26/05/2016
Landon Carver are committed to the development of the Outdoor Education & Adventure Industry in Ireland. We do this by designing and delivering European funded programs that allow for the sharing of knowledge, skills and competencies between Irish participants and their counterparts in other European countries. The programs are varied but generally can involve study trips, placements, conferences, networking and an opportunity for Irish participants to travel to European countries and see how others do what you do, breaking down barriers and allowing for exchange of ideas and best practice. (The website www.landoncarver.com will probably give you a better idea).
I have been asked to develop a program for the Irish Adventure Therapy sector. I know it's hard to define the "Adventure Therapy Sector", but for Landon Carver we will keep the definition as broad as possible and include everything from eco therapy through to addiction counselling in the outdoors and beyond. What form this program would take, where people would go, etc., will all be decided later for now I just want to gauge the interest out there, and try to get a feel for the size of the sector. Are we talking about a handful of organisations or thousands of practitioners? Once we have a better idea of the size and who the main players are we can assess the needs. We have already been in contact with many individuals/organisations from all over the sector who are delivering a wide range of therapy or therapeutic experiences through the outdoors.
The more people we hear from the better the program we can build so if you'd like to be involved I can add you to the data base of individuals and organisations who are interested? Once I can gauge the number of interested parties I'll organise a meeting, get a sense of the general knowledge, skills and competency gaps there are in provision in Ireland and then go and talk to European partners who are experts in those areas and build the programs.
If you are involved in Adventure Therapy and would like to speak to me or discuss further you can contact me on [email protected]. I'd be delighted to hear from you and hopefully together we can build a rewarding learning experience for all.
- Mark Toner
