This paper offers suggestions for making ropes challenge courses accessible to individuals with special needs. Federal legislation requires that programs be updated to be inclusive of individuals with disabilities. A transdisciplinary approach is suggested for promoting a better and safer program based on input from occupational therapists,…

A professional adventure educator offers numerous resources about adventure-based learning, drawn from his book, "Teamwork and Teamplay." Organizational resources include libraries, the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC), Kendall/Hunt publishers, the American Camping Association book store, Project Adventure, the Association for…

The goals of and the development of a year-round outdoor-oriented adventure education program at The Asheville School in North Carolina is discussed. Available from: Center for Environmental, Camping and Outdoor Education; University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Pine Lake Field Campus; 4016 Blumenthal Road; Greensboro, NC, 27406. (AN)

Tree climbing offers a safe, inexpensive adventure sport that can be performed almost anywhere. Using standard procedures practiced in tree surgery or rock climbing, almost any tree can be climbed. Tree climbing provides challenge and adventure as well as a vigorous upper-body workout. Tree Climbers International classifies trees using a system…

At California State University, Fresno, all incoming students take a full-semester, three-unit course that includes topics on academic preparation but also focuses on issues and topics commonly associated with experiential and adventure education. These areas include communication, listening, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Recognizing the…

High performance teams allow conflict to surface and then work toward understanding and resolution. Often when teams are in conflict, they appear to be in chaos. What may be occurring is that the conflict has allowed the team to access new information, and what appears to be chaos is actually reorganization around a new perspective. Capitalizing…

First developed and tested in 1989, the Adventure Model suggests that as adventure participants become more skilled and specialized, they experience predictable changes in several participation behaviors. While previous studies supported the model, they were carried out with college students having similar skill and motivational characteristics.…

A veteran adventure educator offers pearls of wisdom: identify those people who want/need to meet, and encourage them to do that; identify something that no one else wants to do, and do it well; failing forward with confidence regularly produces better results than confident discussion; play mitigates fear; a good idea doesn't care who has it; and…

This document considers the usefulness of adventure-based counseling in facilitating recovery from rape. It begins with a brief introduction to this concept and a literature review examining reactions to rape trauma; traditional interventions and implications; and adventure-based counseling interventions. This section concludes that since fear and…

A survey of 49 colleges collected information about freshman wilderness orientation programs. Questions covered: (1) program goals; (2) activities to reach these goals; (3) follow-up goals and activities; (4) evaluation methods used; and (5) role and training of leaders. Institutional goals included program goals, personal growth goals, and social…

This paper describes the theory of psychosynthesis and suggests how it may be applied to the facilitation of adventure groups. Robert Assagioli's theory of psychosynthesis emphasizes inner psychological parts or elements and their interrelationships. He theorizes that integration or synthesis of these elements is possible. The goal then of…

This paper examines current standards and procedures used in rope and climbing courses and offers alternatives to standard practices. The techniques and issues covered include belay techniques, belay signals, and the use of the initiative wall. Current techniques are often not the most efficient or even the safest, but they have stood the…

This document defines terms related to outdoor recreation: (1) outdoor recreation includes activities that occur outdoors in an urban and man-made environment as well as those activities traditionally associated with the natural environment; (2) outdoor education is education in, about, and for the outdoors; (3) environmental education is an…

Integrated adventure programs are those in which persons with and without disabilities participate together in planned adventure activities. A study sought to identify the leadership competencies necessary for leaders of integrated outdoor adventure programs and to measure the effectiveness of a staff training addressing one of these competencies.…

Residential treatment programs provide a range of services, including drug and alcohol treatment, confidence building, military-style discipline, and psychological counseling for troubled boys and girls with a variety of addiction, behavioral, and emotional problems. This testimony concerns programs across the country referring to themselves as…