Aberdeenshire Council is a licensed provider of adventure activities
Welcome to Aberdeenshire Council's Outdoor Learning Web Site.
An introduction and personal perspective from Dave Horrocks of Adventure Scotland Ltd.
It gives me great personal pleasure and satisfaction to be introducing this new development and with it the Council's revised safety policy:
I believe that we are now at a turning point in the fortunes of outdoor learning in Aberdeenshire and that we can look forward to a period of significant growth in this important area.
There are now real signs that the outdoor classroom is coming of age. There is a greater sense of optimism among outdoor educators nationally than I've seen in the last 20 years.
Recent New Opportunities Fund money has made a real difference – not just because of hard cash but because it signals a changing climate in which there is a growing recognition of the real value of educational adventurous activities out of doors.
The key word in outdoor learning always was and still is Adventurous. I believe passionately in the value of adventure in the life long development of people. It is a fundamental component of personal development.
Shared adventure can be an important tool for social development and adventurous experiences out of doors are proven to be effective in engaging people with their natural environment.
Fundamental to adventure is an element of risk.
... we are in danger of risk being sidelined as an undesirable by-product of adventurous activity, of it being treated as if it were a carcinogen to be eliminated from an otherwise healthy diet rather than being recognised as itself an essential nutrient ...
Bob Barton, Safety Advisor to The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
This is not to say we should embrace risk for its own sake and is clearly not what Bob Barton was saying.
Society needs to strike a reasonable balance between the value of experience and levels of acceptable risk. Media frenzy and knee jerk reactions to rare but tragic accidents, along with the ever-present spectre of litigation are putting us in danger of getting the balance wrong. We are heading towards a society where people are at first unwilling and ultimately rendered incapable of taking responsibility for their own individual actions and decisions.
Adventurous Activities have the potential to play a significant role in reversing these trends provided that they themselves do not fall victim to them.
Keeping the adventure in outdoor learning requires a robust safety management system to effectively manage and minimise risks. It is equally important that all involved, including parents acknowledge that a degree of residual risk remains.
Dave Horrocks
'Outdoor Connections' Project
I would draw your attention to the press release relating to the 'Outdoor Connections' project and it's final report. I believe that hard copies of the report will be sent to all schools in due course direct from LTS but the link within the press release may make the report more accessible to more of your staff. Outdoor Connections has been a major project sponsored by the Scottish Executive in order to further stimulate the development of outdoor learning in Scotland.
I would particularly draw your attention to the Scottish Outdoor Learning Festval on 29th April (highlighted in the press release). I anticipate that this will be a very valuable event for anyone interested in learning out of doors and would commend it to you.
