Proposes a framework for using experiential programs to facilitate community building through individual and organizational learning. Discusses single-loop and double-loop learning by individuals and organizations, use of reflection and metaphors, program design, and dialog as an approach to creating shared meaning. Contains 21 references. (SV)

Discusses implications of the aging U.S. population for the adventure education field. Examines bias against older people and how this bias can hinder the facilitation of learning. Suggests that experiential programs allow older clients to explain who they are, to coframe ("front-load") activities, to create their own metaphoric links,…

Reflects on the progress of gender issues in the field of experiential education and the Association for Experiential Education (AEE). Discusses AEE's Women in Experiential Education Professional Group, recent publications, the growing body of related research, need for articles written by men on gender issues, need for female leadership…

Describes overt and latent gender conflicts in an adventure education program at a small southwestern college. Analyzes dynamics within the program, drawing on feminist application of social construction theory, the theory of gender differences in moral development, and a feminist critique of dualistic hierarchical thinking. Discusses implications…

Suggests that experiential educators must be concerned about the intersection of human and environmental factors, and that ecofeminism provides a framework for examining this intersection. Defines ecofeminism and discusses its benefits and shortcomings as a foundation for social, educational, and environmental philosophy and practice. Contains 16…

A total of 24 self-identified women of color took part in focus groups and interviews concerned with attitudes toward the outdoors and involvement in outdoor activities. Analysis focuses on social support for participation, family influence, peer influence, role models, perceived isolation, sociocultural influences, discomfort and fear, personal…

Review of feminist scholarship on gender provides a tool for tracing gender concepts taken for granted in theoretical and applied aspects of experiential education. Examines the concept of gender as theorized in competing frameworks: as personality factor, structural category, or identity constituted in social relations. Suggests approaches to…

Survey of 274 women who completed an all-women outdoor adventure program examined motivations to participate in such a program; expectations, feelings, and perceptions about the program; and the outcomes and effects of the program on their lives. The average respondent was 42 and had at least a four-year college degree. Contains 20 references. (SV)

Describes an introductory horizontal caving experience for college-age women who were uncomfortable with their bodies, insecure with movement, and unwilling to take big risks. The darkness and quiet of the cave released inhibitions and promoted group cohesion, feelings of intimacy and safety, self-discovery, and self-confidence. (SV)

Two faculty from different institutions co-initiated and co-facilitated an interdisciplinary faculty group to mentor members in experiential teaching approaches. Members shared their experiences with experiential strategies, as well as advice, resources, and professional support. Recommendations cover formation of such groups, group processes and…

Discusses Tikkun Olam--the Jewish tenet of healing the world through individual good deeds--and its applicability to the practice of adventure therapy. Focuses on the therapeutic relationship, as it develops in group settings, and the role of adventure leaders and therapists in nourishing such relationships to provide a vehicle for healing or…

Integrates several techniques of psychodynamic therapy with the conceptual and metaphorical world of adventure therapy. Discusses a model of the metaphorical connection between self and experience, in which the client creates a self-metaphor to illuminate his or her experience during an adventure activity and thereby unlocks the unconscious and…

Explores the wilderness expedition from an anthropological perspective as a personal rite of passage involving rituals created by the group, an intense sense of community, strengthened individual identity, and connection to the natural environment. Includes participants' descriptions of the revelations they experienced and of the expedition as a…

All 120 managers and executives of a Canadian corporation participated in a 1-day experiential training in facilitation techniques, primarily debriefing strategies to help employees learn from workplace experiences. Five months later, a representative sample of participants identified successes, barriers, and potential improvements; most reported…

Our fascination with technology's ability to process information and the resulting glut of information gets in the way of attaining wisdom, the highest level of learning. Information technology may be useful in the administration of experiential education, but is irrelevant to the most important levels of learning. An informationless outdoor…