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eNews Update August
AEE Monthly eNews Update August 2008
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Please join us!
The 36th Annual International Conference will be held in Vancouver, Washington, November 6 - 9th, 2008.
Why register today? A couple of last year's Annual Conference Attendees said it best in our Annual Member Survey:
"Your conferences are excellent because they give someone with limited experience the opportunity to mingle and exchange ideas with experienced professionals."
"AEE is a way for me to connect with others who share my passion."
"I am a better teacher, facilitator and learner because of AEE."
- Member comments, March 2008 survey
Frontier Airlines is offering 10% discounts on flights to our conference. Visit www.FrontierAirlines.com and select more search options. Please use the Meeting ID 4Q3QAZ.
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Join AEE at the NSEE Conference
Our partner, the National Society for Experiential Education is hosting the 37th Annual NSEE Conference September 24 - 26, 2008 in Orlando, Florida at the Contemporary Hotel (a Disney property).
AEE members will pay NSEE member rates for the NSEE conference. Please join us.
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Farewell and Thank You, Henry
As some of you have heard, Henry Wood has decided its time to take the next step in his professional career, and will be leaving AEE as of mid-September.
I would like to thank Henry for his dedication to the association and for his talent in moving the Accreditation Program forward over the past few years. Henry has been a great asset to AEE and has created many positive relationships with our members and beyond. He will be missed by all.
From Henry Wood, Boulder, Colorado
The time has come for me to move on from AEE. It has been my great pleasure to serve the association and the field of experiential education over the past 3+ years as the Director of Accreditation. The Accreditation Program is strong and new programs are applying every day. I am comforted in knowing that it is stable and achieving its mission of improving adventure program quality and protecting the public..
I am very thankful to the Accreditation Council and the volunteer reviewers for all of their support and hard work. It is your commitment that has brought this program so far. You have been terrific teachers and I have learned so much from all of you.
My plan is to remain at AEE until Sept. 13. After that, the sky is the limit. My first choice is to continue pursuing my passion in wilderness education; however, my heart is open to other possibilities. Please stay in touch.
My departure means that the Accreditation Program staff position is open; interested individuals can view the job details on JobsClearinghouse on the AEE website. If you know of qualified candidates who might be interested, please spread the word.
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Farewell and Thank You Amy
From Paul Limoges, in Boulder, CO
I am also sad to report that Amy McCloone, our Publications Services Coordinator, is leaving us to pursue other opportunities as well. Amy was a joy to work with and became fast friends to the many people she worked with and assisted. I want to thank Amy for her many contributions to AEE inlcuding order fulfilment, bookstore buildout, conference logistics, and superior customer service. We will miss Amy very much.
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Please Welcome the Emerging Student Group
Calling All Students!
Crystal Weaver (right, top), student representative to the Southeast Regional Council, and Beth Walker (right, bottom), publications representative for the Rocky Mountain Regional Council, have initiated the first AEE networking group specifically for students.
If you're a student, join us in Vancouver, Washington, in November at the Annual
International AEE Conference for the first meeting of the Emerging Student Group.
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Youth Policy Summit - Mastery of Science
By Dave Miller, Outreach Director at Keystone Science School
The Youth Policy Summits hosted by the Keystone Science School (KSS) in Keystone, Colorado, are a good example of the success of experiential education. By partnering with the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST), KSS has designed a program that puts budding scientists in front of real stakeholders - from members of Congress to funders in the private sector in order to produce and deliver recommendations on timely issues facing our
society. Annemarie Fussell, Youth Policy Summit Director, administered the most recent Summit tackling the issue of obesity in the United States.
Read more. Also http://youthpolicysummit.org/
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Adventure Therapy - It works!
By Kim Sacksteder, Wilderness Bond Supervisor, Camp Mary Orton, Columbus, Ohio
"You come here to figure out what you are good at and then how to use that."
- A teen explaining to
newcomers why they are here
It was when Kim Sacksteder was 19 years old and working at a teen crisis shelter in 1993, that she first observed the effectiveness of experiential education. Specifically, she discovered that teens respond better to treatment when activities are involved. They engage much better with the people trying to help them. As she pursued her own education, Kim started looking around for information about combining activities with therapy.
In 1999, Kim found AEE online and attended her first conference. In AEE, she found the means to develop as a professional given her interests and Master's in Social Work. Said Kim "In my environment, I had few resources to help me connect my clinical training with adventure. Finding out that there was already a field supporting this has made all the difference. I truly credit the Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TAPG) for helping me grow over the years." Read More |
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BAWTmobiles Affordable Transportation
By Elyzabeth Dehapiot, Marketing Intern, Bay Area Wilderness Training
Bay Area Wilderness Training and City CarShare have pooled resources to serve youth needing transportation to and from the great outdoors.
This unique program allows youth educators to avoid legal, administrative and financial drawbacks that are often obstacles to taking outdoor field trips. By getting outdoors through a car share program, Bay Area kids are already taking a step towards a more sustainable world. Read Press Release
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Outward Bound Sets a New Course
From John C. Read, President & CEO - Outward Bound
I am writing to you as a friend of Outward Bound or as a leader in the outdoor experiential education community about changes underway in our organization.
We have a new strategic direction that we are excited about and is described in this press release and one-page description. You may already have heard about some aspects of this initiative, especially since this new direction is resulting in a number of internal changes, among them the redeployment of our field structure and closing a number of base camps around the country while we open new Centers in key cities like Denver and San Francisco.
Thanks and Regards,
John C. Read
President & CEO - Outward Bound
845-424-4000 x 245
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Partner Announcements
NOLS offers the strongest Risk Management Training in the industry - and at a discount to you - AEE members.
NOLS has several relevant and well attended classes coming up including
- 10/24-25, Bend, Oregon
- 9/29-30, Jackson, Wyoming (preconference to the Wilderness Risk Management Conference)
- 10/28-29, San Diego, California
AEE members receive a 10% discount. Accredited members receive a 25% discount.
For more information or to enroll, please contact NOLS Professional Training at 800-710-6657, x3, nolspro@nols.edu
AEE partner and Teamwork Coach, Tom Heck, is offering a 20% disount on an10-week bootcamp-style teamwork course to AEE members. This "Manager As Coach Bootcamp" is an intensive 10-week leadership development program for management level staff. The fall session starts September 23 and rates go up September 5, 2008. Visit the website.
Outdoor ProLink is seeing growth in the number of manufacturers that are making their products available to AEE members on its website! Mountainsmith, and Deckers Flip Flops have recently made most of their products available. Already registered? Check it out.
Also, if your organization needs group equipment it is now available from OutdoorProlink.com. Send an email with your request to info@outdoorprolink.com indicating what sorts of items you need and in what quantities.
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Enriching the Brain
Jensen, Eric (2006) Enriching the Brain. Published by Jossey-Bass. 286 pages. ISBN 978-0-470-22389-5
Book review by Kirsten Kindt, AEE Membership Manager
I recently rummaged the book store for some work related reading and came across "Enriching the Brain" by Eric Jensen. This book inspired me to grab a highlighter frequently so I think it is worthy of sharing with all of you.
The aim of the book is to help educators maximize every learner's potential, and to do so the author suggests that they create classrooms that provide a consistently high percentage of contrasting factors that result in "enriched environments." Enriched environments are defined as those that are superior when contrasted to a lesser (control) condition and thus result in positive, measurable changes in the brain (physical and cognitive). The seven key contrasting factors:
- Physical activity
- Novel, challenging, and meaningful learning
- Coherent complexity
- Managed stress levels
- Social support
- Good nutrition
- Sufficient time Read more
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News
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, July 29, 2008
New England Ropes Recalls Climbing Lines Due to Fall Hazard
The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall on two types of Maxim Climbing Ropes manufactured by New England Ropes due to fall hazard. (New release curtesy of Outdoor Ed and Rick Curtis)
North Bay Nugget, July 2008
Dare to Change
Posted By Jenny Potter, forwarded to AEE by Stephen Glass, Wendigo Lake Expeditions: Project DARE, South River, Ontario, Canada
An article about how Project DARE helped a 15 year old stop running from his problems, and instead taught him to face them calmly, and to turn his back on bad influences.
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