Explains licensing regulations applicable in the United Kingdom to commercial providers of adventure education programs that offer caving, climbing, trekking, and water sports; provides information on license applications, including licensing standards related to risk assessment and safety management procedures; and addresses issues related to the…

Project Adventure (PA) offers certification for adventure program managers and two levels of challenge course practitioners. PA feels certification is timely because other fields have certification programs that work well, PA has been using competency-based certification for their own staff successfully for 8 years, the field has recently…

Organizations should envision accreditation as an opportunity for growth and learning. Accreditation can distinguish an organization by improving its ability to attract resources, employees, and customers. Accredited organizations gain credibility with the public. Accreditation can serve as a mechanism for marketing and referrals. Accreditation…

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

An experience with a client with cerebral palsy at an adventure education challenge course generated a review among program leaders of communication, consent, and choice issues concerning children with special needs. Lessons learned include: learn the participant's communication cues, explain the activity with the participant, and have the…

Safety qualifications for adventure education are not intended to prevent the enjoyment of adventure. Good training enables participants to avoid basic errors and tackle greater adventure sooner. Discusses the need to balance individual freedom with responsibility, and how the Lyme Bay canoeing deaths prompted increased concern in Great Britain…

Discusses Alan Hales's model of safety management in the context of caving. When two sets of hazards, human and environmental, are present together, risk occurs. Objective risk is uncontrollable and should be avoided in educational settings; subjective risk is controllable. Presents positive and negative strategies for engaging or avoiding…

Addresses issues related to administration of adventure programs, including liability, hiring well-trained staff, conducting safe activities, supervising safe adventure programs, maintaining appropriate facilities and equipment, keeping accurate records, posting information about potentially unsafe sites and activities, carrying adequate insurance…

Describes duties and responsibilities of outdoor instructors under British criminal and civil law. Discusses elements of negligence under civil law including damage, duty of care, standard of care, in loco parentis, students' duty of care, foreseeability, and employer's legal duty. Presents risk management in terms of primary, secondary, and…

Discusses the lack of theoretical principles underpinning experiential education. Outlines a flow model of experiential learning applicable to adventure education, involving the learner, reality context, new and applied skills, responsibility, and critical reflection. Suggests that even small increases in theoretical understanding will help…

Designing environmentally friendly challenge courses involves considering factors such as clearing, trees versus poles, soil erosion and compaction, toilet design, waste disposal, and carrying capacity. Strategies used in "green development" such as systems thinking, solution multipliers, and brainstorming with stakeholders could promote…

Leaders working in the outdoor adventure field are faced with making critical decisions that keep students, clients, or customers safe from the perils of risk-related activities while enabling them to benefit from these experiences. The knowledge and competency necessary to analyze and manage risk is integral to those providing outdoor adventure…

A survey completed by 189 persons attending the 1983 National Association for Experiential Education Conference resulted in a rank ordered list of 39 competency areas, considered essential to the effective outdoor leader. Respondents placed greatest importance on items related to safety, group counseling, and interaction. (JHZ)

A survey of 652 adventure recreation agencies in higher education settings examined the use of risk management practices and the relationships between agency characteristics and risk management techniques. The survey contained 27 Likert Scale questions divided into four categories (agency guidance, staff development, participant education, and…

This proceedings begins with a brief history of the International Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education (ICORE), 1984-2001. Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) Leadership Award recipients are then listed, followed by an annotated bibliography of the 16 winners of the National Outdoor Book Award. The proceedings contains…