Congratulations AAU 3/17/12 - Australia Semester Graduates!
Just this afternoon, 12 new NOLS grads joined the ranks.
AAU students returned from One Arm point, & the Cultural section yesterday afternoon.
After a furious cleaning session, they headed for the Broome Caravan Park for their final night under the stars with their course mates.
75 days in, & today they finish their NOLS expedition, & head forward into their next...the expedition of LIFE!
We here, at NOLS Australia, offer our congratulations to the following NOLS Alumni students -
Mimi Dunn, Adam Gold, Will Loftus, Mac McElroy, PJ Reinemann, Brandt Schottland, Jack Wanamaker, Graham Ward, Adele Watel, Alec Weiss, Darrick Whitmore & Morgan Whitridge.
A special thanks also for the course instructor/proctor (he's the one in every group photo with them), Jon Kempsey.
We wish you all the best in your future adventures...
Permalink | Posted by Cassandra Colman on May 30, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Australia
AAU 3/17/12 heads for the coast!
Tuesday this week saw the in town NOLS Australia staff loading up the Land Cruiser & trailer, & heading 3 hours north to catch up with our AAU Semester students at the campground, in the small town of Derby.
Although it was an early morning for us, that was nothing compared to the 3.30am wake-up they had! Camped 3 kms from the pick-up location, they hefted on packs & by 4.30am were underway, under the stars, for a reflective, silent, solo hike to the waiting NOLS truck.
Tuesday morning signified the final day of their backpacking section. For the past 60 something days, they have explored the Drysdale area, first by Canoe & for the last 25 days, by foot.
I had the pleasure of debriefing the experience with them...tales of long hiking days, increasing navigation skills, group cohesiveness & ultimately, independence. They were on somewhat of a high, having just arrived in from student only group expeditions...5 nights out in 2 small groups, testing their skills as an ultimate recognition of their learning in the 66 days since they met here at the NOLS base in Broome. Darrick & Will were chosen by the students as their designated leaders for the expedition, with every other participant rotating into the main leaders role for their daily hiking travel.
The group spent the evening in Derby preparing for the next, & final section of the semester: Cultural.
This will be quite an environment change for the group, with the next 5 days spent on the coast & exploring the Dampier peninsula; seeing first hand traditional coastal aboriginal ways; and, a change of instructor team. They fare-welled Sheldon Lee & Rob Hughes-Games & welcomed Stef van den Hoek in as a seasoned Cultural section Aussie local.
Thursday morning after breakfast, they were back in the truck & headed for One Arm Point on the Dampier peninsula. The road ahead included 200km of one way dirt corrugated track.
We wait with anticipation for their return to the NOLS base late on the 29th of this month. This will signal the end of their NOLS Australia semester adventure.
Permalink | Posted by Cassandra Colman on May 24, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Australia
Summit Addresses Environmental Issues
After spending much of the first day of the Faculty Summit discussing leadership skills, teaching techniques, and ways to foster inclusion, the second day began with a reminder to faculty: you have an incredible opportunity to inspire a new generation to care about the environment.
Dan Garvey delivered the morning’s first presentation. Garvey’s humorous approach softened the otherwise sobering discourse about ethical failures and their catastrophic impact on the environment.
Dan Garvey addresses NOLS faculty. Photo Credit: Brad Christensen
Next, George Luber delved further into the theme of environmental consciousness with a thorough presentation of the changes occurring in the environment and, consequently, in the health of Americans.
George Luber explains the numerous changes occuring in the environment. Photo credit: Brad Christensen
Although Luber’s statistics were staggering, he, like Garvey, urged NOLS faculty to take the information and act, rather than allow it to be paralytic in its seriousness. For example, he suggested appealing to the self interest of students, whose appreciation for wild places grows during a NOLS course.
“Instead of pointing out all of the weeds, get in the garden,” deplored Garvey.
For videos of talks, forums, and workshops at the NOLS Faculty Summit, please visit NOLS.tv
Permalink | Posted by Alison Hudson on May 17, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Curriculum, Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability, Instructor News, Leadership
Inspiring Alumna: Morgan Dixon opens Faculty Summit
Yesterday morning was the start of the 2012 NOLS Faculty Summit. Scott Robertson and Executive Director John Gans kicked off the event with a brief welcome to the nearly 160 faculty members assembled at the Sinks Canyon Center. Over the three days of the Summit, faculty will participate in a variety of forums and workshops focused on professional development, community building, and inclusion. The highlight of the first day was Morgan Dixon’s opening address, which set the tone for the summit by inspiring attendees to spread lessons from NOLS to a greater audience.
Dixon, an alumna of the Pacific Northwest Trip Leader, began with a line by poet Linda Hogan.
“The body’s purpose is to use life up,” quoted Dixon.
Photo credit: Brad Christensen
Although this line aptly synthesizes the philosophy of many NOLS faculty members, it is far from a reality for the majority of Americans.
“How many people in out country use the body in that way? This is a crisis for all Americans. This is why the lessons NOLS espouses are just so important in these times,” explained Dixon.
Fostering healthy lifestyles in less privileged communities is so important to Dixon that she created the GirlTrek movement. GirlTrek uses walking, the most basic component of any NOLS course, to foster healthy lifestyles amongst African American women and girls. As Dixon emphasized, role models play a critical role in the success of this program
“When I got back my NOLS course, I sent pictures to my friends. The response was far greater than I expected. That one photo of [an African American woman] in the wilderness was more important than years of work,” said Dixon. “People could suddenly imagine being in a freer place.”
Photo credit: Brad Christensen
Dixon ended by reminding attendees that many people will never have access to the NOLS experience, but that the lessons from the field can be brought into the frontcountry, into cities, to inspire healthier lifestyles and more role models. This is how the group under the tent will become more diverse.
Permalink | Posted by Alison Hudson on May 16, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Curriculum, Instructor News
AAU 3/17/12 students 'go bush' in the Kimberley, Australia.
Yesterday we had a chance to accompany our scheduled helicopter resupply into Morgan falls, & catch up with our AAU Spring semester students.
Canoe Section-
This intrepid lot arrived in Broome, along with cyclone Lua, on the 17th March to begin their adventure. They departed Broome, in Western Australia, in a fleet of small aircraft, destined for Drysdale Station, on the edge of the Drysdale River. The wet season rain allows us to run this river for a short period of time each March/April, before the river levels fall too low during the dry season.
5 weeks were spent paddling northwards in this unique river corridor ecosystem. At times the group 'lined' boats along the side of the river, or portaged around hazardous rapids.
Students carried ALL supplies needed from day 1 departing Broome…just imagine! In fact, an entire fixed wing plane was dedicated solely to carrying in food, fuel & equipment from our base here in Broome.
By section end, students were skilled paddlers & had an immense appreciation for the river. Highlights noted by Jack, Adam, Will & Adele, were the waterfalls, canyons, & rock art.
Brant, Graham & Katie wrote.. “In truth, the Drysdale is a beautiful river that was awesome, & taught us a lot about ourselves”.
On the 27th of April, the course arrived into Bulldust, a dot on the map, that NOLS utilizes as a switch location from canoe to hiking sections. They cleared a helicopter-landing site, & prepared for the arrival of their pre-organized hiking gear & food rations.
Hiking Section-
The helicopter touch down signified the first people the group had seen since departing Drysdale station around 40 days earlier!
At this stage, they fare-welled one of their instructors, Mark Hamlin, & turned their focus towards the new skill set of backpacking, or as we like to call it here in Australia, ‘goin’ out bush’.
Yesterday was the first food re-supply on the hiking section. This was done by helicopter, due to the remoteness of the course. Seven days worth of rations were delivered, as well as ‘caching’ food in a location nearly 60km away, for them to retrieve in another weeks time.
I had the opportunity to fly in with the resupply & see how all were faring with the flies & heat. It was a breath-taking approach to the hikers camp, a most spectacular place on the top of Morgan Waterfalls, deep in the Kimberley.
Students looked almost bewildered by the noisy approach of the chopper, but soon came back to life as we unloaded the food bags & got into the re-ration.
Stories were passed of several snake sightings, freshwater crocodile (the harmless ones, when compared to their relatives the ‘salties’) encounters, & an amazing exploration through Worriga George, braving both the Pandanas trees with their spiky hooked leaves, & the green ants with their tree hanging nests, which they defend fiercely!
On the last hiking day before the resupply, students began hiking from camp to camp without instructors. This is a great achievement they have been working towards!
The next contact we plan to have with the AAU students, will be at the Hike-Cultural section switch on the 22nd of May. Between now & then, they have approximately 120km of terrain to cover…
Back at the NOLS Australia base, I unpacked the left overs from the resupply. A minimal waste project (spear-headed by instructor, Jon Kempsey) sent out over 100 cleaned plastic ration bags for re-use, & a variety of plastic bottles to recycle. Paper & compost waste was dealt with in the field via campfires.
This is an effort we hope to continue where possible, with all our summer courses starting up soon.
Permalink | Posted by Cassandra Colman on May 9, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Australia
Lakeside Leadership Initiative
Earlier this month, students in the Lakeside Leadership Initiative (LLI) at the Lakeside School in Seattle participated in the first of four leadership seminars, which are being run by NOLS Professional Training.
While the Lakeside School has a long history of ensuring its students have ample opportunity to fill leadership roles--notable alumni include Bill Gates and Paul Allen--the Lakeside Leadership Initiative seeks to teach students the skills necessary to thrive in these roles.
“We want students to learn how to lead in a way that enhances the values we hold as a community, and to have the skills and practical knowledge to understand how to move a group towards that goal,” said Bryan Smith, Upper School assistant director and NOLS graduate.
“NOLS, a respected nonprofit outdoor education school, was chosen because Lakeside liked its proven professional training program, which provides the same kind of leadership training as it teaches in its back-country wilderness expeditions.”
Learn more about the school and the Lakeside Leadership Initiative here: http://www.lakesideschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=769080
Permalink | Posted by Alison Hudson on Mar 28, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Leadership, Professional Training
Veteran Discovers His Niche in the Outdoors
Climbing saved Stacy Bare’s life. He was finding life after two tours with the U.S. Army to be a rough, drawn-out transition when a friend offered to take him out for a day on the wall. The experience was exactly what he needed, putting his life and the world around him into perspective and, ultimately, giving him a mission.
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) believes deeply in the power of the outdoors and is pleased and honored to be collaborating with Bare and the Sierra Club. The project is inspired by the impact the backcountry can have on veterans and, in turn, the impact that veterans can have on their communities. Through the Sierra Club Military Families Outdoor Program, NOLS Professional Training will teach veterans to be leaders in the wilderness and in their communities. In a weeklong technical training, veterans will progress through the NOLS outdoor leadership curriculum and develop various outdoor skills to share with others. NOLS Professional Training also looks forward to continuing contact with and providing ongoing trainings for these veterans as they become outdoor leaders in their communities. NOLS, and the military branches, value leadership and service, which shine through in the long-term and widespread benefits this program will afford.
“There are many opportunities for leadership and employment, as well as recreation outside. Who better to fill those roles than the men and women who defended the land?” Bare wrote in a recent blog entry.
NOLS is proud to foster a growing relationship with military forces. Helping make the outdoors, and its restorative powers, accessible to communities across the nation by playing a role in the Sierra Club’s veteran program can only work to strengthen this relationship.
“We work to prepare people to be better leaders, and they usually haven’t gone to war yet,” said Marcio Paes Barreto, NOLS Professional Training Program Coordinator, noting in particular the eight-year U.S. Naval Academy–NOLS Pro relationship. “Now we have the chance to work with more people upon their return.”
Photo credit: Pascal Beauvais/NOLS
Though NOLS Professional Training will not provide therapy, the time veterans spend in the backcountry will be inherently restorative in the same way Bare found it to be. The emotional and psychological benefits of spending time in the outdoors are inherent.
“The military has great programs for veterans [rehabilitation],” said Paes Barreto. “Our business is outdoors leadership and technical skills.”
The Sierra Club and NOLS share the belief that positive, ethical leaders change the world and that a healthy community and the wellbeing of the outdoors are connected. Both organizations are dedicated to the environment and protection of wild spaces. By encouraging veterans to rediscover the many benefits of wilderness, enabling them to lead others to those same places, and engaging entire communities, all involved are convinced this program will improve lives and protect the future of America’s wild places.
Join the Expedition! http://www.nols.edu/nolspro/custom_courses/Sierra_Club.shtml
Permalink | Posted by Alison Hudson on Feb 29, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Leadership, Professional Training
Donor Profile: NOLS Pro’s Brian Fabel, Advocating for NOLS In and Out of the Field
When Brian Fabel attended a job fair in Washington, DC, he had no idea what that fateful meeting it would be. He recalls talking with a NOLS marketing representative, who told Brian stories about the school’s expeditions.
Brian remembers thinking, “I have to do this!”
An internship with NOLS Professional Training, a Winter Outdoor Educator course, a job as the operations assistant back in NOLS Pro, an instructor course, and four different positions within NOLS later, Brian has landed as the marketing coordinator for NOLS Pro, helping to spread the word about NOLS’ customized training opportunities. Even after the launching his career at NOLS, Brian didn’t really understand the school until he received a scholarship and took his first course.
“It was during my Winter Outdoor Educator that I saw how life changing NOLS courses could be. As I looked at my instructors I thought, ‘I want to do what they are doing. I want to help others experience this,’” Brian recalled.
Brian still gets out into the field to instruct winter courses. His favorite teaching moments are when the weather turns really cold—students take care of each other, prevent cold injuries, and push through the tough work of doing simple tasks while winter camping.
As he approaches the five-year anniversary of his student course, Brian has been reflecting a lot on how rich his life is as a result of choosing NOLS as a career.
“The experiences I have gained through working for NOLS have provided sound judgment that transfers to all parts of my life.”
In the past year, Brian has also become an advocate for staff giving and Campaign NOLS, spearheading a fundraiser at NOLS Headquarters in Lander, Wyo.
When asked why he supports NOLS financially, Brian’s explanation is simple. “It occurred to me that returning my scholarship—the very thing that enabled me to participate in my first NOLS course—would be the best way to provide others the path of personal enrichment and professional development I have experienced.”
For more information about Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Values visit NOLS Giving, or contact us at (800) 332-4280 or development@nols.edu.
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Feb 21, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS, Instructor News, Professional Training
Finding Followership
As the founder of East African Children’s Education Foundation (EACEF), Andrew Sugrue held a number of leadership roles prior to his participation on a NOLS Professional Training course but had little experience as an active follower. When reflecting on his participation in a custom-course for the Robertson Scholars Program, Sugrue emphasized the necessity of active followership, despite the challenges of filling an active support role.
“While I believe that many experiences in my life have prepared me to be a leader, NOLS, more than any other program in which I have participated, taught me how to be an active follower,” said Sugrue. “As a highly vocal person unafraid to step into a leadership role, I initially found it challenging to serve in an active follower role and support the leader of the day.”
Photo credit: Eric Page
Sugrue took his newfound appreciation for active followership back to EACEF, where the benefits were immediately visible.
“I find that people working for our foundation do best when they feel a sense of ownership. The skills I learned through NOLS in terms of empowering others to make decisions and lead have been directly applicable to my role leading EACEF.”
Photo credit: Eric Page
Permalink | Posted by Alison Hudson on Feb 15, 2012 in the following categories: Alumni, Leadership, Professional Training
Donor Profile: The Raizen Family, Spreading NOLS' Love
NOLS is thrilled to announce we met our year-end goal for Campaign NOLS! Thank you to all of our supporters—alumni, family, staff, and friends—who helped us raise $10 million before our Dec. 31 deadline. Together, we have secured an additional $2 million toward the campaign.
The final installment of our December Donors profiles features a family of NOLSies: all three kids are NOLS grads and the parents are long-time philanthropic supporters.
Teresa and Dan Raizen, long time NOLS supporters and parents of three grads.
When Teresa and Dan Raizen’s eldest son, Nat, went on his NOLS course he brought a copy of Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov—torn in half to save on weight. It was required summer reading for the high school senior who was the first of three Raizen children to attend NOLS.
“We’d only ever been car camping,” Dan explained of his desire to foster an outdoor ethic in his children. “When Teresa brought up idea of NOLS it really resonated. I said right away, ‘Oh that’s perfect!’”
Nat came home from the Wind River Mountains with great stories about his course, and his younger brother Ben was listening. He decided to go on the Salmon Backpacking and Rafting course the summer before his junior year, and Claire, the youngest, went before her sophomore year. All three came back more mature, confident, and resilient.
“Maybe because [Claire] was younger, I noticed an increase in her maturity level and awareness of responsibility,” Teresa noted. “She came back with more will to work and to take on things that she thought were a little scary before, laughing through the whole experience.”
As Waldorf educators, Dan and Teresa appreciate NOLS’ method of teaching. Waldorf-style education, at a basic level, is an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Both the NOLS and Waldorf pedagogies reflect a desire to help students become better people, imparting knowledge that goes deeper than its practical application.
“In Waldorf, you’re not just pouring in skills … you’re trying to make them as whole and complete as a human can be,” Dan said. “NOLS believes that young people have the capacity for leadership and we need to find ways to awaken these abilities to make them, in a deep sense, much better people.”
This shared philosophy is why Dan and Teresa are happy to support a school that also means so much to their kids. This year, they went beyond their long-time support of the NOLS Annual Fund to make a contribution to the endowment.
“We love the program,” Teresa explained, “When you see what a benefit it is for your own children and can extrapolate that it’s going to be a benefit for lots of people, that’s what we want to do. We want to make that benefit more available and keep a good thing going.”
Dan concluded: “Our goal is to help disadvantaged kids who would otherwise not have this opportunity. Beyond the broader aspect of supporting a place that does good work, we want to spread it a little more. That’s important.”
Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Dec 30, 2011 in the following categories: Alumni, Campaign NOLS
