Outdoor Adventure Education in Canada: Seeking the Country Way Back In

Abstract

How might one describe outdoor adventure education in Canada to other outdoor educators in the world? Not our own regional places and particular practices, but rather the general collective sense of the field that is significantly and distinctively a "Canadian way." We believe Canada's geography, Canada's influences and differences from the United States, and Canadian outdoor educators' tendency to integrate the curricular aspects of environment and adventure educations would be present for most. In this paper we will discuss the philosophical underpinnings of Canadian adventure education and offer a description of outdoor adventure education in Canada. The article is divided into three sections. The first deals with Canadian meanings of outdoor adventure education, the second explains what a Canadian outdoor adventure education is, followed by a description of where outdoor adventure education in Canada is taught.