Review: Outdoor Leadership

 I remember going away to camp for a week in the summer, doing things outside, bring kept busy by counsellors, crafts, hikes and so much more.  I remember the lack of fairness, the hurt when I was put in charge of a foster kid, and not allowed to just be a kid a camp having fun.  Being held responsible for that child's poor decision making skills.   I also remember one counsellor and his love of the outdoors, his willingness to point out animal tracks and cool insects.     Therefore when I offered a chance to review "Outdoor Leadership" I took them up on the offer, I wanted to see what type of training one should look at if wanting to be a leader for outdoor activities.

This book is nothing if not thorough, and I freely admit I did not read all 384 pages of smaller then average typeface.    Printed in black and white throughout, Outdoor leadership is divided into four sections, 18 chapters in total.

1. Foundations of outdoor leadership
    1. The Journey Begins
    2.  History of Outdoor Leadership
    3. Outdoor Leadership as Professional Practice
    4. Cultural and Social Justice Competency
2. Outdoor Leadership Theory
    1. Theories of Leadership
    2. Leadership in Practice
    3. Decision-making and Judgement
3. Teaching and Facilitation
    1. Understanding Facilitation
    2. Facilitating Personal Development
    3. Facilitating Interpersonal Development
    4. Challenge Course Leadership
    5. Teaching Strategies
4. Natural Resource and Program Management
    1. Parks and Protected Areas Management
    2. Environmental Stewardship
    3. Program Management
    4. Safety and Risk Management
    5. Expedition Planning
    6. Assessment and Evaluation
As you can see from the photo, each chapter has several subsets.

Each chapter contains a variety of exercises to work though, all with the end purpose of making you a better leader and manager. 

with inspirational quotes to guide your way

I really liked it how each chapter lays out the goals of the chapter and breaks down how they plan to do that.

Book Synopsis:
Outdoor Leadership, Second Edition, is the definitive text for developing student leadership in outdoor and adventure settings throughout the world. Crafted by an author team internationally recognized for their research, teaching, and experience in outdoor and adventure leadership, this new edition provides students with the foundational knowledge they need to develop as competent professionals in the field.

My Thoughts: 
I think this is a great technical book that has plenty of exercises and thought provoking work for those who want to be an outdoor leader. It covers basically every aspect needed to be successful.  If running an outdoor program is a goal that you have, Outdoor Leadership will help you reach it!

Outdoor Leadership: theory and practice, 2nd edition
Bruce Martin, Mary Breuning, Mark Wagstaff and Marni Goldenberg.
HumanKinetics.com
Pages: 384
Type: Softcover, technical manuscript

Reviewed for: HumanKinetics.com

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