The Project Adventure RESPECT Program: implementing an experientially-based intervention as an agent for whole school social and academic change in the era of evidence-based practice

Abstract

As experiential education attempts to achieve more prominent influence in school reform efforts, organisations often bring adventure into the classroom. This paper will use the Project Adventure RESPECT Program as a means to explore the challenge of implementing a system-wide experientially-based programme as an agent for whole school social and academic change. Developed to address the current requirements of evidence-based research in United States education, this programme provides valuable insights into the use of experiential methods in traditional school settings. Initial results and conclusions will be discussed from the first two years of this three-year research project.

New learning worlds: the significance of nature in the lives of marginalised young people

“…Far from being an esoteric interest, nature lies at the heart of some key policy developments about young people, especially those aiming to develop citizenship. Well known examples include Project Adventure in the US*see Shirilla, Gass and Anderson (2009) and the Programme for Active Learning in Singapore. The discursive construction of the UK government's National Citizen Service Plan is of particular interest.…”