2024 Wilderness Risk Management Conference

In the realm of outdoor recreation, where safety and inclusion are paramount, our scenario-based presentation confronts the pervasive issues of violence and harassment. Drawing from concerning statistics, which highlight the prevalence of harassment and assault in the outdoor industry, we emphasize the urgent need for action to address these challenges and their detrimental impact on workplace culture. Participants will explore how to foster positive cultural change and minimize harassment and violence through a risk management perspective. They'll gain insight into systemic factors contributing to these issues, as well as behavior escalation, active bystander response skills, and the impacts on individuals and organizations. Through interactive discussions and practical exercises, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding violence and harassment, emerging with heightened awareness and tangible strategies to effect positive change. Join us as we empower individuals to step up as leaders in creating environments that prioritize safety, belonging, and respect.

Traveling as a visibly marginalized group poses inherent risks to programs and participants. With 25+ years of experience traveling in predominantly white outdoor spaces as People of Color, City Kids continues to develop a holistic approach to reducing the risk of emotional or physical harm to participants and staff through program design, staff training, incident mitigation and response. This presentation aims to provide a framework and replicable tools for other organizations

The program will ask audience members to consider their capacities to assess, support and manage a broad range of escalating mental health challenges. Drawing from wilderness first aid foundations, the presenter will provide an overview of steps and strategies for prevention and intervention. Organizations can utilize this information to evaluate current strengths and gaps and develop programming, culture, and staff skills.

This workshop will highlight the pros and cons of current wilderness therapy (WT) program models. It will address the concept of totalistic youth programming and the critiques of the “troubled teen industry” by highlighting client rights and client voice. The workshop presenters bring perspectives of WT clients, field staff, clinicians, and researchers. Together, the facilitators hope to promote a safe and open space for dialogue to better establish a trauma-responsive WT intervention model. The larger context of mental health treatment in the US will be highlighted as a limitation but with a focus on how both wilderness and adventure therapy practitioners can embrace more of a human rights perspective, bringing in some of the work of the recent work done by the ATIC Ethics Committee, as well as the revisions being made to the OBH Accreditation Standards re: involuntary treatment and transport.

With approximately 20% of people worldwide experiencing a mental illness at any given moment, including rising numbers of mental health concerns across adolescents and young adults, it is vital for programs to be knowledgeable about and prepared to support participants with mental health conditions. Misinformation is a barrier to knowledge and to the ability to effectively provide support, and unfortunately runs rampant with respect to mental health conditions– what they are, and what they mean for the participant, as well as for program staff. Harmful misinformation about mental health conditions also breeds stigma, which in turn often leads to elevated fear that the impacted person will become unpredictable or dangerous, and an inclination to keep a distance from that person or to treat them differently rather than as an equal to others on the program. Conversely, accurate knowledge and empathy best position us to meaningfully connect with our program participants, contributing to an optimally successful program experience for participants and staff alike. In this session, Michelle Lange, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, will debunk common mental health myths and misconceptions, providing you with knowledge and skills to confidently and empathically work with program participants who experience common mental health challenges.

Stress in outdoor and wilderness education is inevitable. Stress injury doesn’t have to be. This interactive and engaging session guides the individual instructor, manager, or administrator through a set of awareness skills and supportive tools for the mitigation of stress injuries. Now more than ever, we need increased resiliency to support our best selves. Participants will leave this session with: (1) A shared and effective language to discuss stress injuries, (2) Two tools to support proactive stress injury prevention, and (3) An increased sense of resiliency in self.

“Climbing is an inherently dangerous sport” is the oft repeated phrase - but for many of us, walking through our day to day lives also involves inherent danger due to differences and prejudice based on race, class, disability status, gender, and sexual orientation, amongst others. For many folks in minoritized communities, the risk associated with climbing is one of the few that is firmly in their own control. We know there is value and dignity in taking risks - but who is allowed or encouraged to access that dignity? Join this panel with members from local affinity climbing groups representing various marginalized communities to discuss how minoritized communities experience risk in the outdoors, engage in risk mitigation practices, and ultimately manage risk while recreating in outdoor spaces. 

The body doesn’t lie. In high-risk situations, our body will do what it has practiced. Come understand your baseline reactions, learn new ways to manage your response, and practice what you need to successfully navigate high-risk situations calmly and effectively. Join me at a 90-minute experiential conversation to learn about cutting-edge brain science, body-based practices for students and instructors/administrators, and the challenges of being in and leading groups.