Within many education systems, outdoor learning is frequently constrained by risk-averse policies and operational practices that limit opportunities for meaningful engagement with the land. While these approaches are often grounded in concerns for student safety, they can inadvertently create systemic barriers that restrict access to experiential and land-based learning. This session examines how a shift toward a “culture of yes” requires a reorientation of how risk, responsibility, and accountability are understood at a system level. Drawing on the work of the Indigenous Land-Based Education (ILBE) Learning Table, this workshop explores how Indigenous perspectives can inform more relational and balanced approaches to decision-making. In this context, responsibility is understood as a shared and relational practice among educators, school leaders, divisional administrators, communities, and a relationship with the land itself.
