Outdoor training usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. It involves experiences in which people participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, canoeing, ropes courses, and group games. Outdoor training draws upon the philosophy, theory, and practices of experiential education and environmental education.

Outdoor training can be simply defined as experiential learning in, for, or about the outdoors. The term ‘outdoor training’, however, is used quite broadly to refer to a range of organized activities which take place in a variety of ways in predominantly outdoor environments. Common definitions are difficult to achieve because interpretations vary according to culture, philosophy, and local conditions.

Aims

Some typical aims of outdoor training are to:

• Learn how to overcome adversity.
• Enhance personal and social development.
• Develop a deeper relationship with nature.
• Develop a deeper relationship between the participants

Outdoor training spans the three domains of self, others, and the natural world. The relative emphasis of these three domains varies from one program to another. An outdoor training program can, for example, emphasize one (or more) of these aims, in order to:

• teach outdoor survival skills
• improve problem solving skills
• reduce recidivism
• enhance teamwork
• develop leadership skills
• promote spirituality

We, in Inside Outside, believe in the power of the experience for the group and for individual growth. Therefore, in addition to extreme activities, we developed the ODT-LIGHT (Outdoor Training) activities, which enable anyone to participate.