The Association for Experiential Education Blog

The South’s premier co-ed boarding school received accreditation from the Association of Experiential Education for its 43-year-old mountaineering program. Asheville School, a college preparatory high school, is one of only 11 secondary schools in the world with an outdoor program of this caliber.

Ellie Cohn, an Asheville School junior from Georgetown, SC, enjoys rockclimbing on the South Side of Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, NC.

The mountaineering program at Asheville School, the South’s premier co-ed college preparatory boarding school, recently joined the ranks of the world’s top tier outdoor programs after it became one of only 11 secondary schools worldwide to receive an Association of Experiential Education Accreditation.

Ed Maggart, Director of Mountaineering at Asheville School for the last 25 years, was thrilled when the Association of Experiential Education granted Initial Accredited status to the school’s mountaineering program earlier this month.

“We have always had an outstanding Mountaineering Program at Asheville School and now we are in a small community of top tier accredited outdoor programs,” Maggart said.

This accreditation, which is valid for five years, is based on compliance with the following AEE standards: Philosophical, Educational & Ethical Principles, Program Governance, Program Oversight and Management of Activities, Human Resources (Staff Selection, Hiring, Training and Supervision), Transportation, Equipment, Nutrition, and Hygiene, Venue Selection and Appropriateness, Environment and Culture, and Technical Skills – Land and /or Water Based.

“Asheville School’s Mountaineering Program is truly an exemplary program. What impressed me most, however, was the caliber of the staff. From the inspirational leadership of Ed Maggart to the dedicated instructional staff, they are an amazing group of passionate educators committed to providing remarkable experiences for their students,” said Shawn Tierney, AEE Director of Programs and Lead Reviewer for the external peer review of the program. “I was very impressed with the tremendous resources the program has at its disposal — everything from state-of-the-art on-site facilities, superb equipment, and access to world-class outdoor opportunities. In short, Asheville School and its Mountaineering Program are most deserving of the highest accolades!”

According to the AEE website, “Attaining accredited status through the AEE Accreditation Program is evidence of an organization’s commitment to quality, belief in professional standards, and allocation of resources toward continuous improvement. Programs that have gone through the AEE Accreditation process have distinguished themselves in the growing field of experiential education” (http://www.aee.org/).

“Fewer than 60 organizations worldwide have this accreditation,” Maggart said. “This extensive two year process forced us to look carefully at every area of our program from staff development to student programming to risk management. The 160-page self-study and three day review by the AEE accreditation committee challenged us to bring every aspect of our program to the highest standards of the outdoor industry. We can justifiably say that we meet, or in many cases, exceed the 169 rigorous standards the committee was considering. In the process our program became stronger in every way.”

There are currently only 10 other schools with accredited programs listed in the K-12 category, two of which are independent schools.

Asheville School’s mountaineering program originated in 1968, even though students had been trekking through the mountains of Western North Carolina since the school opened in 1900. James “Pop” Hollandsworth was the director of the mountaineering program for nearly 40 years, and at age 95 he continues to visit the school frequently. He began by teaching students outdoor skills, and later added rock climbing, kayaking and other adventures – along with making it an official program that the students were required to participate in. In 1985, Ed Maggart took the reigns and has been the school’s director of mountaineering for the past 25 years.

AEE is a nonprofit, professional membership association founded in 1972 with 1,500 members in 30 countries engaged in more than 15 areas of professional practice. Members include Harvard, Brown, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Westminster Schools, and Colorado Rocky Mountain School, to name a few.

A nationally acclaimed co-ed college preparatory boarding and day school, Asheville School enrolls approximately 275 students from across the country and overseas. Recent graduates are attending Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Caltech, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, Davidson, NC State, University of Virginia, Emory, Duke, and Wake Forest, among others.

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Content retrieved from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8843805.htm on October 18, 2011.

For more information on AEE Accreditation, please contact Shawn Tierney, Director of Programs, at accreditation@aee.org or 303.440.8844, ext. 16.

For information about the Asheville School, please contact Bob Williams at 828.254.6345, ext. 4042 or Sheila Steelman at 828.254.6345, ext. 4093.

Training The Dragons In Your Life:

Lessons From An Unlikely Hero

“I don’t want to kill a dragon.”

At this moment, we know that Hiccup has discovered something special within himself.  For most of the movie, the scrawny, misfit son of a Viking warrior has repeated the phrase, “I can’t kill a dragon,” as if he is a victim of his own weakness and character flaws.  As How to Train your Dragon unfolds, however, we experience a moving story of choice, courage, and the true meaning of compassion. What can the unlikely hero in this movie teach us?

Lesson 1: When drama is the norm, insanity rules

A village five generations old, yet every building is new. Why?  Because the dragons keep destroying the village, and the stubborn inhabitants keep rebuilding it.  In the dance of drama, people assume the roles of Persecutor, Rescuer, and Victim. The Persecutor righteously attacks or blames others for his own problems.  The Rescuer martyrs herself overdoing for others without empowering them; and the Victim accepts the abuse day after day as if it’s his destiny.  All three roles play off each other, and recruit others to join the dance.  Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.  That’s the nature of Drama – lots of damage while nothing changes.

Lesson 2: Even good people (and dragons) do bad things

The Process Communication Model (PCM®) suggests that when people are not getting their inborn psychological needs met in healthy ways, they will attempt to get those same needs met in negative ways – which is called distress.  Whether it’s a Viking father fearful that his son won’t make him proud as a dragon-slayer, or a toothless dragon who just wants a friend, we all can do some pretty damaging things out of desperation.  How to train your dragon is a story of looking past the negative behaviors to the essential human needs beneath.

Lesson 3: Energy spent trying to control negative behavior is wasted

The entire identity and culture of the Viking clan is tied-up in defending against, and defeating the dragons.  From elaborate books on the arsenals and ordinance of each dragon species, to dragon-slaying basic training, every waking hour is spent focusing on how to deal with negative attention behaviors.  While his classmates are embroiled in gladiator-style trial and error, Hiccup discovers that attending to the authentic needs behind the negative behaviors of dragons increases his effectiveness and efficiency beyond what anyone else has imagined.  Trying to control negative attention is fruitless.

Lesson 4: Cultures of Openness, Resourcefulness, and Persistence produce unlikely heroes

Hiccup makes the choice to respond openly, resourcefully, and persistently to the dragons. By opening himself up to the Night Fury, he creates a safe space for both to learn from each other, and gains the trust and protection of this feared dragon.  He resourcefully applies his skills in new ways to make progress – for example, he uses his blacksmithing skills to craft a tail-fin prosthesis for his new friend.  Rather than doing for the dragon, he assists the dragon in empowering itself.  And, he persistently sticks with his new friend, Toothless, as they both learn how to fly with new appendages.

Lesson 5: Leveraging diversity can produce incredible results

For me, the final scene of this movie was the most poignant.  As Hiccup awakes from the epic final battle, we realize he has lost his left leg.  Then, we see that his blacksmith mentor has crafted him a cutting-edge prosthesis, already retrofitted to operate the system he originally built to help his dragon-friend fly.  As the movie ends, these two imperfect beings are working together to compensate for their weaknesses and leverage their strengths.  As others in the village come around, we see that they have made friends with, and learned to utilize the tremendous skills of the dragons to do good instead of harm.  The Vikings have always been creative and dogged in their determination.  The dragons have always been powerful.  Finding ways to make these gifts mutually beneficial instead of mutually destructive was one of the most powerful lessons of the movie.

Lesson 6: Choosing compassion instead of drama takes courage and perseverance

Throughout the movie, Hiccup is ridiculed by his family and clan for being weak, stupid, and misguided.  Yet he persists, realizing that while anyone can feel justified by doing the same thing they’ve always done, it takes much more courage to chose a new path.  By dropping his knife at the moment he could have killed the most feared dragon of them all to become a hero in the Viking world, Hiccup chooses instead to find the connection between these two supposed enemies.  By doing so, he changes the course of history for his village.

Choosing compassion instead of drama takes courage, and can reap benefits beyond your imagination.  Make the effort today to learn new ways of relating to others, new ways of leveraging the diversity around you, and be a Hiccup in your world.

Reposted with permission from the author and Next Element Consulting (view the original post).

Nate Regier, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, trainer, and consultant. As a partner with Next Element Consulting, he provides coaching, consultation, and training services to help develop more resilient, accountable, and efficient communities within organizations. He is a Master Trainer for the Process Communication Model (PCM®), certified in clinical, educational, spiritual, and corporate applications; and co-developer of the NEOS Efficacy Outcomes System. Dr. Regier has presented nationally and internationally, and published on a variety of topics, including socialemotional intelligence, workplace wellness, leadership, mind-body-spirit integration, and communication.

Next Element® Consulting, LLC is a personal and professional development firm providing leadership training, coaching and advising, team-building, and in-depth training in personality-based communication and facilitation skills.

Join Nate Regier at the Annual International AEE Conference to learn more about Next Element and the Process Communication Model.

I was honored to be included in a meeting last week at the White House for the “Champions for Change for Rural America,” a fascinating opportunity to meet the President and Secretary of Agriculture. My report:

For every American there can be no greater reward for one’s work than to be asked to come to the White House to share your thoughts. To be included with outstanding representatives from across the the country as “Champions of Change” on behalf of rural Americans was truly an honor and an extraordinary example of our system of government at its finest, as well as exemplifying the sincere interest by the Administration to hear from “real people” outside the proverbial “Beltway.”

As I looked around the room at the farmers and ranchers who literally had to leave their chores for the day to be in DC, I thought how fortunate we are to still be able to honor the way of life that helped make this country what it is today, and importantly, thought about how we can learn from them how to instill those characteristics in future generations of rural Americans.

My work for the last 30 plus years has been different, but very related nature. Connecting Americans and our visitors to the land through tourism and outdoor recreation has been my passion. First, as an international tour guide leading camping tours across the country, then serving as President of the American Hiking Society and Co-Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance with my wife, Paula, and then as Founder of Choose Outdoors, a national nonprofit that seeks to connect all Americans to the land through Outdoor Recreation.

As Horace Axtell, a tribal elder cautioned many years ago. “Many of the problems of today’s society are directly related to our lack of connection to the land. We must do all we can to find ways to bring future generations back to appreciating the natural environment.” He truly understood “Nature Deficit Disorder” long before the term was used.

The meeting with the President, Secretary of Agriculture, Champions of Change and other high level members of the Administration was, for me, an exhilarating and rewarding opportunity to be a a part of an effort that will help our country out-educate and out-innovate the rest of the world and help us carry on the legacy our forefathers envisioned.

Bruce Ward is President and CEO of Choose Outdoors.

Originally shared via OAK (Outdoors Alliance for Kids), reposted with permission from the author.

Two years ago this April, I decided I was ready to make the transition from an instructor in a wilderness therapy program to a student in the world of academia. I wanted to gain the knowledge and skills to be a clinical therapist in a wilderness therapy setting, with the ultimate goal of developing a culturally relevant wilderness adventure therapeutic program for youth at home, in the Yukon Territory, Canada.

Fast forward to fall 2009. I took the plunge and was pursuing a dual degree Adventure Therapy program at the University of New Hampshire. As ecstatic as I was to be moving towards these goals, within a few months of starting, my legs were screaming in distress from sitting inside all day; my eyes, weary of computer screens, burned; and my mind felt congested. The transition from working with defiance in the woods (i.e., using my body constantly, breathing fresh air under the open sky all day long, and the constant stimulation of challenging group dynamics and individuals) to an indoor, academic rat race was difficult, to say the least.

The strong community supports and constant physical activity that I had relied so heavily on in the field did not exist here at school. I quickly realized how dependent I had become on the intimate wilderness culture: how do you bond without sharing stories of how that last snowball left you wishing for just one more piece of TP while sipping hot chocolate and drying your liners over the fire?

Evidently, as time passed, I dove deeper into my relationships with work, professors, and friends and colleagues. The cluster of computers is the new campfire, where my colleagues and I hover, while sipping caffeinated beverages and exchanging innovative ideas.

Now, two thirds of my way finished, I reflect upon how privileged I am to be here. Although my thoughts often drift to ‘trip’ or other adventures, I am so grateful for this challenge and opportunity for growth. Research and evaluation, once my nemeses, are no longer intimidating. I now appreciate the role research plays as a vehicle for change within our practice of adventure therapy and how it helps us have a more positive impact on the people with whom we work. I trust that my experience in this foreign world will act as a guide for me once I return to the woods, the north, and the people I care most about.

So, for any of you wondering if you have what it takes to give up the outdoors and commit to further education, ask yourself this: did any of your students ever think they could summit that mountain or jump from the pamper pole?

In other words, is it worth it? A resounding YES!

Amy Smith is a graduate student in Adventure Therapy at the University of New Hampshire.  If you would like to contact her or share your own thoughts, experiences, and stories on the AEE blog, please email Kate Lincoln at publications@aee.org. 

One of the hallmarks of a successful program committed to continuous improvement is the judicious use of an external review. A long established practice in diverse professions such as health care, law, and academia, external reviews are becoming more commonplace within the field of experiential and adventure education. However, I still find that for many outdoor program directors, administrators, and staff, questions remain regarding the process, cost, and benefits of such a review.

What is an External Review?
Not only do different types of professional reviews exist, but the very definition of the term, the process for conducting the review, and the desired outcomes may vary substantially depending on the type of profession involved and the objectives of the review. For the purpose of this article we will narrow the focus to the field of experiential education and define the term “external review” as:

• an independent, objective assessment of an organization’s practices for the purpose of identifying areas of exposure (liability), implementing or maintaining standards, establishing credibility and improving institutional performance — especially in the area of safety and risk management.

The defining characteristics of the external review are: a) the use of a highly-qualified individual who is outside of (or external to) the organization, b) the reviewer has relevant expertise with the field or a specific aspect of the profession (i.e., is a professional peer), and c) the method, scope and outcomes of the review are well-defined and determined collaboratively between the reviewer and the organization prior to the review taking place.

The Importance of an External Review
An important feature of a well designed external review (and a compelling reason for conducting a review) is that it can help an organization assess whether or not it is conducting its activities in a manner consistent with its peers. This concept has important legal ramifications, especially as it relates to the management and conduct of technical activities, such as rock climbing. Other tangible benefits include:

• Objective, independent analysis of the organization and its programs;
• A review will provide valuable insight and feedback from an outside perspective;
• A review can  point out “blind spots” and other overlooked elements in your programming; (i.e., another “set of eyes” to review current practices);
•  Marketing value, legitimacy; (i.e., it’s not just you saying your program is solid, it is being confirmed by an outside source!);
• A review can help immensely as you prepare for or work toward accreditation (such as AEE, Independent School Associations, ACA, etc);
• An independent review may assist in developing a stronger relationship with insurance providers;
• A review can help reduce liability by recognizing practices that are out of step with industry standards, or out of step with the “reasonable person” standard that defines negligence.

Getting Clear on the Process
An external review does not have to be an exhaustive “audit” of an entire organization, although it certainly could be. More commonly, an external review might involve having the reviewer examine a single aspect or component of a program. For example, a review might focus on assessing the organization’s climbing program or its water activities; policies and procedures, risk management plan, and other relevant documentation; or its new staff hiring, orientation, and training process. It could include a review of how the organization handles its safety briefings and debriefings. This is where the process of setting up the external review and selecting your reviewer factors in—not only should the organization have a good understanding of what they want the review to accomplish, the reviewer needs to clearly define the method and scope of the review.

There are important considerations when selecting who will do your review as there are many individuals and organizations that offer a “review” type of service. Certainly, you want to consider the reviewers expertise and the context and setting of the review (does the reviewer have relevant experience/background with your setting – university outdoor program, therapeutic program, at-risk youth, etc?). Your reviewer (or the organization providing the review) should also be able to provide you with a list of past clients that you can speak about the quality of the review. Regardless of whom you select, make sure your reviewer has a clearly defined process or method for conducting the review.

Shawn Tierney
Shawn is the Director of Programs for the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) He is responsible for overseeing the association’s accreditation program and risk management services. With over 25 years of experience in the field of experiential education, Shawn has worked as an instructor and program director for various organizations including Outward Bound, UC Berkeley, and the Colorado Mountain School. He can be reached at shawn@aee.org.

Memorial In Honor of Joel Cryer

Saturday, February 12, 2011
2:00 to 4:00 PM

Trinity United Methodist Church
4001 Speedway
Austin, Texas 78751

Please feel free to bring stories and photos of your experiences with Joel to share. For those of you who knew him well, you are welcome to wear Patchouli.

Condolence cards may be sent to:
The Joel Cryer Family
514 E 40th St.
Austin, TX 78751

Donations: In lieu of flowers and in keeping with Joel’s wishes and character, he would want those dollars to go to helping families in need. Give until it feels good to:
Heifer International (click on GIVE and go to the Gift Catalog at www.heifer.org) or you may donate to the charity of your choice. For those of you who choose to make a donation to Heifer International we are asking that you bring a picture of the animal you are donating to the memorial. We will provide a table where you can place a picture of the animal you are giving to a family in need so that all of Joel’s loved ones can see the difference he continues to make to others.

If you need to talk to someone, please call his friend Kathy Brown on Joel’s phone at 512-454-2991. His phone will be monitored.

Joel’s ashes will be buried beside his mother and father in his hometown of Winnie, TX as per his wishes. In addition, his friends and family will lovingly distribute a portion of Joel’s ashes to all of the places he loved and cherished and trekked, climbed and boated. It is our desire to keep a record of his last trek across the world and to eventually share it with all those he loved. So stay tuned for Joel’s last great adventure.

Joel is preceded in death by his parents:
Earnest A. Cryer, Jr. and Frances A. Cryer of Hamshire, TX.And his nephew Zach Rollo of Winnie, TX.

Survivors:
His daughter Cynthia Woodson, her husband Robby Woodson.His grandchildren Jacie and Jared Woodson all of Fannett, TX.

Joel’s sisters:
Donna (Cryer) Bryan, her husband Steve Bryan of Hamshire, TX.       Her daughter Natasha Tiffany of Hagerman, ID.Denise (Cryer) Haenel, her husband Bob Haenel of Fairchilds, TX.     Her son John Entralgo of Austin, TX.     Her son Evan Haenel of Austin, TX.Melissa (Cryer) Rollo, her husband Jeff Rollo of Winnie, TX.          Her daughter Katie Rollo of Winnie, TX.     Her son Jess Rollo of Winnie, TX.

Joel’s brother:
Jamie Cryer, his wife Tracy Cryer of Sugarland, TX.     His stepdaughter Courtny Garcia and her husband Josh Garcia of Sugarland, TX.

Joel Cryer passed away at approximately 10pm on January 23, 2011. In honor of his life and death, I would like to share the nomination letter I wrote on his behalf for the AEE Servant Leadership Award which he was awarded in 2010. Rest in peace, Joel, and enjoy your next adventure.

By Christine Norton

In my mind, the AEE Servant Leader Award is given to an individual who selflessly promotes experiential education for the betterment of humanity. Joel Cryer epitomizes this kind of person. His life-long dedication to serving others, combined with his knowledge and professional experience in experiential and adventure education are important contributions that serve as a role-model for other AEE members.

During his long career, Joel conducted an adventure-based program for adolescents and their families in a community mental health setting for four years, and coordinated a wilderness/adventure-based program in a school district for five years. He instructed with Outward Bound and six other adventure-based programs. He has built and provided training for ropes courses regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Joel also served five years as a Para-Rescue Technician performing rescue and medical missions with the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia, and was a member of the NASA/Apollo Recovery Team. During the past 30 years, Joel has demonstrated a life-long spirit of adventure, having trekked, boated, and climbed in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Joel received a B.A. in History with high honors from the University of Texas, and was a member of AEE since 1976. His experiences with AEE evolved from basic membership to conference attendance to working on a wide range of initiatives. Joel represented and served on nine AEE committees, attended 31 AEE International Conferences, served on 14 AEE-Mid South Conference Committees and attended 14 AEE-Mid South Conferences! This is evidence of his leadership and commitment to AEE’s survival and mission. Joel also served on AEE’s Task Force on Accreditation and Standards Committee in 1992. In 1993, Joel was one of six senior practitioners selected by AEE to start the new International University of Experiential Education at Moscow State University in Russia. Joel has also been an active reviewer for the Schools and Colleges Professional Group of AEE’s Publications Committee. He belongs to the Schools & Colleges, Therapeutic Adventure, and Experience-Based Training & Development Professional Groups of AEE, providing servant-leadership, guidance, and experience wherever he goes.

Joel was co-convener of the successful 1994 AEE International Conference, which had over 1,200 participants, and was instrumental in facilitating the formative stages of the new Mid-South Region, from which the regional council evolved. Joel was the Mid-South Region chair for nine years, and has been on the Mid-south Council for 14 years in various roles, helping establish the Peer Review process for the Mid-South. As a member of the Mid-South Regional Council, I can attest to the fact that Joel is a mentor, a support and someone who nurtures new leaders in AEE. Joel has also been a reviewer for the AEE Program Accreditation Service, and has represented AEE in Russia, Finland, and the Czech Republic. He has given numerous presentations at AEE-sponsored conferences, and has served on the AEE Council of Regional Representatives for four years.

Not only has Joel’s servant leadership in AEE touched the United States, Joel has facilitated experiential educators traveling to Russia as part of an Association of Experiential Education outreach program. From seeing the impact experiential education had on Russian education, he decided to continue these interactions and made linkages with several schools and the program has gone on since 1994 in an evolving fashion. Since 2000, Joel’s company, Adventure Mas! has made it possible for over one hundred Americans to travel and provide experiential and English training to teachers and school age Russian children and promoting AEE and experiential education. His role in this project has involved designing and implementing this educational exchange.

Joel was also instrumental in getting AEE to recognize Mexico as part of the North American Mid-South Region and added to the AEE by petitioning the AEE board on this issue and laying out the states of Mexico and what AEE region they would belong to.

Joel has always actively recruited new members and welcomed them to the region (by phone call, by visits, by asking for help) and has always been an example of the values of AEE to new members. I would not be in the leadership position I am in with AEE today if it were not for Joel’s consistent and enduring servant leadership.

**share your fond memories of Joel on his facebook or in the comments of this blog post.

By Stephanie Sibille, WRAEE Secretary, 2009-2010, 2010 International AEE Conference Host Committee

I don’t know if it’s possible for any one person to be emblematic of an entire organization, but when it comes to AEE, Mike Gessford came pretty close. Whether he was showcasing his book in the store, planning a regional conference, or writing blog posts at 4 AM in Vegas, his presence was always known. It’s no question that the experiential education field felt a great loss on January 14^th, 2011.

Few people have made a greater visible contribution to our field, but even fewer will remember Mike for his visible contributions alone. When I met Mike twelve years ago, I didn’t know the first thing about experiential education, but my thirteen-year-old self did have a few vague memories: he loved rubber chickens, he collected pez dispensers, and he would always wear his heinous “Billy Bob Teeth,” a fake piece of rubber designed to resemble dental work gone wrong, at the most unexpected times. It was typical of Mike to perform such antics for the sake of a laugh; I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept with the latter by his bedside at night.

After that first summer, Mike remained in my life, mentoring me through my first job in the EE field (ropes assistant at the same camp where we had met) and supporting my decision to study music in college but delighted when I switched to experiential education. Through the years, whether I was studying and traveling in Australia, interning in Arizona or working in California, Mike always managed to track me down to pass along a kind word of wisdom or encouragement.

I wasn’t the only one to benefit from Mike’s support. During his years at the Gengras Center, in true Mike fashion, he dubbed himself “PICOUP,” or “Person in Charge of Unlocking Potential.” When asked by a good friend what that meant, he answered, “that’s what I want my job title to be.”

Mike had a unique way of empowering people that is difficult to explain but was felt by many. A sage teacher and eternal student, he never lectured or corrected anyone – rather, he asked questions, genuinely interested in what the individual he was mentoring could teach HIM. His leadership was felt by many at St. Joseph’s College and the Gengras Center, where he spent twenty-five years of his life unlocking the potential of others.

Fast forward to the 2010 AEE International Conference, eleven and a half  years after we first met. As we ran around the Las Vegas strip with a group of old friends, beers in hand, frantically working on a photo scavenger hunt, I turned around and took a look at Mike, and had to laugh. True to form, he was, once again, wearing his Billy Bob teeth.

In his twenty-five years of teaching and working in the field, I am just one of the many lives that he shaped through his humor, his teaching, and his mentorship. His spirit will continue to live on through his students, colleagues, and friends. Play on, Mike!

We are thrilled to announce that Point6 LLC has again generously donated 400 pairs of high quality, wool socks for AEE member programs in need.  We feel their gift will be well-received and well-worn by AEE organization participants. Generous organizations like Point6 make the world an even better place to live and explore. Does your program have a need for wool socks? We will send large quantities of wool socks to member programs in need. We have Medium Weight Ski Socks (S, M, L for women, and L, XL for men) and we have Heavy Cushion Trekking Socks (S, M, L Women’s and XL Men’s), all socks are worth about $23 each.

Programs eligible to receive socks must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be a current organizational, institutional or accredited member of AEE

2. Must have a demonstrated need for the socks with the populationyou serve

To apply:

1. Send a brief (1-2 paragraphs) “needs statement” to publications@aee.org, with a description of your program, population served, how many pairs of socks and what type you are requesting, and why your program should receive socks

2. A photograph depicting your program

3. A follow up photograph after the socks have been distributed

Applications must be received by February 28th, 2011

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of AEE staff and programs selected to receive socks will be chosen based on eligibility criteria and demonstrated need.

Point6 and AEE will be promoting the programs selected to receive socks in our respective newsletters, websites, and social networking tools.

AEE sponsors a variety of events for experiential educators, practitioners and students from around the world to come together in a supportive community with the goal of promoting, defining, developing, and applying the theories and practices of experiential education.

AEE conferences are designed to help you to develop professionally, find employment or employees, learn valuable new strategies and skills to integrate into your work, and develop lasting personal and professional relationships.

AEE members enjoy valuable discounts on conference registration.  Join AEE today!

AEE has eight regions in North America that host conferences. AEE regional conferences could not happen without the hard work and dedication of local AEE leaders. THANK YOU to the Regional Host Committees, Councils and Service Crews! Consider volunteering on a regional council or submitting a workshop proposal for your regional conference.

2011 Conferences:
Rocky Mountain
February 25-26, 2011
Orem, Utah
Submit a workshop proposal

Heartland
March 18-20, 2011
Martinsville, Indiana
Submit a workshop proposal

Mid-Atlantic
March 18-20, 2011
Radford, Virginia
Submit a workshop proposal

Northwest
March 25–27, 2011
Salem, Oregon
Submit a workshop proposal

Northeast
April 8-10, 2011
Beckett, Massachusetts
Submit a workshop proposal

Southeast
April 8-10, 2011
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Workshop proposal info coming soon!

AEE/TERA Mid-South
April 14-17, 2011
Pottsboro, Texas
Workshop proposal info coming soon!

West
April 29 – May 1, 2011
North Lake Tahoe, California
Submit a workshop proposal

1st AEE Mexico Conference
May 18 – 22, 2011
Monterrey, Mexico
Workshop proposal info coming soon!

REAP
April 13–15, 2011
Washington, D.C.
Workshop proposal info coming soon!

39th Annual International AEE Conference
November 3 – 6, 2011
Jacksonville, Florida
Workshop proposal info coming January 2011