Southern Region IOLConference 2007
1st November at Wellington College, Berkshire
Report by Jon Parry
This year the conference was hosted by Wilderness Expertise based at their offices on the grounds of an independent school with some fantastic grounds and woodland and state of the art conference facilities. A conscious decision made early on in the year as a consequence of the events leading up to the 2006 conference which was felt did not meet expectations and the needs of the outdoor practitioners. |
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So the question is; what is the purpose of the conference? Well, arguably it serves many purposes which include a chance for like minded people to get together and share experiences; to discuss the latest developments in the outdoor education world; to share best practice; to network; to celebrate the variety in outdoor education and to inspire practitioners with new ideas and practices. I think it is a chance for us to refresh our enthusiasm that we all have with working in the outdoors and using it as a tool for development.
Well, this year the conference managed to meet all of these aims and purposes and more which was reflected in the excellent attendance with over 100 delegates. Not only did the fantastic setting set the tone for the day but the three key note speeches delivered by Andy Simms (Chair of the IOL exec committee), Mike King (Director of Releasing Potential and newly elected chair of the SRIOL exec committee) and Martin Tomlinson (OEA for West Sussex) provide some food for thought for us all. Mike delivered a very interesting presentation on the power of the outdoors to influence and develop young people who otherwise have chosen a less productive path, while Martin Tomlinson gave a very clear outline of the “Every Child matters” and “Learning outside the classroom” manifestos and what it means for the Outdoor Industry.
It is clear that outdoor education is at an interesting turning point. We are at a point where we can re-assess the implications of the management of risk with outdoor activity and decide how we might implement the recent government initiatives to promote “learning outside of the classroom”.
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Mike King, the new Chair of SRIOL, with his wife at the Conference. |
There is a real buzz in the industry and this conference captured and shared that feeling. I have already mentioned briefly that the conference heralded a change in the Chair of the SRIOL committee and so there was a hint of sadness as Denea Wright stepped down as Chair after nearly 10 years of hard work and commitment to developing the region. With a touch of emotion the region acknowledged her hard work with some gifts and kind words as Mike King took over the reigns of the SRIOL committee. Denea will still be a member of the committee offering her support and invaluable experience to Mike as he moves the region forward.
The rest of the day was a rich smorgasboard of workshops and sessions from a variety of outdoor professionals and volunteers demonstrating the huge variety in outdoor education. Workshops included; Wilderness Therapy, dealing with challenging behaviour, introduction to NLP, BS8848 standard for overseas trips, working with disabled on a climbing wall, using Low Ropes, bush craft and an introduction to the new MLTE Climbing Wall award to name just a few. It is very exciting to see so many people giving up their time and sharing their experiences in the outdoors. The SRIOL committee wishes to thank all those who delivered the sessions without which the day would not have happened.
| The end of the day was marked with a demonstration by a group of practitioners who had put together a musical masterpiece with their Junk Orchestra (provided by the Hampshire music service) and final motivational speech from the new Chair Mike King. |  |
A fantastic and worthwhile day was had by all. Ask someone who attended and they will tell you that there are some fantastic things happening in the world of outdoor education in the South. Next year is anticipated to be bigger and better but in the meantime we are keen to hear your views and ideas on how the Southern Region can best support you the practitioner. In particular, the region is planning to run some training workshops in the winter period so keep an eye out on the regions page on the IOL website.