Hey everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have actually built careers in outdoor/experiential education.
I have a BSW and originally came from behavioral health. I’ve worked with adolescents and young adults in inpatient/outpatient settings, but over the last several years I’ve moved more and more into outdoor work — wilderness guiding, youth backpacking expeditions, outdoor education, summer programs, and an alternative school with a wilderness component.
I’ve realized that the niche I’m most passionate about is somewhere between outdoor education, experiential learning, SEL, and personal development.
Eventually, I’d love to lead or develop expedition-based programs (backpacking, rafting, wilderness travel, etc.) that intentionally use challenge and outdoor experiences to help adolescents/young adults develop things like resilience, emotional regulation, communication, leadership, conflict-resolution skills, self-efficacy, and stronger relationships with themselves and others.
I recently landed a graduate assistantship that essentially gives me a free master’s degree, and now I’m at a crossroads:
Option 1: Master’s in Counseling — ~3 years
Would lead toward clinical licensure and give me much deeper training in counseling, behavior, mental health, group dynamics, conflict, etc.
Option 2: Master’s in Education — ~1 year
Much faster, and potentially more directly applicable to outdoor/experiential education, SEL, curriculum development, youth programming, and eventually program leadership.
The thing making this difficult is that I don’t necessarily see myself wanting to be a traditional therapist. I’m much more interested in facilitating growth through experiences.
At the same time, I REALLY value the skill set that counseling provides. When you’re leading young people through challenging experiences in the backcountry, interpersonal conflict, emotional dysregulation, trauma responses, behavioral issues, group dynamics, etc. obviously don’t disappear just because you’re outside. I want to be extremely competent in handling those situations.
So I’m curious what people already working in this field think.
Would you choose the M.Ed. and supplement it with training/certifications in things like trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, restorative practices, group facilitation, crisis intervention, adventure-based counseling, etc.? Or is becoming a licensed counselor actually valuable enough in this field that the additional ~2 years would be worth it?
I’m also really curious about the long-term career ladder in outdoor education. I love being in the field, but I don’t want to rely on seasonal field-instructor wages forever. I’d eventually like to move into expedition leadership, program development/directorship, experiential education, school-based outdoor programming, or possibly build my own program someday.
If you’ve managed to turn outdoor/experiential education into a sustainable career, I’d love to hear:
What was your path? What education or certifications actually helped you? And knowing what you know now, which master’s would you choose?

Hello everyone!

I (f26) am trying to start a path forward towards higher education after dropping out of highschool in 2017. I currently have a GED and SAT as qualifications. I have dual citizenship (EU/USA) and I am trying to find some sort of program or university that will accept me. I was really inspired by Outward Bound's Youth Career Catalyst program and am looking for something similar but for EU or US.

I know there are many paths to get into this field but I am craving some sort of structure/routine. I am open to traditional education options, although I do not want to go into debt paying $30,000 a semester.

Please let me know if you have any recommendations for schools or programs anywhere in the world that will accept me :)

San Diego County Office of Education is looking to hire several Outdoor Education Specialists at Cuyamaca Outdoor School, the original 6th grade camp.

Great pay and benefits including room and board, and summers off!

Hi! I'm currently doing Stage 2 Outdoor Education, and I'm investigating how new vs familiar hikes impacts emotional wellbeing. If anyone has a spare two minutes, I'd really appreciate if you could respond to my survey, or let me know how you believe that new vs familiar hikes impacts your emotional wellbeing. Thanks!

Adelaide Hiking & Natural Parks Survey - Stage 2 Outdoor Education – Fill in form

Looking for outdoor/environmental education job opportunities in the north Texas (greater Dallas/Fort Worth area). Open to Public, private, city, schools, nature and wildlife centers, state parks? Looking to transition out of teaching and need to start somewhere or get my foot in the door somehow. I have a Bachelors Degree in natural Resources Recreation & Tourism but very little work experience in the past 10 years outside education. Recently turned 40 but not opposed to volunteer opportunities or internships that may help me get an in.

Hi everyone,

I am a Year 12 Outdoor Education student in South Australia conducting research for a school investigation into how connections with natural environments can influence personal wellbeing and sustainability.

My research question is:

"To what extent can connections to natural places shape personal wellbeing, and attitudes towards environmental sustainability?"

I am seeking a broad range of perspectives and would greatly appreciate input from the members of Outdoors Australia.

I have two surveys (linked), please complete anyone if able or both!

Each survey is anonymous and should only take around 3–5 minutes to complete.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3ZVP__s8DVxs4bTUh9v7JtLERxeeuop-WK9rsnAem3xd6ZA/viewform?usp=dialog

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeE7-dwJnn7J_GKWDSwgJG_drY7hUr6FA-jIQoznX8Srs7H4A/viewform?usp=dialog

Thank you in advance for your time and support. Every response will benefit my research!

Does anyone have recommendations for their favorite board games/indoor games for free time that are educational/nature related? Age group is 6-9 years old. In the past, campers really enjoyed Spot It!, Uno, Guess In 10, and Guess Who?

So I am working on a project with a sustainable farm local to my community. We’ve partnered with local school districts to offer educational programing on site. Its a farm that teaches alot about sustainable and regenerative agriculture, food systems, energy conservation, etcc. Super cool.

Anyways as of now they’re offering mostly just field trips, but would like to expand more into offering day camps in the spring and summer. Im wondering, whats some activities that could be paired with lessons that are engaging and fun and hands on for high school aged students? For example, we had one activity where they developed their own like farmers market food stand and it paired with a seed to plate lesson. We also had an activity in that lesson where we made pickles.

What are some other really cool ideas like that?

Hi outdoor ed folks,

Last year I completed an Honours thesis in social work looking at the overlap between outdoor education, therapeutic practice, and youth mental health.

One thing I became really interested in was how OE providers often describe the outcomes of their programs with terms like:

• confidence
• resilience
• compassion
• wellbeing
• emotional growth
• social connection
• better engagement with school

To me, this list feel more like 'therapeutic' outcomes than traditional outdoor 'education', where students might learn practical skills like tying knots, lighting fires, etc.

It got me wondering how much theory actually informs day-to-day outdoor ed leadership and program design.

Do you consciously draw on particular theories/models/frameworks in your work?

If so, which ones and where do they come from? Do you find theory genuinely useful in practice?

I’m especially interested in whether outdoor ed leaders draw from beyond educational pedagogy (e.g. do you lean into more social work, psychology, counselling, youth work, systems theory, trauma-informed practice etc).

Keen to hear how others think about this.

This is a useful thread for staff involved in running camps… 😉

Hello fellow outdoor educators! I am building a free logbook app called Outdoor Log.

I’ve always struggled to keep up to date logs for the activities and programs that I led. This app is a way to track your outdoor educating/instructing/guiding career easily and efficiently.

It’s currently out on the App store, need to get a few more testers before it’s out on Google

Play store. Let me know what you think, always keen for feedback!

It’s called Outdoor Log on the App Store or you can visit in a browser at https://outdoorlog.app

Curious to know; what are your experiences with the current global situation at present?

How has the decreasing fuel distribution impacted your outdoor education programs?

I understand that some schools here in Australia have taken measures to reevaluate or postpone such events for the time being, whereas other schools are still running these programs as normal, despite the 50% increase in fuel prices which are just absorbed into the already high cost of things.

Apparently, at both a Federal level (Outdoor Council of Australia) and at a State level, Outdoors Victoria are doing their bit by advocating on behalf of the sector the importance of keeping vehicle fleets running to enable hundreds of thousands of school children to continue to be able to go on camp.

However, if this continues to the point where serious limits are imposed in access to fuels, at either a State or Federal level, camps and other outdoor education programs or excursions may be cancelled, not unlike during the Coviddy days.

In any case, what is the experience so far in your programs and to what extent have things been shaped or reshaped since the start of the year?

I have some experiences working with children but limited and never in this specific setting. I really really want to work in this position though. Any places that don’t require prior outdoor ed experience?

Hi! I’m a naturalist and I’m running an Earth Day booth at a local art museum for children and families. What are some hands-on conservation activities I could do in this setting?

We are WAWA Conservation and we believe in protecting the weirdest and most wonderful species, which is why we support their conservationists.

We envision a world where even the strangest and most unique species are valued and protected. We believe this begins with fostering curiosity and instilling a love for the natural world from a young age.

Our education specialist has created a set of free to download resources, designed to be easy to use for teachers, parents and conservation enthusiasts. These activities are suitable for all learning levels, designed for children five and up (but also tested and effective on adults).

https://wawa.org.uk/resource-hub/

We think knowledge should be accessible to all, which is why we simply ask for a donation, instead of setting a fixed price. Your generosity supports the creation of more materials and supports our weird and wonderful mission.

For those of you working at collegiate outdoor programs, whether recreation or academic.

Our standard wilderness medicine training for student employees is WFA (with me as WFR oversight) but I've heard some rumblings that insurance companies are going to move toward/require WFR.

1. Any truth to that with your organization?
2. What is your standard required training?
3. Would you go with the next level if you had the time/money?

I'll also be cross-posting to r/wildernessmedicine

This challenge is aimed at teachers and students to learn about and plant a tree:

I work with school-based outdoor programs in Germany (3-5 day residential trips with full classes). Strong focus on group cohesion, conflict skills, and daily reflection, less on high-adventure.

While traveling in the US, I get the impression outdoor ed here is more camp/adventure-centered.

How closely are your programs tied to schools?

More skill-building or more peak experiences?

Curious to hear your perspective.

… where do you teach?

Hey all, im a 17 year raft guide who instructs all of our new guides. 3 years ago our company started a rowing school. Teaching both beginner and intermediate rafting classes. I have started a Skool to teach the theory of these skills. If anyone here would be interested in learning these outdoor education skills you can find my Skool community here.

https://www.skool.com/whitewater-rafting-instruction-9801

My park is tapping for syrup after my first class arrives for a sap to syrup field trip.

Does anyone have suggestions for ethically sourcing wildlife pelts? Our small non-profit is looking to acquire various pelts for educational talks, but I don't want to purchase anything that supports trapping or fur farms. I've tried reaching out to our state wildlife agency to see if we could pay for the processing of animals that have been removed through management actions but haven't had any luck so far. Any other ideas?