Education and Adventure: A match made in heaven

Education and Adventure - ChangeX supports DP's effort to in learning through adventure.

Development Perspectives were delighted to receive funding recently from ChangeX through their AWS in Communities Drogheda Fund. The fund was designed for local initiatives in the Drogheda area that wish to expand or kickstart community projects. DP received funding to begin our ‘Adventures in Global Citizenship’ project. The project involves engaging with local educators from youth work and adult and community education backgrounds to upskill on outdoor education methods in order to increase their capacity to use these methods in the future. In early April, five Drogheda-based educators took part in basic kayak skills training with Canoeing Ireland in their training centre on the Liffey. Participants subsequently received accreditation for their efforts.

This is only the first step for this project as DP will seek to continue to engage with local organisations that wish to use outdoor education in the future. We have recently purchased a number of kayaks and accompanying accessories. Our intention is to continue the journey towards building capacity within Drogheda-based educators by collaborating on future projects and offering the use of our kayaks to local groups.

Project Coordinator Paul Crewe remarked: “Thanks to the support from ChangeX, we are embarking on a very exciting journey with many possibilities. Increasing our capacity and that of local Drogheda-based organisations to engage learners using experiential learning is a high priority for us. And it doesn’t get much more experiential than through kayaking. Challenge and adventure offer powerful learning experiences so we are excited to observe the impact of these new methods.” #AWSInCommunities