Expeditionary learning is a practice and philosophy of being and growing together as a community, through shared adventures in the natural world.
We use sailing and sea kayaking among other adventure activities as learning mediums and metaphors to enhance our practice and understanding of communication, decision making and other life skills “at the helm”, “in the same boat” or “weathering the storm”. We love story telling because it helps not just to share, but also to shape our personal voyages of discovery!
Small boats have a romantic beauty that is accentuated by the hint of trouble they offer us! Seamanship requires a continual renewal and practice of our skills, however sail training is actually less about sailing, than it is about developing our awareness and capability in a wider spectrum of problem solving situations!
We pay close attention to creating a safe and encouraging environment, while challenging ourselves to take personal risks and support each other on the adventure – is a part of what helps to create really powerful conversations and learning opportunities.
Celebrating diversity is important in most contexts, and is absolutely integral to a healthy expedition community – especially within the crew of a sailing boat. We always focus on our personal strengths and how these can contribute to the team.
Perhaps most central to our experiential approach to learning, is that success does not happen without risk taking and failure!
Mistakes can be celebrated, and shared – not avoided. Taking calculated risks is a vital skill – and our ability to learn can be enhanced through a supportive team approach. This is perhaps our most important work! We all have stories to share… and a need to create new ones.
Clearly it is the navigation of life’s hazards (and our inevitable mistakes) that teaches us the most relevant and important lessons – as well as creating what are often the most memorable experiences!
Along with the varied social experience of an expedition community, we practice solo time in nature to allow for deeper reflection. This experience is tailored for the individual experience, intent and capacity for each person on the program.
Growing our awareness of nature and our environment, enables deep connections and understanding that of the important patterns and priorities in life. Reflecting on our actions and experiencing the natural rhythms of the earth – through the cycles of sun and moon, seasons and tides, wind and waves – along with sharing the life of an expedition family, helps us grow with each other, discover more about our strengths and feed our personal energy.
We believe that creating connectedness is life changing. Venturing “outward bound” to new horizons, and “inward bound” to learn more about ourselves and our relationships as part of a “Rites of Passage” (being taken into new learning environments intentionally by our community elders) mentoring that occurs through our Sea School programs – we “walk with” rather than aiming to “teach” each other, since we recognise that we all have a lot to learn from each other!
Blue Peter 