TYPES OF SESSIONS:

Deep Dive Sessions

  • 3 hour education sessions

General Education Sessions

  • 60 minute education sessions

SNAP Sessions

  • 30 minute education sessions

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH

Experiential Peacebuilding - How the Outdoors and Adventure Can Bring People Together
8 AM - 11 AM

Experiential Peacebuilding harnesses the power of learning by doing and reflecting in the outdoors to challenge and inspire leadership toward peace and collaboration. In this session, we use real examples from 10 years of Outward Bound Peacebuilding programs around the world to frame a discussion of what is possible and feasible when taking on conflict resolution. Our programs have engaged local leaders from 25 countries, including 7 years of work with Palestinians and Israelis. We will focus on the importance of setting appropriate learning goals in program design, and the role of peacebuilding focused evaluation to gauge short- and long-term success.

Advancing State-Level Support and Investment for Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure and Programming
8 AM - 9 AM

Utah is at the forefront of investing in outdoor recreation and communities, and using outdoor recreation as economic development. The State of Utah has invested nearly $35 million dollars in outdoor recreation infrastructure since 2015 through a grant - the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant (and additional funding for outdoor youth programming). This amount doesn't take into consideration the state investments made into state parks or conservation, nor does it take into account investments made by county and local governments within Utah, or private investments and private land donated to the State. There's a rich history of stewardship and connection to the land in Utah, so we prioritize investments and planning ahead for smart growth, supporting our residents and tourists, and protecting the land we all cherish. The UORG is the first grant of the kind in the nation - and only part of the proof that investing in outdoor recreation is a legitimate form of economic development.

AORE attendees will likely agree that investing in outdoor recreation is investing in quality of life, sustainability, health, and communities, but how do we package that and sell it as smart, legislative economic development to elected officials and budget officials?
In this presentation, the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation will use case studies about investing in the outdoors to give attendees ideas of what's possible, how they can get started, and how they can make the case to their decision makers.

Will we learn anything from the pandemic? Connecting the dots to a sustainable future for our profession
8 AM - 9 AM

If COVID reminded the general public that the outdoors are important, it didn't seem to remind them that outdoor recreation professionals are also essential to providing these places and activities we all love. Professional position openings are going unfilled and pay is starting to increase, but it is still hard to convince Gen Z (and their parents) that a career in recreation is worthwhile. How do we connect the need for outdoor recreation to elevated careers and increased relevance for our profession? Rather than letting this moment in history go to waste, this session will identify key lessons from the pandemic for outdoor recreation and provide recommendations for areas of focus to guide our collective future. In addition to uncovering concerning trends and statistics within the outdoor recreation field, we will discuss hopeful directions for professional preparation that are innovation-oriented and sustainable.

Breaking the Ice: An interactive workshop for facilitators and trip leaders
915 AM - 1015 AM

The overall goal of this session is to help you add to your 'bag of tricks.' Whether you lead trips, meetings, or challenge course programming, you will be able to leave with multiple ideas of how to get a group get up and going. This session will focus on participating in games, de-inhibitizers, and ice breakers. We will briefly discuss modifications or variations to games to fit different groups. This workshop will cover a variety of ice breakers and short games to wake a group up or get them to laugh at a frustrating time so they can move forward.

Gender Role Congruence and Self-Efficacy; Using reflective drawings and feedback as a tool for leadership development
915 AM - 1015 AM

This presentation will present findings from a recent Master's thesis on how gender role congruence influences the self-efficacy of emerging outdoor leaders. Attendees can expect to learn recent research findings on the intersection of gender and confidence, as well as practical tools to examine and facilitate conversations on leadership biases in their own programs.

The Psychology of Risk and 21st Century Wilderness Program Participants
915 AM - 1015 AM

Outdoor adventure programs (OAPs) have traditionally embraced challenge involving some level of risk as the context for personal growth. Yet, there has been debate over the most effective way to encourage personal growth. To what extent are these concepts useful with today's participants? This workshop will explore whether OAPs can encourage personal growth in the mental, physical, emotional, social, and/or spiritual dimensions using different levels of challenge. We will review recent research (e.g., neurosequential model, psychological processes related to risk and decision making) and discuss several questions: How do today's participants respond to challenge and risk? Is there an optimal amount of challenge that encourages personal growth? Should programs be modified to serve today's participants? If so, in what ways? Participants will engage in small group discussions and activities designed to stimulate their thinking about risk, challenge, disequilibrium, dissonance, safety, security, and self-regulation as they relate to OAPs. One main goal of this workshop is to increase awareness of the discussion of different perspectives in the OAP field about the relative value of risk. Participants will also be asked to reflect on how/if they can apply this information to their program offerings.

DEI - The Building Blocks to Success: What exactly is 'diversity' and what does it mean to us as an organization? How does it help us grow?
1030 AM - 1130 AM

Learn about the organizational benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Learn how diversity creates institutional relevance in a rapidly changing field. Discover growth and expansion strategies by accessing new markets. Be given tools and best practices for hiring, retention, and recruitment.

Climbing Wall Association and its New Education Track
1030 AM - 1130 AM

This presentation will discuss the importance of formal educational opportunities for climbing wall staff managers and instructors for risk mitigation and management as well as participant care. The presentation will also include a panel discussion in which members will explore the CWA Industry Practices and Standards as they relate to staff training and present multiple, formal educational tracks and the opportunities that they create for climbing wall operators, instructors, and participants.

Outdoor Eats: How to Elevate your meals
1030 AM - 1130 AM

Hungry for better outdoor recipes? Throw away your packaged meals and come along with Chef Corso of Outdoor Eats. He is your culinary guide to outdoor cooking and he will share fast, easy and tasty recipes ready in 30 min or less. All recipes are mindful of pack weight/volume, require no pre-prep or dehydrating and focus on real, fresh ingredients rather than dry, salty and expensive packaged options. They are perfect for hiking, camping, backpacking or any outdoor activity. Elevate your meals with Outdoor Eats! Follow along at outdooreats.com, YouTube at Chef Corso and Instagram/FB/TikTok @outdooreats365.

Spirituality in Outdoor Programming and Program Design
1115 AM - 1145 AM

What is spirituality and where does it belong in outdoor programming? Nature and outdoor recreation have played a unique role in spiritual development for generations, however these tremendous opportunities for spiritual development are often overlooked by outdoor adventure programs. This session will aim to define spirituality, demonstrate the ways programs can be designed to promote spiritual development, and explore the benefits of spirituality in outdoor programming participants.

Outdoor Educators and Guides Tool Kit: Calming and Grounding Techniques
1115 AM - 1145 AM

Outdoor educators, field staff, and guides provide the opportunities for participants to experience exciting and potentially challenging outdoor activities. While guides and outdoor leaders receive some training in recognizing mental health issues as part of professional certifications, responding to participant anxieties, fears, and stress or events in the field often receives less attention in part because they may go unrecognized. Many guides may lack the tools or skills necessary to address emotional responses of participants in the moment. In remote settings, outside resources may be unavailable, placing the demand for interventions to calm and steady participants on the shoulders of guides. Calming, distraction, and grounding techniques that allow the individual/s to manage strong emotions in the setting and regain a sense of calm and control can be taught in brief workshop settings, preparing leaders and staff with skills to respond to and reduce stress responses in others and in themselves (Caporuscio, 2020; Chen et al., 2020)

This session will consist of examples of calming and grounding techniques designed to allow individuals to step away from negative thoughts, fears, or anxieties, effectively breaking the link to the escalation of emotion. Participants will be able to practice techniques and to tailor them to their clientele. This approach uses refocusing and simple cognitive/ behavioral/sensory activities to provide a break/distraction from the emotional response (winona.edu, 2016). This 'emotional break' allows the individual to regain a sense of calm and self-control (Chen et al, 2020).

Bring Learning to Life with Meaningful Reflection: Inspire, Engage, Connect, and Create Lasting Lessons
1245 PM - 345 PM

Join this interactive workshop and explore tangible ways to take advantage of teachable moments and bring learning to life with engaging, participant-centered reflection. Enliven the traditional sharing circle with active, brain-based methods including movement, metaphor, art, and interactive dialogue to increase emotional connection, relevancy, and depth of understanding. Promote voice, choice, and ownership of learning. Facilitate strong beginnings and optimistic endings that reach beyond the experience. Gain new perspectives on the language of reflection and a deeper understanding of the why behind the art and science of reflective practice. Take away inspiration and practical tools for weaving meaningful reflection throughout your program. Create lasting lessons and help participants become lifelong reflective learners.

Attendees Will Gain:

  • Engaging yet practical techniques to increase relevancy, meaning, depth of understanding, and application to future learning
  • Tangible ways to enliven the traditional sharing circle using multiple modalities to include all learners
  • Insights into the concept of ongoing reflective practice-and dynamic ways to weave reflection throughout and beyond experiences
  • Compelling neuroscience research that informs purpose, techniques, and best practices for reflection
  • Practical ways to integrate art, metaphor, and movement in reflection
  • Strategies for increasing choice, voice, and ownership in reflection
  • Techniques for sequencing reflection to maximize learning
  • New perspectives on the language used in reflection
  • Practices for becoming an intentional and reflective experiential educator

Leveraging State Offices of Outdoor Recreation
1245 PM - 115 PM

State Offices of Outdoor Recreation play an important role in the growing outdoor recreation economy. There are currently 17 states that have established Offices of Outdoor Recreation and at least 20 states who are advancing the outdoor economy and workforce, conservation, and wellness. Learn about why these offices got started, their value propositions, and how you can leverage their team to support your work. You'll also get to know the Confluence of States, a nonpartisan organization developing a national platform to grow the outdoor recreation industry, protect our nation's wild places and transform conservation into a driver for economic prosperity.

So, You Might Want to Be a Camp Counselor: Why camp programs are an excellent professional entry to outdoor education.
1245 PM - 145 PM

The main focus of this session is to dispel the notion that working at summer camp is a less legitimate professional pathway into outdoor education. To do so, we'll explore the ways in which working as a camp counselor, coordinator, or director builds transferable technical skills and the value of those skills in different professional recreation settings.

Attendees of this session can expect to examine their own bias/experience with summer camp as compared to other types of program leading and management. We'll discuss the nuances of facilitation in these different settings and the different ways that information might be presented during the hiring process. We'll also touch on the benefits of camp programming as a seasonal opportunity. And, finally, we'll discuss how to apply that knowledge to your own professional development goals.

Avalanche Fundamentals & Risk Management
1245 PM - 145 PM

Avalanches are a fundamental objective hazard in mountainous terrain that impact recreation and tourism. This presentation will cover the avalanche fundamentals for anyone, regardless of experience or familiarity with snowy mountain environments. After introducing avalanche fundamentals, we will then introduce a variety of best practices, approaches, and systems for managing avalanche risk. This session will also include a brief overview of avalanche education in the United States. Finally, this session will conclude with identifying and discovering core aspects of avalanche risk management and then will connect and engage those aspects into other outdoor recreation activities and their respective approaches to risk management such as hiking, camping, paddlesports, or rock climbing.

Overview of the Current Landscape of Outdoor Programs in Higher Education
130 PM - 2 PM

Many current outdoor professionals received training at an outdoor academic program (OAPs). These programs are relatively new career tracks in higher education (H.E.)and play a vital role in knowledge creation and professionalism of the outdoor industry. Hiring managers in the outdoor industry emphasize the value of professional preparation through H.E. However, enrollment growth is inhibited by limited awareness. Few people are aware of OAPs or job opportunities in the outdoor industry. All presenters have experience with parents/students expressing some form of 'I did not even know this major existed.' Thus, OAPs tend to be 'discovery majors', stumbled upon after entering college. OAPs are also increasingly constrained by changes in H.E. itself, with declining state support for public education. They depend on instruction that is face to face, outside the classroom, in small groups, and in consequential situations. The trends in H.E. of larger classes, online delivery, and less contact with faculty are antithetical to how most OAPs are taught. We are analyzing the impact of these competing pressures on growth and stability in the field. We have often discussed this informally at annual conferences when we hear of new program development and closure with relatively equal frequency. Until now, there has never been a thorough accounting of OAPs at colleges and universities in the U.S. that could serve as a baseline from which to understand these changes. We begin with a broad overview of OAPs, review the competing pressures acting on OAPs, and share the results of our census.

Stop Selling, Start Standing For Something: Defining and Channeling your Purpose & Mission
215 PM - 315 PM

Great leaders and organizations spark movements that channel values, ideals and stories to make good things happen.

While they have to bring strong programs, services or experiences to the table, those factors are often not enough to guarantee success anymore. Whatever you do, offer or sell, somebody else can likely do it better, faster, cheaper. You can't own any of that. How do you elevate your efforts, program, project, company, non profit, school, etc. to do more and have greater impact on participants, customers, and wider community?
What you can own is your soul. Nobody can take that away. It's your soul, and specifically the purpose and mission that it embodies, that people will buy into for the long run. They don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

So it's time to stop selling something and start standing for something. With effort, time and a bit of luck you'll have sparked an authentic movement that embodies a long-lasting 'we're in this together' energy that creates the change you're looking for. Developing a purpose driven brand (digging into the soul/values/why) and channeling that through storytelling is fundamental.

This session will share best leadership practices for defining and channeling purpose and mission to create positive change and impact. And lead you through a model, tools, and process for creating and sharing the kinds of stories that draw others in as participants, supporters, and co-owners.

CASE STUDY: Curriculum Design for Women Jet Ski Riders
215 PM - 315 PM

The goal of this session is to provide participants with ideas on how to identify current trends in outdoor recreation that do not appeal to underserved minorities. The session will focus on the development of a curriculum that helps women gain skills in sports that are male dominated. Topics will include the identification of a trend in outdoor recreation, the use of social media formats to generate demand for participation, the development of a formal and informal curriculum for the sport, and the development of partnerships and endorsements that support and encourage the entire project. The presenter will use a case study that describes her experience in entering a male dominated sport, connecting with like-minded women, gaining the endorsement of a national organization, and eventually creating an educational program that resulted in the increase of participation in that sport by 400% over 12 months.

Demystifying Single Pitch Certifications. Is a single pitch certification the right choice for you or your program?
215 PM - 315 PM

The content and purpose of single pitch climbing certifications can be easily misinterpreted or misunderstood. This session will provide the opportunity to focus in on the scope of content these courses offer with specific attention given to the PCIA and AMGA courses. Additionally, recognizing when single pitch climbing certifications are required, recommended, or simply not needed, may help both individuals and programs determine the best path forward.

Conversation on the following topics as well as others is anticipated:

  • Is this a training or an evaluation of existing skill?
  • How do I know if I'm ready for the course or exam?
  • Do I individually need.../Does my program need... this level of certification?
  • Are single pitch certifications more protocol based or concept based?
  • What is the scope of the skillset for this level of certification?
  • Which agency should I certify through? PCIA/AMGA/PCGI/other?
  • Do I have to be certified?

The future of climbing certification for non-profits
330 PM - 4 PM

Many AORE members hold certifications from the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). The AMGA recently adopted a Scope of Practice (SOP), that among other things, "defines appropriate guiding roles and supervision needs for professional members at all levels of training and certification" (AMGA, 2022). In addition, some access to climbing terrain is limited to individuals that hold climbing guiding or instructor certifications. The SOP and certification-based access have enormous potential to impact non-profit climbing programs. We will explore the impact of these trends on non-profit climbing programs and generate solutions to the challenges they present.

Outdoor Activities and Psychological Well-being: Understanding the mechanisms of environmental and activity influence.
330 PM - 430 PM

Outdoor environments and outdoor activities strongly influence cognitive performance, psychological well-being, and happiness. Though many studies have confirmed this phenomenon, educators and practitioners cannot capitalize on this impact without a deeper understanding of the neural & physiological mechanisms driving the influence. This presentation will provide insight from previous research and case studies to help elucidate how specific environmental and activity-based factors influence mental performance and well-being of various participants. A basic overview of previous research and neural/physiological foundations will inform our discussion of program influence and how we can optimize environments and activities for intended outcomes. Processes will be connected to popular theoretical concepts in outdoor education (i.e. self-efficacy, EQ, flow, resilience. mindfulness) and attendees will be encouraged to consider how the principles can be used to enhance their programming and inform their leaders and participants about the mechanics of outdoor influence. The presentation will emphasize practical and low-tech applications of research findings, based on shared experience.

Let's T.A.L.K.: Reviewing a pre-climb checklist to reduce risk in your gym
410 PM - 440 PM

A near-miss incident in our climbing gym in 2018 taught us that perhaps the most dangerous aspect of climbing is preparing to climb. As a result, we devised a pre-climb checklist that has served our university climbing community very well. The acronym T.A.L.K. has helped us feel more confident in new climbers and avoids complacency common in repetitious activities. Stop in and learn what T.A.L.K. stands for and reflect on how you might reduce risk before your climbers get on the wall.

Belay is Off: Lessons Learned from an Autobelay Incident
445 PM - 515 PM

In 2019, our climbing facility experienced a significant injury-accident related to the inappropriate use of an autobelay device. This presentation will discuss factors leading to the incident, reveal challenges in working with university risk managers, and outline steps taken to reduce risk for the future. Autobelays are excellent tools, but if you run a gym, this presentation will call out changes you probably need to implement.

Crisis Communications for Outdoor Recreation and Education Programs
8 AM - 9 AM

A major incident has occurred. Potentially damaging social media images are already trickling out. Reporters are calling. It's all happening with terrifying speed. How do you stay in control? How do you best manage your organization's reputation? What are the best practices for effective media relations in a crisis? This workshop will help you answer those questions and more.

The session introduces participants to best practices for media relations following a newsworthy incident. We'll cover how to give news media representatives what they need (and deserve) to report a story, while helping protect your organization's public image. We'll go over the things you should have ready in advance, so you are prepared in case a major incident occurs. We'll cover best practices for giving interviews and writing news releases, and tips for managing social media content. Participants will experience a live mock interview with a reporter covering a serious incident at an outdoor recreation/education program. Participants will also learn where they can go to gain further knowledge and skills in media relations.

Feeling Crowded? The FIVUM Council is here to guide you in a new era of increased recreational use
8 AM - 9 AM

Increases in outdoor recreation participation over the past two years have brought many new people into the places we all love to play. However, public land managers, concessionaires, and programmers alike have had to adapt to more crowded parking lots, put-ins and peaks. Join us for a session with the Federal Interagency Visitor Use Management (FIVUM) Council where we explore the basis of visitor use management decision making, and how you can work better with your local land managers to bring your participants to the wild spaces you know and love.

The Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative presents an updated Scope of Practice document and supporting papers.
910 AM - 940 AM

The Wilderness Medicine Education Collaborative (WMEC) was formed in 2010 to provide a forum for discussing trends and issues in wilderness medicine and to develop consensus-driven scope of practice documents (SOPs) for Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness Advaced First Aid (WAFA), and the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certifications. Our mission is to elevate wilderness medicine education and set standards for common field certifications. Collectively, the WMEC schools have over two hundred years of experience teaching wilderness medicine and have trained over 750,000 students in the past four decades. Please join us to review major themes in the recently revised WFR SOPs and an overview of supporting documents and some factors that have driven the creation of these documents.

Asking for What You Need and Saying 'No' to When You Can't
910 AM - 1010 AM

Student participants and staff rely on outdoor programs to provide an experience that is hard to replicate elsewhere. As Professional Staff, we often serve as mentors, confidants, and guides for students to navigate this developmentally unique time in their lives. Likewise, we are responsible for helping other professionals in our department and institutions better understand the purpose, structure, and impact of our programs. That's a lot to balance! During this presentation, we will strategize ways to support and create boundaries with our students, along with how to ensure that upper administration understands the value that our programs bring to the table.

Improving Outcomes Through Applying Safety Science to Outdoor Recreation and Education
910 AM - 1010 AM

This workshop aims to help managers of outdoor recreation and outdoor education programs take advantage of the best contemporary thinking on incident prevention and mitigation to help ensure their outdoor programs exhibit excellence in risk management.

We'll take a look at theoretical models of incident causation developed by researchers in the aviation and healthcare industries, and explore how they can be applied to the outdoor ed/rec context.

We'll explore how complex systems theory and resilience engineering can be used to develop and implement high-quality risk management plans for outdoor programs.

Participants will leave the workshop with practical ideas they can use right away to improve safety at their organization.

Sexual Misconduct Prevention In Outdoor Education Settings
1020 AM - 1120 AM

This session will help you identify the increased risk factors for discrimination and sexual harassment in outdoor education settings.
You will understand the escalation of unwelcome behaviors and how to stop 'upstream' behaviors before they become more egregious with a multi-pronged approach including; bystander intervention and building Culture Forward policies and procedures.

Beyond the Program: Benefits of Reflection in Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
1020 AM - 1120 AM

What does it look like to focus something typically geared towards participants on yourself and your team? This workshop is an invitation to critically assess your (and/or your organization's) current reflection practice and an exploration of the world of reflection beyond the "traditional" or commonly thought of experiential education realm. It aims to show that critical assessment can be fun by interspersing content (research, pedagogy, methods, models) with opportunities for folks to reflect on their current practices through the lens of this content. This workshop will blend a variety activities with interdisciplinary information and leave attendees with an actionable step that they can take when they return from the conference. This workshop is set up with the intention of benefiting job seekers, hiring administrators/officials, supervisors, trainers, support staff-all levels of engagement with any level professional.

A Mentorship Program For All. A Summary of the New AORE PDC Mentorship Program.
140 PM - 240 PM

In 2021 the AORE Professional Development Committee (PDC) reviewed and renovated its already established mentorship program in order to better serve AORE members and the larger outdoor industry. This new program features tiered level of professionals, 6 month plan, along with clear action plans for both the mentee and mentor that require little effort. Since launching this program in November of 2021 we have seen 10 Mentee and 12 Mentors register for this program. Out of those registered, we were able to develop 8 Mentorship pairs and have seen significant success.

This presentation will focus on:
1. Why the Mentorship Program was modified
2. How the new program operates
3. Mentorship program statistics
4. Hear success stories of people involved in the program
5. Educate others on how they can get involved in the program

Climber behavior in climbing gyms, their degree of care in protecting themselves, & what gyms can do to keep them safe
140 PM - 210 PM

Climbing has gone from the lunatic fringe to the mainstream. Those who go to climbing gyms today are not cut from the same cloth as climbers who cut their teeth outside at the crags. Today's gyms occupy a niche in the exercise marketplace and are increasingly co-branded as climbing, fitness and yoga. This research project aimed to better understand climber behaviour in climbing gyms with the goal of reducing incidents and injuries. It focused on the degree of care climbers use in clipping into auto-belays, tying into a rope, or threading belay devices. Methodology included a survey, site visits to 10 climbing gyms, meetings with owners and GMs, observations of climbers, review of incident reports and video analysis. Among the findings were that 88% said they double-check to ensure that the rope is tied properly, 86% said they double-check to ensure the belay device is threaded properly and 83% said they double-check to ensure they're properly clipped and locked into the auto-belay. However, the figures observed were 54% of climbers did a double-check to ensure that the rope was tied properly, 56% did a double-check to ensure the belay device is threaded properly and 10% double-checked to ensure they're properly clipped and locked into the auto-belay. This disparity shows not only is there a massive difference between what climbers think they are doing to safeguard themselves but that their lack of care heightens their risk exposure.

The Outdoor Adventure Career Trajectory: lessons learned and how to be strategic about what's next for your career.
250 PM - 320 PM

This presentation will pull back the curtain on the ups and downs higher education professionals will likely experience in this profession, from pay gaps to the value of time in the field. The goal is to expose attendees to the potential challenges of their career and reflect on what changes they can influence now to navigate their professions in 5, 10, 20 years. Instead of being passive about their career trajectory, attendees should be empowered to create a plan for what they want from their career. The presentation will highlight lessons learned from outdoor adventure colleagues who have either settled in for the long haul or jumped off the train that is outdoor education. So often, we are so focused on the present we forget to glance up and plan for our future. This is the presentation your future self will thank you for attending, especially if you are a young professional.

How Not to Lecture: Active Training Strategies to Create an Engaged Audience
250 PM - 350 PM

Ideal learning environments are filled with activities and participant engagement, yet many of us default to lecturing from slideshows when presenting information. In this presentation we will put our money where our mouths are and NOT lecture. Instead, we will facilitate an experience in which the participants use a variety of active training strategies that can be applied to any number of topics. The facilitators will use common outdoor education training topics to demonstrate these strategies. Topics may include climbing/belaying techniques, wilderness first aid skills, teaching stages of group development, etc. Participants will also be given time to brainstorm and share out ways that they can use these strategies within their own context.

Additionally, thoughtfully selected games and energizers will be incorporated throughout in order to develop community and act as a companion to the learning strategies.

All of these strategies are practical for use in an outdoor setting and do not require the use of technology beyond paper and markers. Ideal for outdoor educators, camps, and college recreation training programs.

The Rebranding of RecVentures
4 PM - 5 PM

What do you do when the name Outdoor Pursuits no longer reflects what your program has to offer? Join us for a discussion about the changing nature of university adventure programs post COVID and with the most tech savvy generation higher education has ever seen. How do we change our offerings, our name and even our staff training to provide amazing experiences with fewer resources? How do you grow an on-campus reputation that speaks to your value? Who is talking about you and what are they saying? Let us discuss what trends we are seeing as administrators and how we can stay relevant when the University talks about us. Let's chat!

Costa Rica: The Development of Outdoor Recreation Awareness
4 PM - 5 PM

Costa Rica is a country that has a high diversity of natural spaces, which give us the opportunity to perform many outdoor recreational activities. At the same time, until before 2020, most of the population did not see outdoor recreation as an aspirational activity. In my presentation I will show the relationship of outdoor activities with respect to the socio-economic level of the population and how sports and tourism activities are intertwined. We will also discuss the academic offerings in Recreation careers and what are the job opportunities both for graduates of those careers and for people who want to make outdoor recreation a career, but do not have specialized studies. Finally, we will introduce the AERA Project, which is inspired by the work of AORE and tropicalized with elements of the Costa Rican culture and reality.