Dr. Ma is one of the few local environmental education and ecology scholars, with his research focusing on the utilization of outdoor education for school environmental education. Dr Ma will be speaking on his work with the charity, Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong, the current situation with environmental education in the local school system and the various projects OWLHK have been spearheading, in particular the Nurture via Nature project.

Charlie is an experienced primary school teacher with a deep passion for outdoor education. Based in Hong Kong, working as the Forest School and outdoor education leader at Malvern College Hong Kong, she is a knowledgeable certified Forest School leader, holding the prestigious Level 4 Archimedes Forest School Teacher Trainer qualification, making her the only individual in Asia with this credential. During Charlie's session, she will speak about the power of Forest School and playing in nature, and its contribution to fostering curiosity and resilience in children. The session will be hands-on, interactive, and (weather permitting) outdoors!

This 45-minute workshop will focus on Bob Ryan’s "Spheres of Practice," providing a framework for practitioners in the Challenge Ropes Course (CRC) environment to navigate decision-making processes effectively.

Participants will examine practical scenarios in the challenge course, assessing how various decisions can be informed by different spheres, including instructor preferences, local operating procedures, standard operating procedures, industry practices, rope practitioners' practices, and the authority having jurisdiction.

The workshop aims to enhance attendees' self-awareness and system awareness, helping them understand how their decisions align with established safety protocols and operational standards within CRC practices.

Join Holly, a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience in outdoor adventure and meaningful learning, for an insightful workshop on gender, LGBTQ+, and inclusivity in the outdoors. This session will deepen your understanding of gender dynamics and offer practical guidance for navigating these topics in various settings. Engage in scenario-based discussions designed to diversify your experiences in a safe environment while exploring actionable solutions for fostering inclusivity in the workplace. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and support all individuals in outdoor spaces!

Associate Professor Delane Lim, the Co-founder for FutuReady Asia, will lead learners in a facilitated discussion on how do we prepare our youth and ourselves for future using experiential and outdoor learning with the rise of technology, data science and gaming. This session will uncover different activities for different learning groups, designing and facilitating a good experiential learning programme to help our youth who may be at risk (social risk, behavioural risk or emotional risk) to be "FutuReady".

Models and Frameworks of Experiential Education is an ideal session for those new to experiential education or needing a recap of the fundamental theories and models that underpin the experiential education approach. By understanding the "why?", educators will be able to make better decisions on program design and how to facilitate their group's experience.

What does it mean to be an outdoor professional? This session will ponder this crucial question and call upon the attendees to co-create their own definition for Hong Kong. On the way, it will look at what it means to be a professional in other nations, the benefits of being recognised as a professional, and the potential pathways that we could take in Hong Kong to achieving professional recognition.

Led by Steven Leung from the Experiential Learning Design Institute, this interactive session will explore the key design factors of an impactful learning experience and how they are instrumental in enhancing the learning outcomes of your experiential education programs.