Outdoor Leadership in New England
Guiding 5th and 6th graders camping and exploring the environment
Introduction
In the summer of 2022, I wanted to find a job that connected my love for the environment and education to create a unique experience that combined both of these -- my academic interests and my potiential career path. My hope with my practicum was to spread the joy of nature to the future stewards of the environent and to get a chance to see if I would enjoy a career in teaching. I worked with a company called Overland Summers that values youth teamwork, leadership discovery, inspiration, and independence. It also provides students with an outdoor experience, exploring and invoking curiosity. Whether it be hiking, service, language, or an introductory trip, domestically or abroad, Overland offers students in 4th-12th grade an opportunity to expand their knowledge of spaces all around them. For me, the summer was split up into three two-week sessions of introductory trips with twelve 5th and 6th grade students. These students had all different backgrounds, accessibility to outdoor spaces, and varied experience levels with camping. This experience sounded like the perfect match for what I wanted to get out of my summer. The trip I lead started in Williamstown, MA, and went all around the New England area adventuring the mountains and sea. I had not had too much experience in this area before, so I was excited to adventure alongside the students.
Leave No Trace
This is an initiative Overland makes sure all of its trips follow. The seven principles of it are easily taught through hand motions shown on the right. These principles are a great way for students to start thinking mindfully about the spaces they are within in a sustainable lense.
Examples of these principles during camp would be to only walk on designated surfaces, do trash pick-up competitions, and respect the wildlife we see.
Places Along the Way
Day in the Life
Photo Gallery
From L to R: Snack time after an 18 mile bike day, a very rainy morning, last full day of camp hike, excitement of a real bed for 4 nights!, beautiful Mount Monadnock, an afternoon game after setting up camp, the hike down Mount Cardigan, trail matienence, teaching students how to ride a bike, not wanting to say goodbye to friends at camp, car wash shenanigans
Conclusions
- I gained perspective on the strengths and weaknesses I have as a leader because I was working 24/7. When it came to supporting the students emotionally, I was the go-to leader. When it came to strategic planning, I tried really hard to get involved but had to recognize that my co-leader was better and faster at things like meal planning.
- Overland provided me with resources to guide me to future jobs.
- Connections to people around the nation, talking with other teachers who value outdoor education, and a Wilderness First Aid certification.
- The experience made me realize I want to work with kids. It is so rewarding to see how these students were able to grow within a two-week time span. They pick up on the informational things you tell them like the meaning of Monadnock, and they will start sharing the information they learned with their peers. My environmental geology classes prepared me to explain topics like biomes, minerals, and human impact too. Also, it was many of the students' first experiences being independent of their families, so it was fulfilling to see them grow in their own self-confidence.
- Students surprised me in wonderful ways by starting to pick up trash on the beach without asking, helping a friend with tasks around camp, taking initiative in leadership, and finding new ways of enjoying nature in ways I would have not thought of myself. Each student had their own interests in nature, and it was powerful to be the one guiding and intersecting their passions together to grow as a team.
- Safety is the most important element of the trip, after that, the rest will fall into place. Some of these elements include group inclusivity, ground rules for activities, and risk management.
- "Be kind to your future self" is one of the best pieces of advice I got this summer to always be thinking ahead to make your life easier. Every day, there will always be something that surprises you, so it is good to get prepared the best you can beforehand.
Ideas and Suggestions
- These types of programs are subjective to the idea of what wilderness, wildness, and nature are. These concepts are commonly confused with being separate from human life. Although companies like Overland do a great job in defining the history of the areas explored, there is still a lack of connection between the nature students are experiencing in the summer to the nature they experience in their own cities and hometowns. A challenge to outdoor companies would be to teach students how to apply the things they learn in their own communities becoming leaders and stewards of the environment.
- Within outdoor adventure programs, there could be a more interactive element to trying to eat locally and sustainability. Even though this happens indirectly by using less plastic, using reusable water bottles, and limiting food waste, there could be more intentionality behind these practices. This could look like picking in-season foods at the store, stopping at farmers' markets, or making sure food is grown locally. Monocultures have a large influence on soil quality as well as air and water pollution that harm living organisms, so this shift could have long lasting impacts to their lifes beyond camp.