Johannesburg - Garry Townsend, outdoor pursuits director at Treverton College in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, has built a career teaching children perseverance, leadership and independence through outdoor education.
Outdoor education is more than instilling an appreciation for the great outdoors. It teaches practical skills, healthy living, informed decision-making, conflict resolution, environmental awareness, creative problem solving and leadership skill, says Townsend.
A lot of success in life and business in later years is achieved by understanding how to take calculated risks. These skills begin developing from pre-school where children learn to calculate physical risks – can I jump from this rock to the next rock, how high can I swing?
Learning to assess risk on the playground leads to a teenager taking greater risks on the sports field or in the classroom. A confident teenager who has taken calculated risks, failed and learnt from their mistakes is more likely to become successful in their chosen field as an adult, he says.
After failure, you are more receptive to learning and growing. Townsend says he challenges children, taking them out of their comfort zone and increasing their chances of failure. Once they have failed, he encourages dialogue, examination and growth. After this, they are more engaged, determined and encouraged to succeed in the given task. Teamwork becomes essential, conflict resolution critical, and the children learn leadership skills.
Treverton College has a 270 square hectare campus in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. In its outdoor education programme children have a two-hour lesson weekly and develop skills that make them fit and ready to become avid hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners and adventure enthusiasts.
To learn more about Treverton’s outdoor education programme, visit www.treverton.co.za.