Adventure and outdoor education is a holistic learning approach which can which can be used to support physical, mental and socio-emotional development. It creates experiences that support personal growth through adventure. Adventure and outdoor education challenges participants to face uncertainty and unpredictable outcomes in a safe, guided and supportive environment.
Both children and the youth, as well as adults, benefit from adventure education. In practice, the activities used in adventure and outdoor education may vary from camping and canoeing to exploring urban environments, as well as cooking and playing games.
Adventure and outdoor education can be applied to various fields such as schooling, youth work, social work and therapy. We develop adventure education with the support of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Why choose adventure education
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Self-knowledge develops
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Personal strengths are discovered
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Social skills develop
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Proactivity and sense of responsibility increase
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Problem-solving skills improve
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Managing emotions is strengthened
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Resilience in coping with uncertainty is strengthened
In Finland, adventure and outdoor education activities are always professionally instructed and provide a safe environment for participants to face unpredictability, explore and practice new roles and ways of acting and to challenge themselves mentally, socially, and physically. By reflecting upon their experiences, participants develop self-knowledge and recognise connections between their actions and outcomes. Through instructed reflection, participants are guided in identifying the links between what they have just experienced and their everyday lives. As a result, they are encouraged to adopt new ways of thinking and behaving in diverse situations, and they can transfer and apply what they have learned to various contexts.
The social aspect in essential in adventure and outdoor education. The learning experience is a structured and facilitated process with a strong social element, and it involves action-based inclusive learning. Group activities allow individuals to reflect on themselves as members of a group and as actors in relation to other group members.
Read more in our online brochure for adventure and outdoor education: Adventure and Outdoor Education