Registration Eligibility
yes
Start Date
11/05/2025
End Date
11/05/2025
Description
You can’t snap your fingers and make challenges related to running outdoor programs disappear. There are approaches, though, that can boost program reputation, enhance appeal of trip participation, and encourage growth. We asked 500 past staff and trip participants that question--What made a difference in their experience? This is what we heard. Knowing what makes a difference matters. Meet a panel of students and full-time staff from Georgia Tech's outdoor program who will discuss strategies around culture, training, growth, messaging, and their motivations for volunteering literally thousands of hours to lead trips.
In 2010, ORGT had 36 active trip staff—all volunteers. 1 of every 4 trips was canceled due to low enrollment or staffing inadequacies. Today, 100% of our leaders are still volunteers. We have 225 trip staff, almost half of whom are WFR-certified. The average length of volunteer service for trip leaders is 2 years, and most staff log hundreds of training hours. 15 years ago, anyone who would have predicted such success for our program would likely have been ridiculed. Since 2010, though, we've filled 18,000 spaces on weekend adventures and facilitated 175 expeditions in 28 countries and on all 7 continents. Waitlists for weekend trips are double the number we can accommodate.
What’s the difference between our lackluster performance 'then' and what we deliver 'now'? Our success is rooted in how we manage student volunteers and how we’ve harnessed the support of donors and campus departments. Our model likely isn’t transportable to most programs, but some of our insights and practices might be.
Location
San Diego, CA
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Parks & Recreation
Health, Safety and Welfare
No
Hours
1.0
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate and explain educational theories that lead to effective lessons
Practice implementing educational theories in mock lesson planning
Explore how UNL Outdoor Adventures has incorporated educational theories into their staff training through two case studies
Instructors
Sarah Sleva
Course Codes
Provider
American Trails