Outdoor Learning Leadership Conference 2026

This workshop examines how institutional approaches to risk management shape outdoor and experiential learning, particularly in relation to land-based and Indigenous-informed pedagogy. While often treated as neutral tools for safety and compliance, risk frameworks also influence what learning is possible, whose knowledge is prioritized, and how relationships with land are enacted. The session invites leaders and administrators to critically examine assumptions within risk-averse decision-making that privilege control and liability over relational, cultural, and educational possibility. Participants engage in dialogue and reflection to consider both visible risks of action and less visible risks of inaction, including reduced engagement, curiosity, and relational learning. The session explores how risk practices might be reimagined to better reflect diverse cultural perspectives, relational accountability, and decolonizing approaches to outdoor education and institutional leadership.