A Successful LEAP Forward

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By Shawn Stetson

Innovative Ways to Spice Up Your Low Ropes Course Program
On March 1st, 2013, we were pleased to be joined by over 50 like-minded people for our first annual Leading Effective Adventure Programs conference (LEAP.) First of all we want to thank everyone who attended. It was great to see some old friends and make some great new connections. The energy of the day was phenomenal! Here are some highlights from the day.

The day got off to an energetic start with a playnote address from Adventureworks which included a multi-media version of Simon Says called Monkey See, Monkey Do. It was pretty fun to watch 50 people try to keep up with the dance moves of the “blue man.” Ask someone who attended if they were successful.

The rest of the day included 9 workshops (3 at a time) from fantastic presenters. The workshops explored the themes of Educating with Adventure, Facilitating Adventure, and Adventure Program Management. Feedback about the quality of workshops has been very positive.

Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to explore What’s Working Experientially with Student Success Programs from Lee Ann Piekosz from Delta Secondary School and Integrating Adventure into the Curriculum with Lisa Pilgrim from Pineland School. Author Jen Stanchfield helped participants explore and improve their facilitation practices in her 2 workshops; Get Them Talking, Moving, and Reflecting, and Get Them Engaged and The Inspired Teacher, The Inspired Classroom. We were privileged to have Brian Hibbert, Bob Soroko, and our own Brian Lisson present What's New in the World of Standards. Participants in this workshop had a chance to discuss OPHEA, ACCT, and School Board policies pertaining to ropes course programs for schools.

Our own staff also presented workshops. Brian’s session on The Mission Driven Ropes Course: Aligning Organizational Mission with Programming Goals prompted deep thought and discussion while Kathy Haras’ session on Innovative Ideas to Spice Up Your Low Ropes Course Program really caused a buzz. There was also an opportunity to experience some Activities That Always Work with Adam Brown and Shawn Stetson.

Door prizes were handed out to RossMcIntyre from Camp Couchiching who won the complete Jen Stanchfield/Experiential Tools facilitation resource package. Nathan Lackey from Upper Canada College won the climbing hangboard. Andrea Pepe from Simcoe-Muskoka YMCA won a free registration to LEAP 2014.

We are pleased to let you know that all of the handouts that were shared in each session are available through our file sharing system. You can also find some pictures from the day there. To access the files just click on the following link: https://adventureworks.box.com/leap2013

Thanks again to all who attended LEAP 2013 and helped to make it a success. We hope that you will be part of LEAP 2014! Stay tuned for details. Like our Facebook Page or follow us @Adventureworks1 on Twitter to receive updates.