When you imagine university, a lot of boring, indoor images come to mind: crowded lecture halls where you can barely see the professor, endless hours spent hunched over a textbook in the library, and stressed out students in rows waiting to write their final exams. This isn’t the case for Outdoor Adventure Leadership students at Laurentian University in Sudbury.
A program designed to teach both theoretical and practical skills, Outdoor Adventure Leadership (ADVL for short) is a unique academic experience unlike any other university degree. Students participate in hands-on courses such as Introduction to Wilderness Living and Survival Skills, Canoe Tripping Leadership, and Winter Camping as well as theoretical courses like anatomy and kinesiology, nutrition, and risk management.
The ADVL community is a family composed of current students, alumni, professors, and members of the outdoor community, all sharing a common passion for teaching, learning, leading, and exploring in the wilderness. This past September, I took part in a four-day canoe trip along the Wanapitei River, French River, and across Georgian Bay to Killarney with my fellow second year students and our professors. It was an incredible experience that could never be replicated in a classroom. ADVL students love to take advantage of the beautiful trails, lakes, and backcountry that exist right on our doorstep. So if you see us out and about, feel free to say hello; we’re a friendly bunch.
For more information about Outdoor Adventure Leadership at Laurentian University, you can find us on Facebook, or visit our website www.adventureleadership.ca.
Outdoor Adventure Leadership gives unique education
By Rebecca Dale
For Wild Northerner