Adventure Mind 2023

A conference series exploring the importance of adventure to wellbeing and mental health. For outdoor professionals, wellbeing practitioners, researchers, health professionals & all adventurers. This year’s theme is ‘Small Adventures, Big Impact’

Duration: 27th & 28th November 2023 | Location: Near Sheffield, UK

Adventure Mind is open to anyone who is interested in understanding the connection between adventure and wellbeing.

In particular there is a community of outdoor, health and wellbeing practitioners that see the benefit of adventurous activity on people of all ages and backgrounds. This conference is designed to equip you with the latest research, share practice, improve networks and share resources, to increase the impact and effectiveness of your work. It is recognised as CPD by The Mountain Training Association, Association of Mountaineering Instructors and British Association of International Mountain Leaders.

In 2023 the conference theme will be ‘Small Adventures, Big Impact’.

“Small” adventures could include programmes and interventions that are close to home or require little to no resources / funding or are short in duration or particularly accessible. With a cost of living crisis, lack of funding and increased awareness around climate change, discreet ideas & techniques that can be carried out on their own or incorporated into larger expeditions offers an opportunity for all to act.

Who is Adventure Mind for?

Adventure Mind brings together two hundred adventure practitioners, health & wellbeing professionals, researchers, policy makers and all adventurers to better understand how adventurous activity can positively affect mental health in the UK.

The conference is designed for any outdoor organisation or practitioner that works to improve the wellbeing of their participants, or wishes to in the future. Also for individuals who are interested in how adventure can affect them. Attendees benefit from learning about new research, smarter ways to deliver adventure, how to best assess impact and how to win funding.

Researchers benefit from sharing their results with those that can action them and building collaborations for future work.

Policy makers have the opportunity to work with high profile practitioners and researchers to examine ways of bringing outdoor adventure into mental health planning.

(NB For those who attended Adventure Mind 2020 the first conference was designed more for researchers, to ask them to change their view of ‘adventure’ and to ask them to do more research in the area of ‘adventure-for-wellbeing’. We were overwhelmingly successful in this so subsequent conferences are aimed at supporting the practitioners. This is reflected in the new format)

Agenda

The event incorporates indoor and outdoor workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations of case studies by practitioners and the latest evidence by leading scientists.

Presentations will be delivered in plain English suitable for all audiences, so no prior knowledge is required.

Adventure Mind 2023 aims to share specific actionable steps attendees can immediately take with confidence.

Presentations

Israh Goodall explores life’s transitions and thresholds in her work as an expedition leader, rites of passage guide/researcher, coach and midwife. Israh will present “Outdoor adventures as a rite of passage” sharing her 20 yr experience of how rites of passage help in guiding transformative personal and collective change. Her work is focussed on supporting individuals, organisations and communities navigate transitions and reclaim rites of passage in a meaningful way. The presentation will explore why rites of passage are important today and why adventure is the perfect vehicle for delivery. 

Dr Susan Houge Mackenzie is an Associate Professor in the University of Otago School of Business (Tourism Department). Her research on how nature-based adventure can foster psychological wellbeing for individuals, organisations, and communities, has been translated into a range of applications for public and private organisations. Susan’s academic work is underpinned by her previous career as an adventure guide, competitive football player and coach. She is currently working alongside New Zealand tourism organisations to facilitate regenerative tourism approaches for operators and destinations. Susan’s presentation will explore a few psychological models that may identify the mechanisms that underpin adventure for wellbeing, especially in smaller adventures. Decoding small local achievable adventure experiences, may improve the accessibility of adventure for more people.  

Richard Chapman is a climber, trainee mountain leader and Co-Active Lived Experience Coach who is changing the way trauma is treated in mainstream healthcare. He has lived experience of Post Traumatic Stress following the death of his first child, but found that climbing helped manage his emotions. When he saw the NHS starting to think differently about how to make care more personalised, he started working with the system to help other people access the benefits of climbing for their wellbeing. He is now at the forefront of an NHS-funded social prescribing trial called Climbing Matters, where people living with severe mental illness are offered climbing as a aid to recovery and a source of hope.

Anita Grant has been the Chair of Play England since 2019 and was the CEO of Islington Play Association for 15 years. During this time she has championed the benefits of adventure playgrounds where children are free to be with each other, try things out and interact with their environments. Anita believes that freedom, time and space are fundamentally important for growth, connection and joy. Anita also believes that adventures, exploring the unknown and taking risks is what makes the world fun. Anita will talk about the importance of having play at the heart of children’s lives and how to support the everyday adventures open to us all, child or adult, if we are willing to take the risk.

Belinda Kirk is an explorer, mum and leading campaigner promoting the benefits of adventure on wellbeing, performance and mental health. In 2009, Belinda established Explorers Connect to spread the word about the life-changing impact of adventure and encouraged 30,000 ordinary people to engage in transformational outdoor challenges. In 2019 she launched Adventure Mind and will host this year’s event. She wrote “Adventure Revolution: The life-changing power of choosing challenge”, the first book to explain the psychology of why adventure is essential to our wellbeing. She has led dozens of international expeditions over the last twenty-seven years, crossing continents on foot and gaining a Guinness World Record for rowing unsupported around Britain. She has led numerous youth development challenges, pioneered inclusive expeditions for people with disabilities and managed scientific research missions in the Amazon, Sinai and Alaska. 

WORKSHOPS

Andrew Telfer is Head Coach at WildStrong. He is a public health professional and is passionate about health promotion and creating achievable exercise for longevity. Andrew holds a Master in Public Health and has over 15 year’s experience of coaching, personal training and course development. “I think the fitness industry took a wrong turn when it adopted a top down model of fitness education. I also feel there is too much emphasis on working out alone and the collection of arbitrary data. WildStrong is the opportunity to embed movement in a community setting, with tangible benefits, creating a peer-lead, distributed model of health practice.” Andrew will lead an “Explore and Play” experience including taking part in small challenges and talking about the importance of practicing falling, the Fear of Falling Cycle and the danger of Avoidance Behavior.

Gill Erskine is Director of WildStrong. Gill is passionate about making the outdoors and movement accessible to all. A natural community builder, Gill started WildStrong as she wanted to create space for people to spend more time outdoors and meet others who lived very locally. In 2023, Gill was recognised as one of the UK’s most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs by the f:Entrepreneur 100 campaign. “I just love watching all of our members’ journeys.  They start out full of doubt and are fairly convinced that they can’t do anything. Within weeks they are up at the front, helping other members and making new friends and trying to jump over a log. It makes my heart sing when I see all the support networks that are created through one group.” Andrew will lead an “Explore and Play” experience including taking part in small challenges and talking about the importance of practicing falling, the Fear of Falling Cycle and the danger of Avoidance Behavior.

Associate Professor Delane Lim is the Co-founder for FutuReady Asia, the managing partner for Global Outdoor Education Consulting Group and the secretary-general of Outdoor Learning & Adventure Education Association. He is also a certified challenge course manager under ACCT and a certified youth counsellor and suicide prevention specialist. Delane will deliver a workshop focusing on how to ‘Facilitate Coping Mechanisms’ and how we prepare our youths and ourselves for the future using experiential and outdoor learning.  This session will uncover different activities for different learning groups, designing and facilitating a good experiential learning programme to help our youth who may at risk (social risk, behavioural risk or emotional risk) to be “FutuReady”

Martin ‘Murph’ Murphy’s adventures began with escaping from a dysfunctional childhood, joining the military and being selected as a walk leader on an expedition to the Himalayas. Today he is a resilience coach and helps people become effective and resilient leaders and team members. Murph will be leading Resilience Walkshops based on the theories and philosophies supporting the benefits of voluntary challenge and nature. 

Dave Gallagher is a Chartered Psychologist and Cognitive Neuroscientist, affiliated with University of Central Lancashire. His research in adventure neuropsychology focuses on how the brain adapts and thrives in challenging environments: from psychological benefits of tall ship voyages in young people, to measuring brains at high altitude, and doing a BASE jump in the name of science. Dave is a Mountain Leader, RYA Day Skipper and technical SCUBA diver, also certified in stress management and performance coaching. Dave will be running a workshop to help participants understand the stress response during a Leap of Faith challenge on the high ropes course. Participants will engage in interactive exercises designed to progressively build their mindset, including visualization, partner work and paced breathing.

Dr Chris Kay is the British representative of the BOSS Project (Benefits of Outdoors Sports for Society). There is no agreed mechanism for comparing the social benefits of outdoor sport in economic terms. The project is trying to change this inorder to support investment in health enhancing physical activity in the outdoors. Chris is also a Senior Research Fellow working predominantly with wounded, injured and sick military personnel at The Battle Back Centre. 

NEW RESEARCH RESULTS SHARED 

Charlotte Boenigk is a free running, adventure seeking, chocolate/coffee loving mother of two wild little toddlers. Charlotte founded the charity Free Your Instinct, a charity that offers parkour for those with a recognised mental health need, in 2014 and is currently finished a PhD researching parkour for mental health. Charlotte will present her latest research and run a workshop 

Helen Dodd is a Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Exeter Medical School. She is an expert in child mental health. She has received awards for her research, most recently from the British Psychology Society for her outstanding contribution to developmental psychology. She has also received funding from a range of organisations including the Royal Society and British Academy. She currently holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, which funds a program of work examining the relationship between children's adventurous play and mental health. This ongoing research was introduced at Adventure Mind 2022 and the final results will be shared in the Meet The Author’s session.

Dr John Allan is the Head of Learning and Impact at Inspiring Learning. He will share Inspiring Learning’s commitment to unlock potential in every individual by building positive, adaptive skill sets through adventure education which supports wellbeing, enabling employability and social mobility. John will share the IL’s latest impact report including data from bespoke adventure residential programmes with vulnerable Year 8 & 9 school children referred to as the ‘forgotten middle’ and the Skills 4 Life programme

FUNDRAISING ADVICE PRESENTATIONS AND PANEL

Other speakers include:

Andrew Higson is the Director of Blackdog Outdoors which runs events (mostly guided hikes) that are available to anyone who finds their mental health is acting as a barrier to them getting outdoors. Andy is a qualified Mountain Leader, Climbing Wall Instructor. He is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider and is passionate about promoting the benefits of outdoor activities. Andy will be sharing how he established Blackdog Outdoors with particular emphasis on how it’s funded and how it benefits from Brand Partnerships. 

Kelvyn James is the Lead Director of Mental Health North West CIC Ltd who have probably delivered more mental health training to the outdoor sector than any other provider. They list national centres, NGB's and literally hundreds of freelancers amongst their customers.  Kelvyn is responsible for the design & delivery of MHNW's Wellness Walks program which uses commercial profits, grant-funding & donations to run totally free to participants with self-reported low mental health days out, walk & walk sessions and skills courses. Kelvyn will discuss Community Partnerships and how this supports longevity in the impact of his work.

PANEL DISCUSSION: “The Importance of Community to Local Adventures”

Other speakers include:

Nadia Weigh is the Director and Community Co-Leader for the Adventure Queens a UK based, not-for-profit women’s adventure community. Nadia’s background is in the international development sector. She’s also an avid flatwater kayaker and race with the Wey Kayak Club in Surrey.

MEET THE AUTHORS

There will be an extended ‘Meet The Authors’ session where small group discussion and Q&A will be possible with a selection of scientists, writers, campaigners and adventure practitioners who have published research in this area in the last 18months. As well as the authors’ listed above we’ll be joined by….

Allie Mason is an autistic author and microadventurer with her first book, The Autistic Guide to Adventure, published in 2023. Allie continues to advocate for autistic access and support needs to be considered and met by practitioners and organisations in those spaces.

Susie Amann is an International Mountain Leader and she also holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology. Her Masters dissertation looks at the effect on wellbeing of Long Distance Walking. She’s especially keen to encourage leaders working in the outdoors to use their interactions with clients in the most beneficial ways possible, using the lessons from Positive Psychology.

Nicky Chisholm will run a Adventure for Mental Health Marketing and Communications workshop on how to get others to believe in your work. To find supporters, customers, ambassadors, influencers, patrons and fans. This workshop will ensure you stand out from the crowd.

The agenda and speakers might change due to unforseen circumstances.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Adventure Mind 2023 has been recognised by MTA, AMI and BAIML as CPD for its members

ADVENTURE MIND BURSARIES

We are excited to be able to offer 10 funded places for Adventure Mind 2023 by working together with the University of Exeter.

Funding of up to £450 is available per person to cover the cost of registration (including meals), accommodation and travel to and from the conference.

Bursaries are designed to support people to attend who otherwise wouldn’t be able to for financial reasons.

Entry is now closed.

What’s included

Price is £175 per person including:

• All presentations, indoor and outdoor workshops, panel discussions and networking sessions

• 1 x two-course networking dinner on Monday evening

• 2 x cooked lunches

• Two servings of tea/coffee/biscuits each day

• 1 x copy of the groundbreaking book Adventure Mind

All tickets are now sold out