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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 |
Associations
These organizations and associations are major supporters of outdoor
and experiential education.
The American Camp Association (formerly known as the American Camping Association) is a community of camp professionals who, for nearly 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. Because of our diverse 6,700 plus membership and exceptional programs, children and adults have the opportunity to learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living - lessons that can be learned nowhere else.
As a leading authority in child development, the ACA works to preserve, promote, and improve the camp experience. Our association is committed to helping our members and all camps provide:
- Camp communities committed to a safe, nurturing environment
- Caring, competent adult role models
- Healthy, developmentally-appropriate experiences
- Service to the community and the natural world
- Opportunities for leadership and personal growth
- Discovery, experiential education, and learning opportunities
- Excellence and continuous self-improvement
ACCT is a trade organization, serving Challenge Course Professionals all over the world. The purpose of the association is to promote the use of Challenge Courses and to set minimum standards for Challenge Course installation, operation and inspection. Originally founded by vendors, ACCT members are now predominantly Challenge Course managers and facilitators, in addition to the installers and trainers who are our longtime members.
The Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education supports and inspires educators in their quest for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to help all learners understand, appreciate and care for their environment. As an integral part of achieving our mission, we encourage direct experience outdoors.
The Association for Experiential Education (AEE) is a nonprofit, professional membership association dedicated to developing and promoting experiential education worldwide by:
- Helping experiential educators build lasting personal and professional relationships within a supportive and connected community;
- Raising the quality and performance of experiential education organizations and programs by developing and sharing standards through accreditation;
- Providing access to experiential education information and resources from around the world; and
- Connecting educators in practical ways and tends to the growing body of knowledge that fuels their growth and development.
The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) is an organization developed by and for outdoor recreation and education professionals and students. Founded at the International Conference on Outdoor Recreation in 1993, AORE is a grass roots organization dedicated to advancing the field of outdoor recreation and education.
AORE is the only organization dedicated to serving the needs of recreation and education professionals in non-profit settings. Through AORE members have a mechanism to interact with and affect decisions made by public land managers and the human powered outdoor recreation industry.
AORE is committed to promoting ecologically sound stewardship of the natural environment and serves as a collective voice for its members regarding topics of regional and national concern.
The Experiential Training and Development Alliance (ETDA) is a professional organization of experiential training and development practitioners. Our mission is to promote the awareness, appreciation and use of first-rate ETD services for business transformation and success.
ETDA Membership is for experiential training and development vendors who:
- Provide 80% of their services to corporate clients
- Utilize experiential technology with a high degree of proficiency
- Demonstrate work in two or more of the following ETD practice areas - Relationship Development, Performance Enhancement, and Organizational Consulting.
Membership benefits include an opportunity to stay connected to developments in the ETD field, attend annual summits, join in Phone Clinics (virtual professional development conference calls), tap into a professional network and expertise of Alliance members, share best practices, create collaborative partnerships and improve business or deepen practice through consultative coaching and/or a peer review.
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our wildlands.
National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) is a nonprofit membership association of educators, businesses, and community leaders. Founded in 1971, NSEE also serves as a national resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide.
Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) was founded in 1989 and provides trade services for over 4000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers in the Outdoor Industry. Members include recognized brands such as Black Diamond, Columbia Sportswear, Eagle Creek, JanSport, Johnson Outdoors, Kelty, Malden Mills, Merrell, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, Timberland, The North Face, Perception, Pearl Izumi, Salomon, Swiss Army Brands, W.L. Gore, Yakima, among numerous others.
OIA retail members are national specialty stores with locations and employees across the country, such as Eastern Mountain Sports, Galyan's and REI, as well as smaller regional and resort specialty shops. OIA has member companies in every state of the U.S.
OIA programs include: industry research, representation in Washington D.C., professional education and consumer outreach as well as cost-saving benefits for outdoor companies.
OIA exclusively endorses Outdoor Retailer Summer and Winter Markets, the largest outdoor product tradeshows in the world.
The Professional Ropes Course Association (PRCA) publishes ropes course standards for the installation, operation, and training of ropes challenge courses worldwide. The PRCA is a membership based organization which values the input and contributions of its members. The PRCA was created by ropes challenge course professionals for ropes challenge course professionals.
The Wilderness Education Association helps people enjoy and protect our nation's most precious resource: our wilderness areas. The WEA has been training and certifying outdoor leaders around the world for nearly 25 years, teaching students to safely and effectively lead groups in the outdoors without harming the environment.
The Wilderness Risk Managers Committee is a consortium of outdoor schools, guide services, organizations and land managers, who are working towards better clarification, understanding and management of risks in the wilderness.
The annual Wilderness Risk Management conference is sponsored by the Wilderness Risk Managers Committee, a national consortium of outdoor schools, guide services, organizations and land managers, who are working towards better clarification, understanding and management of risks in the wilderness.
