Undergraduate Project
2014
Outdoor Adventure Experience
As more people are spending more time on phones, computers or tablets and starting younger, people are also reporting having less human interaction in a day, increases in anxiety, depression and obesity. Experts have found that wilderness and nature-based experiences resulted in a range of benefits including positive changes in mood and behavior; enhanced connectedness to nature and other people; and improved knowledge and skills acquisition.
The purpose of this type of Outdoor Adventure Experience (O.A.E.) is to help re-wire young brains in a way that gives them power to make changes to their habits long after they leave summer camp. To make it easy and enjoyable for teenagers to learn how to regain balance in their lives without developing a dependency on technology or prescriptions.
Benefit Based Curriculum:
Depending on the needs of each camper, curriculum elements are combined to reach a specific goal each day, week, and session. For example, if a 14 year old only ever wants to play Fortnight, the curriculum would reflect that and work to replace that desire with a different, more active or social activity. By doing this, it allows each camper to get the most out of their experience. The activities for each curriculum element change to fit into each Group Block (GB), Activity Block (AB), Day, Week and Session.
Over the course of a session, campers are granted gradually more freedom and the rules begin to loosen. This helps them become more comfortable with a less rigid schedule and understand that they’re capable of doing things independently. Also, by allowing more agency, it helps the campers gain self confidence and develop decision making skills.
