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Certification Manual up for Review

noemail@weainfo.org — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Through all of the recent changes in the WEA, the Outdoor Leader Certification (OLC) has remained steadfast as an important part of our mission to professionalize the outdoor leadership profession.

In the past the WEA has not had the resources to track the maintenance of this important certification, but with the implementation of the International Registry of Outdoor Leaders (IROL), the WEA now has a simplified way to track continuing education of both OL Certification and those holding Instructor status in the IROL.

A Certification Manual has been developed to outline the basics of certification including how to become certified, how to maintain certification with Continuing Education Units (CEU) and how to progress to Apprentice and Instructor status in the IROL.

We are asking all WEA members (yes all of you!) to read this document and provide feedback. If you have taken an NSP and received OLC, or are an Instructor with the WEA, this document impacts you directly. We want to know your thoughts and hear your questions so that we can ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the contents of the Certification Manual and continue to improve it in future editions.

Please log in to the website and visit the members only page to review the document and access the members only discussion forum. The discussion forum will be open for 6 months (July 16, 2010-January 16, 2011).

Thank you for your continued support of the WEA and our mission - together we are making a difference!

JOREL Volume 2, Issue 2 - Special Issue

noemail@weainfo.org — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the publication of the first special issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership (JOREL) Volume 2(2) located at http://www.ejorel.com/ This special issue is a compilation of peer-reviewed research abstracts from the 5th Annual AORE Research Symposium held in Minneapolis, MN, November 2009 and the 2nd Annual Outdoor Leadership Research Symposium (OLRS) held in Estes Park, CO, February 2010: Paddlesport Entanglement Safety Tools: Effectiveness and Efficiency in Knives and Shears ~ Tina Aldrich, Merry Moiseichik, & Gretchen Oliver Exploring the Motivations of BASE Jumpers: Extreme Sport Enthusiasts ~ Tara L. Allman, Robin D. Mittelstaedt, Bruce Martin, & Marni Goldenberg Points to Ponder: Research and WEA: Keynote Address from the 2010 Outdoor Leadership Research Symposium ~ M. Deborah Bialeschki The Life Effectiveness of Wilderness Adventure Leaders ~ Cory Maria Dack & Whitney C. Ward ...

Institutional Portfolios for Self Study Submission - NEW!

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:00:00 GMT

The Self Study process is one that will challenge institutions as they go through and evaluate their outdoor leadership development programs from within. The challenge will be to look closely at each aspect of their program; enhance the things they do well, add in things that may be missing, and ultimately make their program better at what it does - training outdoor leaders. The Self Study is an internal action that results in a document outlining the 'hows' of a particular institution's outdoor leadership training program This includes how the training program set in place meets the requirements set forth by the WEA Accreditation Council for providing Outdoor Leader Certification and approving Instructor status in the International Registry of Outdoor Leaders. The Self Study allows the institution to present its curriculum, assessment and evaluation to the WEA Accreditation Council in the format that makes the most sense for that institution. The WEA...

Wilderness Medicine - Scope of Practice - Feedback Requested!

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The documents below are the product of discussion among wilderness medicine providers, as an effort to describe what Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) credentials mean; what a person with a WFA and WFR should know and be able to do. The commercial providers have created a draft that outlines a Scope of Practice for each credential, and would like to invite comments from people who use the credential, either personally, or as someone who supervises program staff with this training. The WEA is pleased to be a conduit for sharing your voices collectively regarding the proposed SOP documents addressing WFA and WFR Scope of Practice. As stakeholder in the industry your voice should be heard. The WEA is seeking feedback from WEA members in response to both the WFA and WFR Scope of Practice Documents. The WEA has created an online comment form to collect and collate the feedback from our members. There is a space for WFA specific...

Validating your status in the IROL

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:00 GMT

So you've been reading about the International Registry of Outdoor Leaders (IROL) and have an idea of how the portfolio system works. Great! If you currently have your IROL membership or will have one when you renew and are grandfathered into the IROL as an Outdoor Leader or Instructor, this is important information for you!

There are several 'levels' in the IROL, that an individual can advance through. Upon creation, all portfolios are automatically cataloged as being at the Student Experience Inventory level. In order for an individual to be recognized at any level other than the Student Experience Inventory, the appropriate Validation Form must be submitted. Forms for each level are available within the portfolio directly underneath the Professional Development Inventory link in the left side main navigation bar.

Once the level submission form is created, the WEA National Office will verify the submission and validate the level approved in the IROL.

Need a refresher on the IROL?

Check out these helpful releases:

International Registry of Outdoor Leaders: An Introduction

The IROL has gone LIVE!

IROL: A Portfolio Overview

Parting Words from Mallory

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Dear WEA Members, The past year and a half has been a remarkable experience for me. In the time that I have served as the National Office Manger of the Wilderness Education Association I have seen the organization undergo a substantial reinvention, move to from a glorified storage closet to the 'big office in the corner' and consistently produce a well-attended and forward-thinking National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. I am honored to have had the opportunity to stretch my wings in a place that is making such progress and work with individuals who are so invested. Some of you may be aware that I have resigned as the National Office Manger of the Wilderness Education Association effective July 1st 2010 in order to pursue my Masters in Education and gain more valuable teaching experience. I am looking forward to beginning a new field of work, and getting back into 'student mode' with great anticipation. I know that my substantial life change, with its...

2010 Strategic Plan

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:00:00 GMT

In 2008, the Wilderness Education Association revitalized the Association's Strategic Plan and set forth on a three year journey. The purpose of the Strategic Plan aligns the WEA's mission, vision with the operational goals and objectives of the Association.

The Strategic plan serves as a guide for the Board of Trustees and Committees offering direction throughout the year. Each year the Board of Trustees reviews and updates the Strategic Plan. As a living document, the Strategic Plan flexes based on the needs of the WEA, its members and available resources.

WEA members are encouraged to stay up to date with the evolution of the Strategic Plan from year to year. Copies of the original 2008-2010 Strategic Plan as well as the most recent update made in February of 2010 are available on the member news page.

Strategic Plan Contents

WEA’s Core

Mission
Vision
Objectives
Aspirations

Guiding Principles

Education Focus
Affiliate and Member Driven
Market Visibility
Fiscal Responsibility

Working Committees

Curriculum
Standards
Affiliate Relations
Events
Research
Executive
Advisory

Action Plan

2008
2009
2010

Appendices

Glossary

JOREL Volume 2, Issue 1 Now Available!

noemail@weainfo.org — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:00:00 GMT

PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT VOLUME 2 ISSUE I We are pleased to announce the publication of the newest issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership (JOREL) Volume 2(1) located at http://www.ejorel.com/ As in Volume 1, a variety of interesting research topics are presented. Gregor Kay begins by exploring the relationship between student involvement, outdoor recreation, course grades and environmental attitudes. Using a case study approach, Ann Gillard and Rachel Aaron examine how interest in camp is formed in girls with limited previous camp experience. Brad Daniel, Andrew Bobilya, Ken Kalisch, and Betsy Lindley investigate the solo experience, a component in most Outward Bound courses to better understand what students transfer back into their home environments. Mark Roark and Jonathan Norling apply a modified Experiential Learning Theory model in an undergraduate outdoor recreation management course to find any evidence of increased student...

Board of Trustees - Introductions are In Order!

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Please help us welcome the new additions to the Board of Trustees! Lindsay Henderson Northern Michigan University lhenders@nmu.edu Board Member At Large Three Year Elected Term Hugh Gibson Missouri State Universityhughgibson@missouristate.edu Affiliate RepresentativeThree Year Elected Term Mike McGowan Board Member At Large Three Year Elected Term Kelli McMahan Baylor Universitykelli_mcmahan@baylor.edu Board Member At Large Three Year Elected Term Jessie Rome Indiana University jessie.a.rome@gmail.com Board Member At Large One Year Appointment

WEA Photo Albums - Share your Stories!

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Did you know that the WEA website has the ability for you to upload photos of your WEA field experiences and share with others?

Check out the photo albums of:

SIUC and WEA Leave No Trace Master Educator Course

Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park after the Confference

Northern Michigan University WEA WSP May 6-17, 2009

...........And More!

Upload your photos today and share your WEA experiences with the rest of the WEA family!

Website Update - Viewing Calendar Events Just Got Better!

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Updated calendar events view - Now Live! Ever have a hard time finding information about a calendar event on the WEA website? With so much information available important things can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Not any longer! The makers of Tendenci have made some significant changes in the way event information is viewed to give your brain a rest and ensure that you don't miss a thing. **The format for adding and editing your calendar events remains the same** Event page tabs Now when you visit the WEA calendar, each event's information is now broken down into separate tabs, making it easier than ever for your attendees to find the information they need. The print view, however, will bring all of your event information into one page.Automatically created Google Map Getting there is half the fun! Your 'Location' tab not only provides your venue address, phone number and Web site address - but pops up an automatically generated map to provide an extra visual for attendees...

2010 Conference Success!

noemail@weainfo.org — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

The 2010 National Conference on Outdoor Leadership was, a fantastic success! Thank you to the Estes Park provided a beautiful backdrop for the event and the YMCA of the Rockies brand new conference center was a near perfect set up for our annual event! With the Professional Ropes Course Association (PRCA) as co-host for the second year in a row, the event offered 35 workshops for attendees over the two days of the main event. With presentations covering accreditation concepts, gender issues, staff training, risk management conflict resolution, and more, attendees were given a variety of learning and sharing opportunities. With 245 people in attendance, the 2010 event drew the largest number of attendees to date! With many outdoor focused conferences seeing significant decreases in attendee numbers this fall, the outstanding showing by many of our affiliates is a great demonstration of support for the association. Many new organizations and individuals rounded out the attendees and...

Board of Trustees Elections Update

noemail@weainfo.org — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Each year the WEA seeks out exceptional individuals within the association to become a part of the WEA Board of Trustees. This year was no different as Mark Wagstaff, elections chair, presented a well rounded slate of candidates to the WEA Board of Trustees prior to the board meetings in Estes Park.

The number of seats up in this election total four with one of those seats being the Affiliate Representative. The slate of candidates that met the requirements outlined in the bylaws, and approved by the Board of Trustees numbered four. With one of those individuals seeking the Affiliate Representative position, the WEA Board of Trustees approved the slate as is and thusly does not require an election in 2010.

We would like to officially welcome Hugh Gibson as the new WEA Affiliate Representative as well as Lindsay Henderson, Kelli McMahan and Mike McGowan to the Board of Trustees.

Additionally at the conference Jackson Wilson, current WEA BOT Treasurer announced his resignation from the Board of Trustees. The WEA Board of Trustees Appointed Jessie Rome to fill the remainder of Jackson's term. Jessie has stepped down from her position at the WEA National Office as the development coordinator and officially joins the board of Trustees in April - her term will end in 2011. We wish Jackson the best in his professional endeavors and are grateful for the time and energy he dedicated to the WEA Board of Trustees for the last two years.

For those of you in attendance at the conference, we apologize for any confusion caused by the incorrect announcement of Board of Trustees Members.

Accreditation Council Manual up for Member Review

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:00:00 GMT

The initial draft of the WEA Accreditation Council Manual has been approved by the WEA Board of Trustees. This initial approved draft will be the Accreditation Council Manual used by the Accreditation Council for all current and upcoming reviews Accreditation Self Studies. As recommended by the Department of Education, the Board of Trustees has made the Accreditation Council Manual available for member review for 6 months.

The Manual has been posted on the WEA Members Page along with a members only feedback forum.

http://www.weainfo.org/member-benefits-details/

The Accreditation Council will make recommendations regarding the manual and the accreditation process. That feedback in conjunction with feedback received from the membership will be taken into consideration to assist the BOT in determining if any changes are needed to improve the manual and the process for future Council Members and/or future institutions moving through the accreditation process.

Your time and feedback is important and appreciated as this process moves forward.

Outdoor Leaders - did you finish your survey?

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Calling all Outdoor Leaders!

Were you at the National Conference on Outdoor Leadership?

Do you remember Crystal Weaver?

Did you promise to fill out her research survey for her Master's Thesis?

At least 35 people should be answering 'Yes' to all three questions above! Crystal is still collecting data in hopes of getting a large enough n to publish a multiple regression. It's not too late to follow through!

To complete the first portion of the survey, go to:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vz_2bntvoZipEzUKtrl8YlBg_3d_3d

BE SURE TO COMPLETE THE SECOND PORTION OF THE SURVEY!

Did you do the first portion of the survey but not the second portion?

If you started the survey on Survey Monkey but didn't click the link and finish the second portion of the survey, it's not too late to finish!

Simply go to: www.mhassessments.com and use the following ID and Password to complete the survey:

ID: 1080-001-000

Password: emotion

Thank you for your participation!

Leave No Trace Hot Spots

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

We are excited to tell you about a new program in 2010 called Leave No Trace Hot Spots. This program is aimed at supporting community-driven projects that work to improve the condition of a designated “hot spot” using Leave No Trace education, resources, and outreach. The intended outcomes of this program are: · Measureable improvement in on-the-ground conditions · Engaging a large number of volunteers to support efforts · Enlisting new partners/members to get involved in the area · Building sustainable relationships and programs that perpetuate effective Leave No Trace programming The Center intends to do the following: Accept nominations from individuals, groups, non-profits, partners, members and governmental agencies for areas – Leave No Trace Hot Spots – that have recreation-related impacts that could be successfully mitigated through effective Leave No Trace programming. Nominations will be...

International Registry of Outdoor Leaders is LIVE!

noemail@weainfo.org — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:45:00 GMT

The International Registry of Outdoor Leaders (IROL) went live on March 1, 2010. The Wilderness Education Association has entered the first round of students and faculty to the IROL and is excited to enhance the professionalism of the outdoor leadership industry through this effort. The IROL provides a platform for individuals seeking outdoor leader status through Accredited institutions to build an online professional portfolio. Each individual completes a professional portfolio that highlights their accomplishments in each of the 6 core competencies. Upon completion, their portfolio is submitted to the accredited institution for review and approval. Ultimately the goal is to achieve Outdoor Leader status in the IROL and Outdoor Leadership Certification from the institution as accredited by the WEA. Once Outdoor Leader level is achieved, the IROL provides a format for logging field leadership experience and professional development via Continuing Education Units. The WEA believes...

Awards Criteria Updated and Presidential Council Correction

noemail@weainfo.org — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT

The Wilderness Education Association recognizes outstanding individuals each year at our awards ceremony at the National Conference on Outdoor Leadership. In February the following individuals were honored:

Paul K. Petzoldt Award - John Gookin

Frank Lupton Service Award - Tom Stuessy

Instructor Award - Mat Erpelding

Student Award - Nate Millard

Additionally we honored Western Kentucky University with the Affiliate award.

The Board of Trustees has updated the nomination criteria for each of the awards to keep in line with the language that has changed over the last year. Please visit the Awards and Scholarships page on the website for details.

Additionally at this year's conference Chris Pelchat, current WEA President, honored those individuals being inducted into the Presidential Council. There were several members of the Presidential Council that were not honored at the conference due to a clarical error. The WEA National Office offers our sincerest apologies to Steve Spencer, Scott Jordan and Steve Gustafson. For a complete list of Presidential Council Members, please visit the Awards and Scholarships page on the website.

Accreditation Billing 2010 - Provisional Accreditation

noemail@weainfo.org — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:00:00 GMT

As the WEA transitions to Accreditation this year, Affiliates will notice that the pricing structure for Accreditation fees varries depending on the level of desired accreditation. The fee structure is as follows: Steward Accreditation Annual Fee: $250 Outdoor Leader Accrediation Annual Fee: $550 Steward Instructor Accreditation Annual Fee: $625 Outdoor Leader Instructor Accreditation Annual Fee: $625 The annual accreditation fee billing cycle is transitioning to operate in line with the WEA Annual fiscal year. During this transition the Board of Trustees approved a 6 month extension on 2010 Affiliate fees for all Accredited Institutions. Accredited-Provisional institutions will be billed for Annual accreditation fees in March of 2010 with the total due by the end of June 2010. The membership structure of the WEA is changing along with the accreditation transition. Due to the changes in the WEA membership structure beginning in March '10, accreditation fees will no longer include...

8.0-10.0 Curriculum Clarification for Self Study Submission

noemail@weainfo.org — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The WEA National Office has received a few inquiries regarding the 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0 series included in Section B of the Accreditation Manual and is offering this clarification to aid organizations looking to submit a Self Study for Accreditation. 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0 Series Overview 8.0 Series - Judgment Integral to the history and mission of the Wilderness Education Association, the 8.0 series was designed to ensure that Judgment remained the overarching theme that holds the curriculum together. Judgment is essential to each of the 6 Core Competencies; one cannot be an effective outdoor leader without the ability to apply Judgment and make appropriate decisions within the context of each of the competencies. View the full description of the 8.0 series here. 9.0 Series - 6 Core Competencies The 9.0 series encompases each of the 6 Core Competencies that the WEA believes are essential competencies for any person working professionaly in the field of outdoor leadership. Each of...