WORKING WITH SCHOOLS THROUGH OUTDOOR EDUCATION

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WORKING WITH SCHOOLS THROUGH OUTDOOR EDUCATION

• SCA Conference 2006Whats Cooking in Camping?

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Building your team

• Conceptual people
• People people
• Structure people

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THE BIG PICTURE

• Identity Do yourself (and your guests) a
  favour! Identify yourself tell them who you
  are.
• Be clear about your map that which guides
  you.
• Does working with schools fit with your vision
  and mission statement?

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THE BIG PICTURE

• Motivation - What are some motivating factors for
  working with schools? Outcomes you might seek?
• Money or the appearance of it stabilizes the
  budget. Or does it?
• Promotion students come, like it and want to
  come back to what you really do - Camping.
• Stability enables the acquisition of fulltime
  staff to do what you really want.
• Support education system you actually believe
  you can provide a service to the education system
  and have a role to play in education.
• Fund capital projects for what you really do
  Camping.

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THE BIG PICTURE

• Market Is there a realistic market/demand for
  Outdoor Education? Or, do you need to create
  that need?

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THE BIG PICTURE

• Resources Do you currently have the resources
  (facilities, equipment, programs, staff)?
• Do you know what you will need? At what cost?
  Cost is not just about money! Staffing,
  Recapitalization, liability, community image
• Assessment tools how will you evaluate its
  worth? Against what? Your mission?

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The PUZZLE PIECES

• If partnering with schools is the puzzle then
  some of the pieces include

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The PUZZLE PIECES Vision / Planning / Goal
Setting

• A fit with your mission? Compromise?
• Donor base support for capital projects etc.?
• Level/theme of programming (recreational based,
  curriculum, experiential)
• Who is responsible for the programming what to
  do when the programming violates your philosophy
  and values.
• Blending your philosophy of education with the
  teachers does it matter?
• Know your industry

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The PUZZLE PIECESRisk

• really it is about assessing what risk is
  acceptable or not acceptable. Identify what
  those standards are.
• Liability (accidents, overnight vs day use)
• Quality of education, equipment, facilities
• Compliance to standards (in ON ORCA, ACCT, etc)
• Who supervises the students? Who actually is
  responsible for them?

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The PUZZLE PIECESEvaluating / Processing /
Understanding

• Identify good assessment tools, revisit your
  mission/outcomes, diagnosis name it! Understand
  yourself. Understand your clients. What are
  your/their limits? Pre-event planning. We get
  in trouble when we function outside of our limits!

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The PUZZLE PIECESPrograms / Facilities /
Infrastructure Expectations

• Staffing
• Equipment
• Food Service
• Self directed vs. directed
• Understanding what schools need and providing
  that
• Using OE to support and strengthen Camping

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The PUZZLE PIECESEnvironment

• What do you want it characterized by? Values?
• Trust
• Honesty
• Purpose
• Empowerment

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The PUZZLE PIECESAuthenticity

• Your connection is not on your product but on
  your authenticity. Courage required. Build
  relationships (long term stability vs short term
  growth)
• Be aware of what is going on with you
• Be aware of what is going on around you
• the most powerful person in the room is the one
  who can name it

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The PUZZLE PIECES Rules of Engagement

• Do they change with different school groups?
  What about staff?

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The PUZZLE PIECESCost Awareness / Analysis /
Fee Structures

• Expectations of equipment and gear
• Inspections to ensure safety
• Storage
• Staffing the availability as most camps
  primary staffing pool is seasonal. Load on
  fulltime staffing.
• Facilities winterization
• Food Service
• Utilities

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The PUZZLE PIECESMarketing / Promotion /
Retention

• Recognition of the value of the camping
  experience
• Gratis work
• The school trip cycle
• Getting a Boards endorsement
• Understanding what schools need and providing that

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The PUZZLE PIECESStaffing Implications

• Training? Full time vs. Contract/Part
  time?Administrative drain Schedule drain what
  might not get done?