Chris Colley 0:07

Welcome back everyone to another episode of Shifted Podcast. This episode is kind of a different approach. I attended this really great conference over the um week of September 23rd. We went to Mount Saint-El Nature Reserve to have a workshop around outdoor learning. The workshop was entitled Let's Lead Outdoor Learning Leadership Summit 2026. And this is really well organized, a very small, intimate workshop. There was about 30 or 40 educators there. And our point was to kind of explore benefits, best practices, um, also obviously build our network with one another, and also to develop some leadership strategies to get more of a school leaning towards outdoor learning as a viable way for kids to learn. So what I did is I recorded people throughout the two days that we had together and kind of got their hot takes on what brought them there, what they hoped to bring back. Um, it was super valuable conversation. We had some great workshops. So some of these touch on the workshops that were there that were offered to us. Um, but they also explored just where we're at as a community here in Quebec around outdoor learning. Our first speaker is Stephen Carroll, who is the organizer, one of the organizers. You'll hear Coswell, who was also an organizer towards the end of the podcast. And they kind of set the scene, and then I talk with tons of educators, consultants about outdoor learning. Um, and we end with Coralie, who is a consultant from New Frontiers, who's attended the last two years, and she has some really interesting closing thoughts on um kind of looking back over both and then also how it's inspired her to bring outdoor learning back to New Frontiers for her teachers. I hope you enjoy this kind of a review. If you were unable to attend, this will give you a great um idea of the thoughts and the exchanges that took place. I hope you enjoy it. All right. Yes. Are we a go handler? Yes. Nice. Perfect. So, Steven, here we are, the eve of let's lead part two. Or year two, I should be. Year two, yeah. Conference, we've just arrived here. It's Wednesday afternoon. We're sitting out beautiful lake. The leaves are just starting to cover, not a darn cloud in the sky. Nope. How are you feeling at this point in time?

SPEAKER_06 2:46

Last year being the first one, uh, obviously it's it's an outdoor learning conference, so there's not much stress, but you're you're organizing a conference, so there was some level of stress. This year, my lord, I don't know. It just it comes together. People uh want to be here. If you are coming to this type of conference, it's because you're you're a lover of nature, you you want to find ways for students to connect with nature and just remove stress. So I think it just coincides with me not feeling that stress.

Chris Colley 3:24

Yeah, I feel it. I have no stress either. Thank you for that.

SPEAKER_06 3:27

Oh, my pleasure.

Chris Colley 3:28

And what are you what do we anticipate here over this next, you know, I guess two days? Yeah, like two half days and a full day.

SPEAKER_06 3:36

Like what are you most anticipating about it? Well, last year being the first one, it was pretty much I I've always been a proponent of just do it and then and then fix it with time instead of just like trying to plan everything and make it perfect the first year. So I last year was really let's just bring people together. And we used last year's cohort to get their feedback in order to plan this year better. So this year, it's not just a come together and what do you want? It's a come together. We're offering a few practical sessions, we're offering a few discussionslash theory slash data driven sessions. Uh, having learn here is fantastic. I mean, just before this, uh you're you're it's like your Santa Claus bringing a whole bunch of gifts to this, so thank you for that. And I think it's just bringing like-minded people who want to bring outdoor learning to the next level together and creating that network. And then in five years from now, we'll have done 200 people that are that have leadership positions that will want to push it more. And then after that, and so on. So it's uh it's all about moving outdoor learning further.

Chris Colley 4:51

Absolutely. Yeah, well, I look forward to it, and uh we will speak again before the end of this, and we'll get a recap uh of your impressions after we've gone through this process.

SPEAKER_06 5:02

I I already have uh a very positive mindset, so let's hope that I uh that I even surpass that threshold there.

Chris Colley 5:10

Already done, Steven. Perfect. Thanks. Thank you. Uh here with Jonathan from Central Quebec. Um and the question of the day, Jonathan, is what brought you here to Let's Lead?

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Well, I've always had an interest in outdoor education. I've always tried to uh take students out into nature in all kinds of different ways. And I guess it's fallen to the wayside a little bit on my individual efforts once I moved into administration. But now that I'm in a inner principal in that I see myself facilitating or trying to facilitate other people in the role that I had in the past. And um I guess I'm looking for ways in which to be more effective in that new role because it's easy to do things yourself. It's easy to be the one um making things move and happen.

Chris Colley 6:14

But on your shoulders it makes it much.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

It it falls to the wayside if you're not there. And so it's how do you how do you how do you enable other people to do the things that you'd want to do? And then how how do you how do you also make sure that even though it's someone else doing it, that maybe some of the values that you're looking for from the work that's being done still carry through? And I and I think there's uh anyway, I'm carrying quite a carrying quite a few few questions and I've I guess I've I guess I've been involved in one or two other little movements, and they carry on in the background of my head when I was in in the UK we used to do Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which are known as international awards, um, in the rest of the world, and that's all about getting giving young people the challenge of being outside and being able to camp and navigate and um and to enjoy enjoy wild spots. John Muir foundation as well, of that locality and looking after wild spaces wherever you might be. And I think I I feel it probably more as well, because I'm an immigrant as well, and I'm from England originally, that I get there there are these international movements, there are lots of things pulled together. And I guess that hits me more and more, having had a family here in in Canada, in Quebec, to say what does that mean? What are that some of those values that like I feel are now central to my identity as a new Canadian for them as Canadians as well? How do I give some kind of value and structure to a program that I want to introduce into the school? And so I'm really, really happy that we're given this opportunity to be able to meet with like-minded people and people that have kind of been thinking about these questions for a while now.

SPEAKER_09 8:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

And just just lovely, just just lovely yesterday evening being at the 5 10 and speaking with people. So it's I already feel like just from half a day, I could go home feeling complete, yeah, but I still got another day and a half to get.

Chris Colley 8:41

Well, I thank you for that. And it is like it's much easier when we do have other people that we know that we're not the only ones out there. There are tons of people, big communities that are ready for this movement into outdoor learning.

SPEAKER_09 8:54

So thanks so much, Jonathan. Oh, you're welcome.

Chris Colley 8:59

The morning has begun here at Let's Lead, and I'm sitting with Isabel from uh Adult Dead at from Riverside.

SPEAKER_09 9:07

And I'm gonna ask her this question of what brought you here to Let's Lead.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Something to bring back. Um because we're used to trainings where we talk about academics, where we talk about um different theoretical issues, whatever what we're studying and all of that. But I I was looking for something that was more along the lines of the the context in which the learning happens. How can I create an environment where it facilitates everything? So I I find it's like I I love outdooring. I'm yeah, I grew up in Valdor in Aditsubite Miskemang beside a lake and we were in the forest all the time. So I know the power that it has and how beneficial it is. So I'm looking for a way to bring that to the like bring the classroom to that context.

SPEAKER_09 10:17

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

So um and it can be something simple as taking a walk and how do you stop and how do you appreciate nature and how can just being aware of what it can bring and it facilitates everything. So I think that's what I came here for. Ideas. And how they do that.

Chris Colley 10:36

Well, thanks, Isabel. That's great. Here we are again, guys. The let's lead. I have Bridgie here um from Alistair B. Um and Bridget, what brought you here? Why a let's lead?

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Um, I've been interested in outdoor learning and its application in different school environments. When I was principal of an elementary school, we were successful in bringing some aspects of it there. Now, being vice principal in a high school setting, I wanted to see what possibilities were out there for the older kids, in particular, how maybe I've always been quick we could creatively support the mental health of our students in grade 10 and grade 11. Yeah. They have a lot of academic demands on them at that time, a lot of life changes coming up, and it can be very overwhelming. And it just seemed like including or inserting an outdoor learning element to their day might help them have a better schoolwork life balance.

SPEAKER_09 11:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

And so being at the beginning stages of this idea, I thought what a great collective of people and brains and experience to grab little tidbits and see how I can bring it to my new school environment.

Chris Colley 11:44

Amazing. And is there one idea that you're leaving with to bring back with? Have you have you thought about that yet?

SPEAKER_01 11:52

I mean, uh the sessions this morning were, really quite interesting because they did focus on how the leader can contribute. Um, I guess it's bringing forward some important questions in that learning process. And there are things I need to learn about the school that I've just joined, staff that's there, um, their vision statement, their culture, in order to really make sure that if I propose something, it's something that will align with things that they're already doing, anchored in their best practices that already exist.

SPEAKER_09 12:27

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

So that when I am assigned to a new school, as it does happen with vice principals, um, it can outlast my presence in the school and continue on.

SPEAKER_09 12:37

Amazing. Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_09 12:43

I have Kelly from Sir No, not Sir Wilfrid Lori.

Chris Colley 12:47

I have Kelly here from Sir Wilfrid Lori here at the Let's Lead. And my poignant question for her is what broader to Let's Lead I think.

SPEAKER_04 12:59

I've been to so many different workshops, always outside of Quebec. So coming to an outdoor conference that's in Quebec and meeting different uh educators and leaders from across this province is really interesting in hearing what everybody's doing. And it seems that we're all sort of I don't I don't want to say stuck, but we're all we sort of have similar challenges. And uh it's nice to be here together to try and work them out and see if we can find some solutions and getting our students outside because we know it it's wonderful for them and for us too as indicators.

SPEAKER_07 13:42

Solution focused.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Solution focused is good.

Chris Colley 13:52

And uh Chantel, what uh what brings it and let's leave it.

SPEAKER_05 13:56

Well, basically, my colleague and I, um Adam, have put together an an actual uh outdoor education uh class. Like the kids get four credits for it, so it counts for school. And we're both huge outdoor enthusiasts, but we're always looking for more, particularly in terms of networking. Um, of course, tips on how to improve our practice, new things to learn, new things to do. But more importantly, our kids, we teach the most vulnerable kids in the province, and we need resources sometimes and we don't know necessarily where to find them. And here, just on a on a hike on an off time, I was able to get some super important resources that I'm gonna bring back to my principal, and that now I know we're gonna be able to get that stuff that we need, how to do it. You know, from from somebody that I never would have encountered or spoken to before. So it's that combination of getting all these people from different backgrounds with different experiences, but that same passion for the outdoors and learning outdoors, that's what brought me here and so far while loving it.

Chris Colley 14:58

It's happening.

SPEAKER_05 14:59

Yeah, it's happening. I don't think so.

Chris Colley 15:02

Uh here with Roswell, one of the organizers of West Lead from West Island School Board. And Paso, being one of the organizers, what what what's the intent of what sees? Why did um you and Steve and Marco decide that this had to happen to back uh pretty free is away. Bringing outdoors schools, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 15:33

Yeah and uh we would be hoping that felt this would become contagious, but it it wasn't contagious. So we relied that we needed to give more training in their what feature reasonably to me and thought if you want to spread the good news, we need to inform and then make our colleagues administrators aware of the importance of learning outdoors. So we uh a couple of years back we brought some teachers along to the conference Alexica had in the Take Me Outside conference again. And uh we got together with three schools of the three administrators, Mario, Stephen, and I. And it was very much revealing as for the teachers marked there. And then we got CMT20 minutes and spread the message, and now uh our goal is to spread out this message across our school boards, which we are uh since last year, where we had our first uh ever that's the conference, and it's a good turn of this year with uh more presenters. And I start showing different angles of uh nature of what was running on next.

Chris Colley 16:46

And i is it in the plans for a third edition of course.

SPEAKER_07 16:52

So every year we take notes, we debrief about the uh the event and ask the comments from the participants. You know, this would be thingy every year. My pleasure.

Chris Colley 17:04

All right. I'm here with Coralie from New Frontier School Board, and we attended Let's Lead, and this is kind of a reflection of, but Coralie, what were your your intentions to go to Let's Lead the conference that we attended, the outdoor learning conference last week?

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, so I was really lucky to be able to attend last year, which was the first year. And I I think going back this year, I was looking forward to first of all having the opportunity to reflect on everything I did last year. Um, I think we're we get so busy in our everyday tasks and our everyday projects that we we rarely sit down and actually look at what we what we've accomplished or what went well and what we can keep working on. So I was looking forward to coming back with people of the that have the same ideas or similar ideas and that are working towards the same goal, right? And to kind of look at how we can keep moving forward. And I know last year what stuck out to me most was the networking. And I I think that's what I was looking forward to the most again this year, and seeing which new people, right? New people bring new ideas and new insight. So I was really looking forward to that. I was looking forward to connecting with the people that were there last year as well, and just seeing how we're moving forward and how we can keep fine-tuning what we're doing.

Chris Colley 18:35

Absolutely. One of the attendants said to me that this is a place where you feel like you belong fine, you know, like you're not the only one trying to push it forward in in your school or your community that there is this whole other group of people that have are like-minded to you. So I found that resonates with what you just said. And I guess yeah. Another question, Corley, kind of like just the sum up of so you had some intent going in, and like what did you leave with the Let's Lead conference? What were the the things that you're bringing back to your community?

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Uh, I left with lots of email addresses, and I I know that sounds silly, but it's hard to connect, especially with um something that's so niche still and so small, it's hard to know who's doing what in the province, right? Especially in different school boards. So I left with new connections and new schools I want to go visit and new people to collaborate with as well. First of all, and I think what I really appreciate, and it might sound silly, is the opportunity to talk about funding. And I know Learn does a really good job about sharing how we can get funding. Um, but like I said earlier, new people bring new ideas. And um, I think that's what's really nice about this too, is there's always it feels motivating. I I never like most conferences, you leave with a bunch of ideas, but it feels like it's doable and it feels like there are opportunities out there, there's money out there, and um there are there's there's inspiration. Awesome.

Chris Colley 20:19

Well, thanks for sharing.