems like these more

fair (or live more simply)?

Charlotte Jacklein has worked as an outdooreducator and guide in Canada and abroad. She iscurrently working at Outward Bound Canada.

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Brock University offers both undergraduateand graduate programs and is host toapproximately 17,000 students. It is the onlyCanadian university located in a WorldBiosphere Reserve — the Niagara Escarpment.The Bruce Trail passes through campus, andoffers ample opportunities for hiking,mountain biking, nature interpretation andoutdoor education. Brock is nestled in theheart of the Niagara wine region in St.Catharines, Ontario with Niagara Falls in closeproximity.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce thereaders of Pathways to some of the recentchanges and exciting outdoor recreationeducational opportunities within theDepartment of Recreation and Leisure Studiesat Brock University.

The Department of Recreation and LeisureStudies at Brock University has a long anddistinguished history. The department openedits doors to students in 1981, and currentlyserves over 400 undergraduate and 15graduate students. Undergraduate studentselect to study in one of three concentrations —Inclusive and Therapeutic Recreation,Community Recreation or Outdoor Recreation— and may choose a general recreation degree.The department also offers a three-year passprogram, and has articulation agreements withseveral colleges. Graduate students maychoose the Leisure Studies field in the Masterof Applied Health Sciences program, and focustheir studies in any of the three concentrationareas, including Outdoor Recreation.

Early coursework focused on outdoorleadership and challenge course facilitation. Asnew faculty joined the department, outdoorrecreation courses centered on outdoorrecreation resource management, ecotourismand recreation in nature-based environments.

Recently, three new faculty members — Dr.Mary Breunig, Dr. Garrett Hutson and Dr. TimO’Connell — have refocused theconcentration on outdoor leadership in thenatural environment.

A new concentration mission was articulatedand reads as follows:

The Brock University, Department ofRecreation and Leisure Studies,Outdoor Recreation concentrationprovides students with the skills,knowledge and dispositions necessaryto serve as wilderness trip leaders, tofacilitate groups in outdoor recreationsettings, to work in a variety ofoutdoor and experiential educationenvironments, and to serve as agentsof social and environmental change inthe world. All classroom and field-based activities include lectures,outdoor and experiential activities,and small group work.

An exciting new outdoor recreation curriculumwas implemented in the fall of 2007. Allcourses include theoretical knowledge relatedto leisure, play, recreation, outdoor leadership,group dynamics, outdoor education in the K–12 context and experiential education.Technical outdoor skills such as rock climbing,canoeing, winter camping, orienteering,backpacking and minimum impact campingare the centre of a sequence of field coursesbeginning in second year. The development ofinterpersonal, critical thinking and writing,and research and evaluation skills is alsoemphasized in the concentration. TheOutdoor Recreation faculty emphasize theneed for inclusive, professional and ethicaldispositions through their deliberate use of ananti-oppressive teaching and learningframework, both in the classroom and in fieldactivities.

Outdoor Recreation at Brock Universityby Mary Breunig, Tim O’Connell and Garrett Hutson

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In addition to Recreation and Leisure Studiescore courses, some Outdoor Recreation andgeneral elective courses include the following:

RECL 2F16 — Outdoor Recreation Theory

and Practices

Examination of outdoor recreation theoriesand engagement in a variety of introductoryoutdoor field experiences that may includebackpacking, winter camping, rock climbing,canoeing, snowshoeing and cross countryskiing.

RECL 3P06 — Outdoor Recreation

Resource Management

Social and ecological principles in themanagement of people in outdoor settings.Theoretical and applied perspectives ondecision-making systems (governance),management frameworks and siteconsiderations.

RECL 3P26 — Outdoor and Environmental

Education

Theoretical and practical investigation of theoutdoors as a setting to developenvironmental awareness and connection toplace.

RECL 3P30 — Risk Management in

Recreation

Issues and concerns with the identificationand management of recreation and leisureprograms on individual, organizational andindustry-wide levels. Legal and industrystandards for risk management.

RECL 3P76 — Outdoor Program

Management

Examination and analysis of the organizationand operation of outdoor recreationprograms, challenge courses, residential andday camps, and/or environmental educationprograms.

RECL 4P16 — Advanced Wilderness

Program Planning

An in-depth analysis and application of theplanning and execution of an extendedoutdoor wilderness trip.

RECL 4P55 — Group Dynamics in

Recreation

An in-depth analysis and application of groupdynamics theory, techniques and research tosuccessful group facilitation in a recreationcontext.

The Brock University Outdoor Recreationprogram is currently accepting applications forthe Master in Applied Health Sciencesprogram. Please visit http://fahs.brocku.ca/gradstudies for more information about thisprogram.

Additional information about theundergraduate program is available on theRecreation and Leisure Studies homepage athttp://fahs.brocku.ca/recl/.

Dr. Mary Breunig (mary.breunig@brocku.ca),Dr. Tim O’Connell (tim.oconnell@brocku.ca),and Dr. Garrett Hutson(garrett.hutson@brocku.ca) are all facultymembers in the Outdoor Recreation Concentrationwithin the Department of Recreation and LeisureStudies at Brock University in St. Catharines,Ontario.

In the Field

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A shot gun goes off mere metres from myhead. My eyes pop open in sheer surprise andfright. The sun is just barely making lightthrough the thin tent walls and the hoods ofmy sleeping bags have done nothing to mufflethe sound. It is 4:45 am. Sarah groans, “Thatbetter be a bear.” Michelle says, “I think hewants us to get up.” And I shakily say, “Hecan’t be serious.”

Our Dene friend Ron is chuckling to himself,and yelling at us to get up. There is reason tosquish the temptation of remaining snuggledin to sleep; the snow has lightly dusted themossy ground and wild cranberries beneaththe weathered and gnarled jack pines,immense pieces of blue ice are crashing downthe Snowdrift River below where we lay, thefire is already crackling promises of breakfast,and the rolling hills of the NorthwestTerritories are challenging us to moreadventures. I can do nothing but laugh at thispeculiar alarm clock as I unzip my sleepingbag and briefly reflect on my previous fewweeks.

Three weeks ago I boarded a Greyhound buswith six of my fellow fourth year buddies towrap up our final Recreation credit. Fourprovinces, seven silly prairie mesh-back hats,one territory, one ridiculous British book, twosleepless nights, thousands of kilometres, anda snazzy chartered flight later, I found myselfin a small isolated community of under 300people tucked in a gorgeous bay on the eastarm of Great Slave Lake.

Three weeks have seemed like a whirlwind,and although it has gone by in a blink, it feelslike I have had a lifetime of learning. Being uphere has given me a whole new perspective onwhat it is to be Canadian. To begin, thewildlife and the scenery are absolutelybreathtaking in a really raw and barren waywith harsh cliffs, stunted spruce, icy rivers,

miles of frozen lake and, besides the verysmall community of Lutsel K’e, not a singleother settlement in sight. Being within thisruthless landscape for only minutes gives youthis unbelievable appreciation for the peoplewho have survived here for so long.

Every day is filled with challenges, but alsowith awe. The northern lights come out in theshort-lived spring nights like they were on atimer. And though the trees and plants growsmall, the winds rip, and the snow still laysthick and deep in early May, the animals growbig, healthy and hearty.

Within the first week, we had all had our turnripping across the still frozen lake onsnowmobiles to catch dinner for ourselves andthe community. We had pulled out giganticlake trout (which our Lutsel K’e friends claimare nothing above average), and learned toclean and cook them on an open firealongside big chunks of caribou meat, fresh(and the most delicious) bannock and bigpots of tea. The community welcomed us,with many offers of meat, fishing trips, lessonsin shooting a rifle, a beautiful cabin to stay in,games, and above all their stories.

The people of Lutsel K’e were by far the mostinteresting and beautiful part of thisadventure. They have and are continuing toendure hardships of living in isolation and aredealing with the aftermath of terribledecisions made by outsiders. Their knucklesare white from grasping onto what is left oftheir rich culture and way of life, but theirhearts are overflowing with the pride of whothey are, and how they have come to be. Theyare rising to the challenge of putting their feetdown, and holding on to the land that is acrucial element of ensuring the integrity oftheir lifestyle, and the life of the land aroundthem. The elders have the history, the middle-aged have modern knowledge and the young,

A Truly Northern Experienceby Christy Norwood

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well, they have the hope. I think that together,they make a fine team. It was a phenomenalpleasure to have learned from all of them.

The second and third weeks were filled withtime spent with the kids in the school(Kindergarten to Grade 10), hikes, meetings,and much more. We did two days of rockclimbing with the high school kids, and, letme tell you, field trips are very different in theNorthwest Territories. There is no such thingas a permission form or waivers, or even a seatbelt. It was relaxed, fun and refreshing to thinkthat maybe safety can take a vacation.

We witnessed the frustration of being inmeetings that address serious issues wherelanguages are a barrier, where goals and needsdo not match, where people talk in circles,and where nobody leaves entirely happy.These meetings are only slight pebbles of themountains that this community will have toclimb to make their land the park they want itto be.

The trip began to wind down with a hikingtrip along the Snowdrift River. The whitewatercrashed, the snow fell, and we ate morehotdogs than you can shake a stick at. Wespent our last few days hanging out with thekids, buying artwork, saying goodbyes andthank yous, and doing what all goodRecreationers do: standing in a circle andreflecting.

On our last night, as the remaining daylightfaded to deep blue in the midnight hour, theseven of us ran yelling and laughing into asmall, open, freezing cold lead of the GreatSlave Lake. Though the water was more thancold, it was exhilarating, and it felt absolutelyamazing to be truly immersed in the north.Although we may never again use a rifle as analarm clock, pay $13 for a jar of salsa, eat afish eyeball, hold a fresh 20-pound lake trout,tan a hide, or sit by a river sipping tea with sixDene Elders, these unique experiences areburned deep into our beings. It was onefantastic adventure.

I would like to thank everyone who supportedus to make this excursion possible. Thanks toall of you who bought our baked goods, crafts,kilometres, and old clothes; thank you toORPT, the Northern Research, personaldonors, and LUSU for all the funding; thankyou to our friends and family for your moralsupport and ideas; and thank you so muchLeslie and Harvey for sticking with us, trustingus, mentoring us, and believing in us. Finally,I want to thank Michelle, James, Sarah, Jen,Meredith, and Jess for all of your hard work,your perseverance and your dedication. It wasa truly fabulous northern adventure, and I amso glad to have done it with you.

Christy Norwood completed a Outdoor Recreation,Parks and Tourism degree as well as a NaturalScience degree at Lakehead University lastspring. She is currently studying to be a teacher inLakehead’s Outdoor Experiential andEnvironmental Education Program.

Opening the Door

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atching Our StepW

Certification for Challenge Course Practitionersby Brian Lisson and Sarah Oosterhuis

After many long years of debate, consultation,and preparation, certification for challenge/ropes course practitioners is finally here. InFebruary 2007 the Association for ChallengeCourse Technology (ACCT) approved newstandards for the certification of ChallengeCourse Practitioners. These standards will beused by accredited professional vendormembers of ACCT in the training andcertification of practitioners and may also beused as a reference by others. These newstandards represent the first common approachto certification in our industry. Certificationprovides an opportunity for organizations toknow what they are getting when they hirestaff members. It is intended to raise the barby promoting higher standards of competenceamong challenge course practitioners and tocreate some uniformity in the industry.

Standard Setting Organizations

ACCT is a trade organization of challengecourse installation and training organizationsas well as programs and other interestedparties. While its membership is primarilybased in the US there are accreditedprofessional vendor, associate andinstitutional members internationally,including in Ontario.

The organization was formed in 1993 andsince that time has published consensus-basedstandards for challenge/ropes courses in theareas of installations, operations, inspectionsand ethics (ACCT, 2004). These standardshave been utilized widely in Ontario, andadherence to aspects of them is required inboth the Ontario Camping AssociationGuidelines for Accreditation (OCA, 2006) andthe Ontario Physical and Health EducationAssociation (OPHEA) Physical EducationSafety Guidelines (OPHEA, 2004). Theaddition of practitioner certification standardscomplements the existing standards.

Certification vs. Accreditation — What’s

the Difference?

Outdoor education and experiential educatorshave long debated the merits of certificationand accreditation. Accreditation placesemphasis on the whole organization and thesystems that help it manage risk. Accreditationcommunicates to the public that anorganization has been judged by its peers tomeet a particular set of agreed upon industrypractices (Martin, Cashel, Wagstaff, & Breunig,2006). Certification on the other hand placesthe emphasis on the individual’s ability tomeet a set of pre-requisites, achieve a minimumlevel of training, and demonstrate competencyin a pre-determined set of skills (Ford &Blanchard, 1993). Certification is often morevaluable in communicating to organizationsthat provide outdoor and experientialeducation programs that a staff member holdsa predictable set of competencies.

There are merits to both accreditation andcertification. Often accredited organizationswill employ certified staff — essentially usingboth mechanisms to enhance the effectivenessof their services and manage risks effectively.In Ontario, there are many examples of bothaccreditation and certification programs that haveserved the outdoor education community well.

Challenge Course Practitioner

Certification

In choosing to create certification standards,ACCT has responded to the industry’s demandfor a common standard for the training andassessment of challenge course practitioners.In the past, organizations offering trainingprograms developed their own course formatsand assessment systems. Many of thesetraining programs provided some kind of“certification” following course participation.Across North America there were significant

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Watching Our Step

differencesamong trainingcourses regardingtotal coursehours, contentcovered andcandidateassessmentcriteria. To be“certified” meant

entirelydifferentthings

depending on the organization providing thecertification. The words training andcertification were often used interchangeably,making it difficult to know how or if aninstructor’s skills were being evaluated. Thelack of uniformity in training provided bydifferent organizations meant thatcertifications were often not portable.

The new ACCT standards create a commonapproach to describing the set minimumcompetencies required by practitionersoffering challenge course programming whilestill allowing individual training organizationsto make decisions about the specific practicesto be covered. Certification will require thatcandidates meet necessary pre-requisites,participate in training that includes particularknowledge and skills, and successfully completean evaluation process including a written testand practical assessment. Certification willcontinue to be delivered by independenttraining organizations, not by ACCT. ACCThas simply set the standards and reviewed theoperating practices of organizations that havechosen to participate in its Professional VendorMember Accreditation Program.

The new challenge course practitionercertification standards (ACCT, 2007) includethree levels: Level One is intended for entrylevel practitioners; Level Two for practisedfacilitators; and Challenge Course Manager forexperienced managers. Each level provides fordifferent tracks (options or operating systems)for certification: Low or Spotted Activities Only;High Activities Only; or Full Certification,which includes both Low and High Activities.

There is also a provision for site/systemspecific training to receive official recognition,but this track of certification is not designed tobe portable. At each level, the standardsoutline particular pre-requisites includinghours of experience and specify a particularnumber of training hours. Additionally, thenew standards have an age requirement.

Whenever a new certification system isimplemented a mechanism must be created toensure that experienced practitioners do notneed to start at the beginning. The ACCTstandards do this through “challenging-in”provisions. Requirements for challenging-in ateach level are outlined in the chart on thefollowing pages.

What Does Certification Mean for Me and

My Program?

There is no requirement for all people workingon ropes courses to be certified to thesestandards. In some cases customized or in-house trainings may be appropriate. Summercamps in particular may find it difficult toattract staff members who meet the age and/orexperience requirements. In such cases amixed approach may be necessary, wheresome certified staff supervise other staff whohave received a custom training appropriate totheir responsibilities and facility.

ACCT practitioner certification is intended toraise the quality of programming onchallenge/ropes courses. In Ontarioorganizations have long used the installationand inspection standards to improve thequality of the physical structure of their ropescourses. They have used the operationsstandards to improve the delivery of theirprograms. Practitioner certification nowcreates a new opportunity in Ontario to ensurethat staff members who are delivering andsupervising programs meet a commonminimum standard of training and experience.

For more information about the ACCTpractitioner certification standards please visitwww.acctinfo.org. A

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Watching Our Step

Summary of ACCT Challenge Course Practitioner Certification Requirements

Level

Track

Age

Hours of

Training

Prior Experience

Work

Independently

Ability to Train

Others

Staff

Competencies

from Operations

Standards

Rescues

Leading Edge

Climbing

Duration

Level 1

Full certification

Spotted activities only

High activities only

Site/System specific

Minimum age 18

Full certification — 40

hours; Spotted activities

only — 20 hours; High

activities only — 20 hours;

Site/System specific — 8

hours

None

Within the limits of training

or under the supervision

of Level 2 or a CCM

Not designed to prepare

someone to train

Meets all staff

competencies, can apply

to routine, familiar

program delivery

situations with supervision

and support

Not expected to execute

rescues

Will be able to climb

except for spotted only

activities level and those

systems that do not

require leading edge

climbing

1 year

Level 2

Full certification

Spotted activities only

High activities only

Site/System specific

Minimum age 18

Full certification — 80

hours total*; Spotted

activities only — 44 hours

total*; High activities only

— 44 hours total*; Site/

System specific — 24

hours total*

200 documented hours as

Level 1

Within the limits of training

and experience or under

the supervision of a more

experienced Level 2 or a

CCM

Not designed to prepare

someone to train

Fully meets all staff

competencies, can apply

to solving most non-

routine situations, can

provide leadership to

other staff

Able to rescue and direct

other staff. Spotted Only

not expected to rescue.

Will be able to climb

except for spotted only

activities level and those

systems that do not

require leading edge

climbing

3 years

Challenge Course

Manager

Full certification

Spotted activities only

High activities only

Site/System specific

Minimum age 21

30 hours of management

training, 16 must be

specific to challenge

course management.

Level 2 certification

required. Total of 110

hours for full certification**

500 documented hours

experience, including

facilitation and

management

Will be able to supervise

all aspects of the

Challenge Course

including developing

policies and procedures.

Capable of developing a

plan for mentoring and in

service training in LOPs

and some skills

Fully meets all staff

competencies, can

manage others, can

implement the operations

management of a facility

Able to rescue and direct

other staff. Spotted Only

not expected to rescue.

Will be able to climb

except for spotted only

activities level and those

systems that do not

require leading edge

climbing

5 years

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References

Association for Challenge Course Technology.(2004). Challenge course standards (6th ed.).Deerfield, IL: ACCT.

Association for Challenge Course Technology.(2007). Practitioner certification standards.Deerfield, IL: ACCT.

Ford, P. & Blanchard, J. (1993). Leadership andadministration of outdoor pursuits (2nd ed.).State College, PA: Venture Publishing.

Martin, B., Cashel, C., Wagstaff, M. & Breunig,M. (2006). Outdoor leadership: Theory andpractice. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Ontario Camping Association. (2006).Guidelines for Accreditation. Toronto, ON: OCA.

Ontario Physical and Health EducationAssociation. (2004). Physical education safetyguidelines. Toronto: ON. OPHEA.

Brian Lisson is the President of Adventureworks!Associates, Inc., a Professional Vendor Member(Level 3) of ACCT. He has been working on ropescourses in Ontario for the past 24 years. SarahOosterhuis is Director of Training at ChallengesUnlimited Inc., a Professional Vendor Member(Level 4) of ACCT.

Watching Our Step

Level

Recertification

Challenging In

Testing

Level 1

50 hours experience plus

retest or 8 additional

hours of training plus

retest

Portfolio of at least 100

hours of program

experience and training,

plus test

Score of at least 80% on a

written knowledge test that

includes content that

meets the Level 1

standards, and a practical

skills test. Some specific

basic skills must be

passed in order to qualify.

Level 2

150 hours experience plus

24 hours training plus

retest or 40 hours training

(24 hours for spotted

activities only or high only,

16 for site/system specific)

plus retest

Portfolio of at least 400

hours of program

experience plus 80 hours

of training (44 hours for

spotted activities only or

high activities only, 24

hours for site/system

specific), plus test

Score of at least 80% on a

written knowledge test that

includes content that

meets the Level 2

Standards, and a practical

skills test. Some specific

basic skills must be

passed in order to qualify.

Challenge Course

Manager

300 hours experience

(may include30 hours

additional training) plus

retest, or retake 30 hours

CCM training and retest. A

CCM whose Level 2

certification is expired is

required to provide a plan

for rescue and leading

edge climbs, except for

spotted only activities level

and systems that do not

require leading edge

climbing.

Level 2 certification plus

portfolio of at least 600

hours experience, 30

hours managerial training,

plus test.

Score of at least 80% on a

written knowledge test and

a practical skills test

based on Chapter 3

section A of the ACCT

operations standards.

*Level 2 training hours — total includes the hours required for Level 1 plus additional hours of Level 2 curriculum.

**CCM training hours — total includes the hours required for Level 2 plus additional hours for CCM curriculum.

© 2007 Association for Challenge Course Technology, Reprinted with Permission

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he GatheringT

Reflections on the 2007 COEO Conferenceby Bryan Grimwood

For the 2007 conference COEO aimed toharness enthusiasm for the recent researchsummary publication by using the report’stitle, Reconnecting Children Through OutdoorEducation, as the conference theme. Hosted byYMCA Wanakita in Haliburton on September28–30, the event was situated in a camp-likesetting, familiar to many long-servingmembers and a new retreat for others.

The conference kicked off with a Fridayevening slideshow and social, as membersunited with good friends, colleagues andenthusiasts of the beloved out-of-doors!

Saturday’s program began with early morningoptional activities, with some folks out in acanoe, tranquil among the morning mist,while others awakened their rested limbs witha morning jog or yoga sequence. Othersrambled weary to the kitchen for that essentialfirst cup of morning black gold. Following adelicious and bountiful breaky (a BIG thanksto the Wanakita kitchen staff for their greatefforts in wonderful food preparationthroughout the weekend) conference attendeesventured off to a variety of presentation options.

I sat in on Bob Henderson’s discussion of hisnewly released book, Nature First: Outdoor Lifethe Friluftsliv Way, a compilation of essaysfocused on the Norwegian cultural characteristicof meeting nature in daily life. I spent myafternoon with five other fire-buildingenthusiasts, sharing ideas about how the frictionfire can be used for creating connectednessamong children during outdoor educationprograms. We got our hands dirty, scavengedfor firewood, and practiced our bow-and-drillfire starting technique. One of the mostmemorable moments for me followed thissession when four of us seemingly hadnowhere to be and no desire to go anywhere,and were intent on enjoying the warmingsunshine, the breeze coming off the lake, and

continuing our practice of the ancient fire-building skill. Wonderful.

Saturday night’s festivities began with JessicaLax, founder of the Otesha Project, engagingthe COEO audience with an inspirationalaccount of how their cycling, awareness andconsciousness raising expeditions werefertilized in magical moments and bycompassionate people. Next, the hillbilly punkmusical trio, The Stables (www.myspace.com/herecomethestables), played a foot stomping90-minute session that got lively COEOmembers up on the dance floor. The socialcontinued out at the beachfront campfire withmore guitars, voices and camaraderie.

On Sunday morning, Grant Linney guided usthrough a plenary session, highlighting keyfindings of the research summary publication.Shane Kramer then called the Annual GeneralMeeting to order. Good news and goodbusiness for the COEO crowd.

Reflecting on the theme of the event, I realizedthat “reconnecting children” does notnecessarily equate to reconnecting those undera prescribed age. Reconnecting children refersto engaging the child that lives within us allwith meaning, experience, community and theforces that sustain us.

With that in mind, I applaud the 2007conference planning committee and attendingCOEO delegates for their hard work,enthusiasm and devotion to making this year’sconference a success. The 2008 conferenceplanning committee is already at work, aimingto build the momentum and energy of thereconnected 2007 conference crew.

Bryan Grimwood is in the early stages of PhD studiesin the Department of Geography and EnvironmentalStudies at Carleton University in Ottawa.

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eyond Our BordersB

Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental

Education Associationby Peta White

Officially founded in 1972 (but existing inanother form before that), the SaskatchewanOutdoor and Environmental EducationAssociation (SOEEA) is steadily approachingits 40th birthday and still going strong. A yearago, however, this was not the case.

At that time both the past-president andadministrative assistant (a married couple) leftsouthern Saskatchewan for the NorthwestTerritories; at the same time the then-presidentdecided that he could not continue either.SOEEA was left somewhat rudderless.Fortunately, with a strong board of directors

in position, and with much dedication andhard work over the past year, the associationhas returned to fine form. We spent timegetting our house in order: checking ourbooks, revamping our website, filing,archiving and creating protocols for recordkeeping and backing up. We now have awonderful administrative assistant, anoverflowing board membership, increasinggeneral membership and many activities in theplanning/action stage.

SOEEA has managed its resources well over thepast 30-something years and has accumulatedquite a nest egg. Our year-to-year expenses arecovered via a grant from the SaskatchewanLotteries in partnership with SaskatchewanParks and Recreation (SPRA). This fundingcovers our many areas of action and projects andprovides our administrative assistant’s wages.

Recently we held a strategic planning retreatweekend where we invited many of SOEEA’scolleagues to look at where we have been, whowe are, and our current and future agendagiven our position in the field ofenvironmental and outdoor education.

A number of key phrases were gathered at theretreat weekend: learning to contribute fromyour strength, engaging people, ways tosustain us include working with others, and

contacts are as important as people. We arekeeping these in mind as we activate ouraction plans over the next three years.

SOEEA has identified four target audiencegroups: formal and non-formal educators(including school administrators), decisionmakers, partner organizations, and families(general public). Each target group defines aworking area for our association and ismanaged by a board member. We have alsoidentified a number of other areas that havebecome the responsibility of individual boardmembers. These include communications,archiving and the 40th year celebrations, eco-activities and the usual executive roles.

SOEEA continues to manage three smallgranting opportunities for our members: theprofessional development grant, anenvironmental and outdoor educationexperience grant and an environmental actionproject grant. These small grants enable ourmembers to engage in learning actions andactivities in the outdoors, often encouragingothers to join in.

One of our most successful programs over thepast few years has been the SOEEA Ecotour.For this event SOEEA plans an activity thatgets its members outdoors into a specialenvironmental area in Saskatchewan, learningand experiencing different aspects of ourprovince. This year our fall Ecotour took us tothe Great Sandhills of southern Saskatchewan.

To learn more about SOEEA, please visitwww.soeea.sk.ca.

Peta White is a PhD student in the field ofenvironmental education at the University ofRegina, Saskatchewan. Originally from WesternAustralia, she came to Canada two years ago. Shefinds it very rewarding and inspiring to volunteerwith SOEEA.

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ackpocketB

Designed for primary and junior students, theDrama Hike is a real walk into the woods:smelling, feeling and seeing Nature. It is alsoan imaginative search for ancient civilizations,in this case the “Hully Gullies.” Since we knowlittle about the Hully Gullies, the purpose ofthe trip is to discover what these people mighthave looked like, their social habits, religion,sports and so on. We will use Nature and all ofher formations as clues in our search.

Preparations

The hike leader should scout out the areabeforehand, although I have led children onsuch a hike without knowing in advancewhere we were going. The benefit of exploringthe area is increased familiarity. Are therefallen trees? Are there large rocks, a hill, anearth mound or grassy area? It is best toorganize the hike in a circular fashion so thatyou end up near to where you started.

After you are familiar with the lay of the land,take a few minutes to prepare your script; forexample, a group of three birch trees could becalled “The Three Sisters;” a slope with placesto sit might be called “The Sea of Tranquility,” oran open area could be the “Olympic Stadium.”If you have a few of these identified beforehandyou will feel more confident and relaxed.

Before the Actual Hike

Gather the students together and tell themthat they are going on a Drama Hike, and thentell them what you discovered last night. Makeup a story about cleaning up the attic anddiscovering an old, dog-eared book with pagesmissing. You tell them that this book washandwritten and therefore very rare and at thesame time very hard to read, because of thefaded writing. You have discovered, though,that the author was an archeologist or a

Drama Hike: Land of the Hully Gulliesby Jerry Jordison

paleontologist (discuss the meaning of theseterms) and seemed to have written notesabout his (or her) discovery of an ancientpeople he called the Hully Gullies. Tellstudents there was a map in the front of thebook and you were surprised to discover thatthis was the very area he was searching in. Youare very excited and suggest that all of you goon a hike to see if you can discover somethingabout these ancient people. You didn’t bringthe book along because it was so old that it isfalling apart and you want to get it repaired.You did, however, spend some time skimmingthe book and found out a few facts. Muchinformation was missing or illegible and willneed to be filled in as you go on this hike.

The Actual Hike

Make your way to the entrance of the forestand stop. Tell the students that the bookmentioned that this was a very sacred area andprotected by the tree spirits. To enter with anyexpectation of discovering anything,permission must be obtained. Have groupsbrainstorm a song that they could sing to askpermission. They can use popular tunes andchange the words, or make up their own song.After a few minutes, have them sing theirsongs of permission. Listen for an acceptanceand enter (acting is need here).

As the facilitator, it is a good idea for everyoneto follow behind you. When you come uponan interesting formation in Nature, stop thegroup, give it a name (as you try to rememberwhat you read in the book — acting again)and ask students to tell you how the area wasused and what happened there. Students willdelight in expressing their bit of creativity.Accept all answers and remember them forlater add-ons. When the discussion isexhausted, move on to the next site and repeatwith a similar story and questions.

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Depending on the time and length of the hike,from six to ten sites can be chosen and eachone presented with a different slant so thatdifferent information can be presented. Onesite could be a living area, another could beused for recreation, religion, work, hunting,meditation, battles or ceremonies. Studentswill even want to identify some sitesthemselves and brainstorm their use.When you reach the last site and before youexit the forest, have students review theirresearch and come up with a comprehensiveprofile of the Hully Gullies. How big werethey? What did they eat? I often stop at apatch of wintergreen berries and pick a few (orjust the leaves) to give everyone a taste.

Before the final exit, break students into theirgroups again to have them come up with a“rap” to say thank you for the privilege ofentering the Land of the Hully Gullies.

Follow Up

As a follow up activity, stories can be writtenabout the Hully Gullies: describe the trip youhave taken, summarize what you think theHully Gullies looked like and why theybehaved as they did. Pictures of the HullyGullies are always fun to draw.

Don’t underestimate the value of this hike.The students will love it, and may want to playHully Gullies the next day. They are allenthusiastic to express their creativity.

Suggestions for Creative Sites

A flat plateau could be an area for games, orbattle or a garden area.

Groups of trees can be called “The ThreeBuddies,” “The Four Grandmothers,” or “APower Center.”

A hole in the ground may be referred to as acave: “The Mysterious Cave,” “The ForbiddenCave” or “The Entrance.” Use yourimagination and the students will use theirs.

Rocks and rock formations can be given namessuch as “The Fallen Grandfathers,” “Thor’sSupply Area,” “Building Quarry,” “ACommunication Center” or “Resting Area.” Aparticular name will initiate discussions in acertain direction.

Language: From an old worm eaten tree, a“pudding rock,” or a massive bunch of fallenbranches, have the students “translate” themessage that the Hully Gullies left for us.

Numbers: Use twigs in a fun game to discoverthe math of the Hully Gullies.

You don’t have to search for the “HullyGullies.” You can look for the “Fern Dwellers,”“Earth People,” “Windy Wanderers,”“Glomming Duskies” or any other creativename you can think of.

Other Tips and Suggestions

Make sure the children are protected fromblack flies, mosquitoes, and so on. Make surethey have proper clothes for hiking, includingappropriate footwear.

Depending on the length of the hike, it mightbe a good idea to have water bottles or a snackfor them.

Safety is important. Don’t run in the bush. Becareful on hills and rocks.

Make sure every child gets a chance tocontribute to the hike.

The hike could even be done in a suburbanlocation with a few changes in stories andlandmarks. With imagination, any locationwill be successful for the Drama Hike.

Jerry Jordison is a long-time COEO member. Hepresented the Drama Hike during the recentCOEO conference held at Camp Wanakita.

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eading the TrailR

YouthSafe Outdoorsreviewed by Kathy Haras

Hanna, G. (2001). YouthSafe Outdoors: A Risk Management System for Youth Programs forthe Alberta Community Voluntary Sector (version 1.0, Digital PDF). Edmonton, AB: QuestResearch and Consulting. ISBN 978-1-897255-02-5

Risk management is a necessary component ofeffective outdoor education programs but notnecessarily anyone’s idea of a good time. Forvoluntary youth serving organizations inAlberta, Quest Research and Consulting hasjust made the job easier.

Their CD, completed in July 2007, is packedwith resources and information. More thanjust another set of standards, author GlennaHanna provides a truly unique andcomprehensive package of resources formanaging risk during outdoor pursuits,aquatics, excursions and remote area travel.Although written for programs in Alberta, theinformation in YouthSafe Outdoors is alsorelevant for programs in Ontario.

Hanna has recognised risk management is acollective responsibility by providing separatesets of tailored information for programmanagers, boards of directors, front-lineleaders, parents and youth participants. Alongwith pages of written text, there arePowerPoint presentations, lesson plans,customizable documents, and every form thatmight conceivably be required. Because theinformation is presented on CD-ROM, it iseasy to share with stakeholders only what isrelevant to them. The section on parents’rights and responsibilities is just what everyleader has been looking for.

Attention to detail and organization is evidentthroughout the package. Activities are dividedinto three types: regular, higher risk (termedhigher care) and travel (both out-of-provinceand international). Checklists reflect theactivity when it occurs as a daytrip, overnightor extended experience. As a result, programmanagers and front-line leaders can easily

differentiate the level of care that applies totheir specific outing.

As an outdoor leader and program manager,my favourite part of YouthSafe Outdoors is itscomprehensive treatment of the role oftelecommunication devices in outdoorprograms. Hanna describes why the use ofphones has increased over the last 15 yearsand the expectations this has created inparents and the general public. From thewarning that cell, satellite or radio phones arenot substitutes for adequate trip planning,decision making, or emergency preparednessto reminders that phones may not work incold temperatures and certain locations, theauthor presents both the positive and negativeaspects associated with this topic. She remindsleaders that use of cell phones, including textmessaging and picture taking, may need to bemanaged during crisis situations to balanceaccurate flow of information with the timelynotification of parents, directors and media.

As an instructor of future outdoor leaders, Iappreciate the 21st century approach to riskmanagement. Many of the hundreds ofreferences include links to websites or onlinearticles. The coverage of topics such as earlyexit plans for misbehaviour, allergy andmedication management, obtaining verbalconsent when a participant arrives with anincomplete form, custody disputes, privacyconcerns and working alone to name a just afew, recognises that society has changed.YouthSafe Outdoors helps outdoor programsdevelop risk management plans thatacknowledge these changes.

Kathy Haras recently became an AssistantProfessor in the School of Outdoor Recreation,Parks and Tourism at Lakehead University.

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The Lakehead University OutdoorRecreation Student Society is please toannounce that it is currentlyaccepting submissions in allcategories for the 2008 LakeheadUniversity Outdoor FilmFestival. The festival is slatedto take place on two eveningsin late March with the theme“A Celebration of theOutdoors: Discoveryof Self, Group, andNature.”

The festival takesplace in ThunderBay, home of somespectacular outdoorvenues and adventures. Thefestival maintains a local focus, buthas been growing with each successiveyear. Previous years have featured filmsfrom as far afield as Antarctica and Nunavut.This year should be no different as the festivalremains an excellent opportunity to showcasefilmmaking talent with all submissionswelcome, amateur or professional.

In the spirit of the outdoors we love andadore, the festival is a charitable event thatdonates all generated revenue to localorganizations dedicated to protecting nature.The 2007 recipient was the Thunder Bay FieldNaturalists.

Call for Submissions to the 2008 Lakehead

University Outdoor Film Festival

rackingT

Films may be formatted in VHS, DVD or CDand must be respectful, innovative andrelevant. Submit films by mail toLU Outdoor Film Festivalc/o Lakehead UniversitySchool of ORPT955 Oliver RoadThunder Bay ON P7B 5E1

Submission deadline for the 2008 Festival isFebruary 15, 2008. The late submissiondeadline is March 1, 2008. For moreinformation about submissions and the 2008Lakehead University Outdoor Film Festivalplease contact festival coordinator, KenBrunton (kgbrunto@lakeheadu.ca).

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ubmission GuidelinesS

Purpose

Pathways is the voice of outdoor experientialeducation in Ontario. Reflecting the interestsof outdoor educators, classroom teachers,students and academics, the journal focuses onthe practice of outdoor experiential educationfrom elementary to post-secondary levels andfrom wilderness to urban settings. Pathwayshighlights the value of outdoor experientialeducation in educating for curriculum,character, well-being and the environment.

Submitting Material

The Pathways editorial board gladly considers afull range of materials related to outdoorexperiential education. We welcome lessonoutlines, drawings, articles, book reviews,poetry, fiction, student workand more.We willtake yourcontributionin anyform andwill workwith you topublish it. Ifyou have anidea about awrittensubmission, pieceof artwork or topic for a theme issue, pleasesend an e-mail outlining your potentialcontribution to the chair of the editorialboard, kathy.haras@lakeheadu.ca.

In general, written submissions should betailored to fit into the framework of one ofPathways 20 established columns (seedescriptions of these columns on page 36).

Whenever possible, artwork shouldcompliment either specific articles or specificthemes outlined in a particular journal issue.Please contact the chair of the editorial boardif you are interested in providing some or allof the artwork for an issue.

Formatting

Use 12 point, Times New Roman font with1.25 inch (3.125 cm) margins all around. Textshould be left justified and single spaced.Place a blank line between paragraphs but donot indent. Use APA referencing style.

Include the title (in bold) and the names of allauthors (in italics) at the beginning of thearticle. Close the article with a brief 1–2sentence biography of each author (in italics).

Do not include any extraneous informationsuch as page numbers, word counts, headersand footers or running heads.

Pathways contains approximately550 words per page. Article length

should reflect full page multiples toavoid partially blank pages.

Articles should be submitted to the Chair ofthe Editorial Board or issue Guest Editor,preferably as a Microsoft Word e-mailattachment.

Each piece of artwork should consist of asingle black and white drawing (cross-hatching but no shading) on an 8! by 11inch sheet of paper.

Artwork should be submitted to the Chair of theEditorial Board or issue Guest Editor either as adigital file (jpg is preferred) or as a hard copy.

Submission Deadlines

Volume 1 Fall September 15Volume 2 Winter December 15Volume 3 Spring February 15Volume 4 Summer April 15

Complimentary Copies

The lead author of each article receives onecopy of the issue in which the article appearsas well as one copy for each coauthor. Leadauthors are responsible for distributing copiesto their coauthors.

Information for Authors and Artists

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Submission Guidelines

Backpocket

Beyond Our Borders

Editor’s Log

Education forCharacter

Education for

Curriculum

Education forEnvironment

Education forWellbeing

Explorations

In the Field

Intersections

Keepers of the Trail

On the Land

Opening the Door

Prospect Point

Reading the Trail

Sketchpad

The Gathering

Tous Nos Voyageurs

Tracking

Watching Our Step

Wild Words

Experiential outdoor education curricular ideas, activities, lesson plans, class

outlines, framings, processing, teaching ideas and connections to specific topics

Outdoor experiential education beyond Ontario

About this issue, Pathways news

Providing opportunities for personal and interpersonal growth anddevelopment through firsthand experiences where feedback occurs throughreflection and natural consequences

Broadening and deepening the knowledge base of all subjects by extendinginformation to real life situations and natural surroundings in ways that

stimulate critical thinking, integration, innovation and imagination

Fostering personal connections, knowledge, skills and environmental ethics

that apply to life-supporting systems in urban, suburban, rural and remotesettings

Promoting lifelong physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing throughenvironmentally sustainable outdoor and nature-focused activities

A summary of one or more recent research studies about outdoor experientialeducation

News about an outdoor education program, centre or school; general reports,

new initiatives, updates or news of interest to outdoor educators

All about integrated curriculum programs with an outdoor focus including

introductions of new programs and teachers, issues and reports of meetings

Meeting a COEO member/significant leaders in outdoor education through

their activities, personality, qualities and interests

Environmental reports concerning an Ontario lands or waters issue

A student (kindergarten to university) perspective, opinion or sample of workincluding poems and fiction

An opinion piece concerning education in the out-of-doors; philosophy,commentary, and personal musings

Review of books, music, websites, curriculum guides and other educationalresources

About a featured artist, his or her artwork, creative process and more

Information about past and future COEO conferences and regional events

Recognising the diversity of participants, providers and places connected with

outdoor experiential education

Information about outdoor experiential education conferences, news, events,

recent resources and job postings

Managing risk during all phases of an experience, legal issues and crisis response

A look at how language enhances the practice of outdoor education; mayexplore the meanings of words in languages other than English

Pathways Columns

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The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario

Each member of COEO will be assigned to a region of the provinceaccording to the county in which he or she lives.

Central (CE) Welland, Lincoln, Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Peel, York, Simcoe, MetroToronto

Eastern (EA) Victoria, Durham, Peterborough, Northumberland, Hastings, Prince Edward,Renfrew, Lennox and Addington, Frontenac, Leeds, Grenville, Ottawa-Carleton,Lanark, Prescott, Russell, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry

Northern (NO) Kenora, Rainy River, Thunder Bay, Cochrane, Algoma, Sudbury, Nipissing,Manitoulin, Timiskaming, Parry Sound, Muskoka, Haliburton

Western (WE) Essex, Kent, Elgin, Lambton, Middlesex, Huron, Bruce, Grey, Dufferin, Wellington,Waterloo, Perth, Oxford, Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk

Membership Application Form(Please Print)

Name (Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss)

Street Address

City/Town Province Postal Code

Telephone ( ) Business ( )

E-mail

Type of Membership

! Regular $50.00 ! Student $35.00 ! Family $60.00! Library $60.00 (Subscription to Pathways only) ""!"Organizational $100.00

Organizational memberships are for businesses, conservation authorities, outdoor education centres,etc. This rate will include one copy of Pathways, a Web link (if requested in writing), a maximum ofthree people at a member’s rate for conferences and workshops, reduced cost of ad space in Pathways,and display space at conferences.

United States orders please add $4.00. International orders please add $12.00.COEO membership is from September 1–August 31 of any given year.

Please send this form with a cheque or money order payable toCouncil of Outdoor Educators of Ontario

1185 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, ON M3C 3C6

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Return to:

The Council of O

utdoor Educators of Ontario

1185 Eglinton Avenue East

Toronto, ON

M3C

3C6