I trained as an accountant before I realised that measuring finance doesn’t necessarily reveal real value or lead to the best and most meaningful outcomes. As a result, I may have a slightly distorted view when I start talking about Natural Capital.

There had many reasons to pause and reflect in the last quarter.  The reasons include a clear endorsement of a more joined up sector from the HSE, a very encouraging and stimulating sector wide conference and the passing of Roger Orgill, a key influencer of the shape the Institute for Outdoor Learning is today.  All this and more has prompted me to revisit our common purpose as Outdoor Learning practitioners or put another way, to reflect on why we are striving to ensure what we all do is better understood, is more impactful and better valued?

The recently published report by the Department for Education into Character Education (August 2017) could be viewed as an exercise in re-branding but I think there is more to take from it than that.  The reference to character traits in the report such as resilience, self-esteem and confidence, communication skills, self-regulation, perseverance and motivation, respect, tolerance and empathy, may lead an outdoor learning professional to think that they might be at the heart of a school’s approach to delivering Character Education.  Think again!  The survey of schools behind the report makes little to no reference to outdoor learning.