FROM THE VAULT

A Look Back At Horizons Articles Over The Years

IN THIS EDITION, CHRIS LOYNES TAKES A LOOK BACK AT HORIZONS #2 AND REFLECTS ON ROGER GREENAWAY’S ARTICLE ‘HIGH QUALITY ADVENTURE FOR ALL: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?’

How to choose? As I was the editor of the first issues of Horizons it seemed best to look there. The magazine arose from the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership when it split into a peer reviewed academic section and a professional magazine. The two publications appeared for a while as two sections in the same covers and my selection is from the first year of the Horizons half in 1997 – confusingly Volume 14!

I considered ‘Too many singers and not enough songs?’ by Peter Higgins (JAEOL, 14:1). He argued for a convergence of professional bodies in our field. That process is currently very active, so it seems right to reflect on this a little later! I then looked at ‘A personal view of outdoor education’ by Des Rubens (Horizons 4) to find that it was an interview with me reflecting on my, as it was then, 25-year-long career. There is not the space here to reflect on a further 25 years despite the currency of some of the topics, such as inclusivity and the quality of adventure!

So, I have landed on a short series of articles by regular contributor at the time Roger Greenaway who explores some of these same issues. I’ve chosen ‘High quality adventure for all: what does it look like?’ (Horizons 2). Roger asks the question ‘(w)hat is the point of adventure for all if high quality adventure is reserved for a few?’ He then explores ideas of progression in adventure considering when it acts as a barrier and when an enabler for all.

In 1997 the Lyme Bay tragedy was still fresh in people’s minds. AALA had emerged on the scene as had the National Curriculum, the outdoor centre market had shifted from secondary to primary school pupils and risk management and its associated paperwork had arrived. Local authority provision had been challenged by funding cuts and the field had atomised into a plethora of voluntary, public and commercial sector providers. It was a time of much change. So, it was good to read an article calling for the field to reflect on some core principles of inclusion and progression for all.

For Roger, adventure was perceived by society as a marmite experience, with as many views held against as for its inclusion in education. He assumes that adventure for all is an unquestionable good, but thinks that the critics have a point when progression to ‘high quality experiences’ in any activity is based on considerable skill development, technical equipment and travel to places further and further away. The barrier to access, he suggests, are many and young people are easily discouraged by these hurdles. In the place of a jam tomorrow ladder of progression Roger offers a new version of progression moving from ‘novelty and challenge’ to ‘responsibility and curiosity’, leading to ‘freedom of opportunity and discovery’ with the first experiences being ‘high quality’ and deserving the focus of the field’s ‘energies, minds and resources’. It was fascinating to find Roger quoting Mohammed Dhalech, someone I have been recently working with.

‘The first experience in the outdoors is always the most important. It has to be a positive one to ensure participants are not put off and come back again.’ (1)

Roger adds that there should be many pathways to adventure that appeal to the diversity of young people and the affordances of a place – coincidentally the reason why we called the magazine Horizons in the plural. Dave Harvey (2) has recently returned to the themes of progression and access in the pages of Horizons arguing for ‘autonomy’ as the ultimate goal of all outdoor learning and for there to be many pathways in the ‘ecosystem’ of opportunities in any community. Sounds familiar! And just like Roger, this argument is made based on the value of the outdoors for all as progressive experiences relevant throughout young people’s maturation. In re-reading Roger’s article, it was good to be reminded of the value of high quality first experiences.

Roger says much more in this article of course. It remains highly relevant and is well worth a read. Good luck to Horizons in its next 100 issues –may it long continue to stimulate our energies and minds! p

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Do you remember an article from the last 100 issues of Horizons that you’ve used in your own work? We want to hear from youemail horizonseditor@outdoor-learning.org.

REFERENCES

1. Willis, E. & Russell, D. (eds) (1995). From Inspiration to Reality: opening up adventure for all.

2. Harvey, D. (2022). Progression into Outdoor Learning, Horizons 98

IMAGES

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AUTHOR Chris Loynes

Chris has been an Outdoor Educator as a teacher, youth worker, consultant and academic as well as being the founding editor of Horizons. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Human Nature Relations at the University of Cumbria in Ambleside. His outdoor passions include kayaking and sailing in the Hebrides, and the hills, woods and wildlife everywhere.