Since not everyone of you can be reached via the electronic net, the board has decided in its last meeting to supplement its already existing electronic information by publishing a newsletter. We want to inform you not only about the activities of the board, but also about trends, events and publications in the field of adventure, the outdoors and experiential learning.

The European Institute, which was founded during the Spital Conference, Austria in 1996 under the organisational management of Günter Amesberger, has now nearly 200 members. A cursory glance on the member`s list shows, that most of the members come from west-, north- or middle-european countries. One of the tasks of the Institute is to make contact with colleagues and organizations from the eastern and southern countries, who work with the concept of experiential learning in the outdoors. We hope that the information of the newsletter can contribute to possible cooperation and dialogue.

Spital has also shown that projects between different partners are an excellent way to learn from each other. Projects establish a good condition to communicate intensively about different ideas, theoretical concepts and practical work. The newsletter will be a forum for (organisational) members, who are looking out for joint European projects and so can get into contact. If you wish a join a project, let us know. You can present your ideas and your organization, within the newsletter.

The Edinburgh Conference in 1998, which was organised by Barbara Humberstone and Peter Higgins in cooperation with the NAOE, carried on the ideas of the European Institute. When we analyzed the comments of the participants, we found that most people appreciated the idea, but they suggested that it was not known enough. In future we can be more active in propagating the ideas of the Institute because we have been lucky to gain two people who will provide continuous assistance to the Institute. We have established the role of a secretary for at least one year. Additionally, there will be another person, who will spend parts of his work-time for the development of institutional structures.

Dear reader, if you want to make some suggestions how to improve lay-out and contents of the newsletter, please don`t hesitate to tell us.

The board

One of them is Carla Sack. She started working for the European Institute in May. The Marburg social welfare office agreed to finance this job for one year, 25 hours/week.

Carla studied social pedagogics at Marburg University and finished with her Diploma in July 1999. Her focal points at university were all kinds of adolescence problems as well as different intercultural contextes. That is why she works since 1995 for IJGD – Internationale Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste (international youth community services) – in an honorary capacity. IJGD organizes all kinds of international exchanges: workcamps, voluntary social or ecological year (e.g. EVS), special projects for immigrants .... She was a teamer of 2 workcamps, one in south germany, one in Nowgorod, Russia and she also lead several seminars to train new teamers.

Her tasks for the Institute are:

• Correspondence of the Institute
• Communication and contact with members, inform them about events, lectures of members and all new relevant developments
• International research for organizations in the field of Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiental Learning
• Build up a network structure of member organizations, arrange contacts between members to realize transnational projects
• Distribution of publications

If you want to contact her:

Tel.: 0049-(0)6421-6853314

e-mail: sack@bsj-marburg.de

The other part-time staff working for the EIOAEEL is Dorin Festeu. He works in the UK for Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. Together with Carla from Marburg, Dorin`s aim is to collect, process and disseminate the increasing amount of information circulating within the organisation. He is also engaged in updating the web-site and assisting Adam to transform it into an effective instrument of communicating and learning among EIOAEEL members. One of his main tasks is to assist the Institute in bringing new partners from Eastern and Southern Europe to join.

A few reference points regarding his previous activities: In the eighties he worked with teenagers in peak performance athletics, outdoors activities and physical education. In the nineties he worked at the University of "Transilvania" from Brasov (Romania) running the Research Methods and Statistics in Physical Education course and the module of Outdoor Activities. In 1998 he obtained the degree of PhD at Brunel University, in the UK. He’s specialised in personal and social development of youngsters through physical activities.

Contact details:

Dorin Festeu

Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College

Faculty of Leisure and Tourism

Kingshill Rd., High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK.

HP1 5BB

e-mail dfeste01@bcuc.ac.uk

0044 (0)1494 522141 ext 4035

We would like to give all members a short overview about the congresses and the publications, developed in the context of the work of the European Institute.

From 12th to 16th September the third European Congress for Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiential Learning took place in Edinburgh. Its title was 'Celebrating Diversity - Learning by Sharing Cultural Differences'. Indeed about 150 participants from many European countries and cultures joined the event. Even from Chile one outdoor educator found his way to Edinburgh. The congress was arranged in Edinburgh, UK because of the support and collaboration of the Association for Outdoor Learning (formally the National Association for Outdoor Education). We would like to thank Shirley Payne , chair, for the organisational knowledge and confidence AfOL made available, without which the Congress would not have been possible.

The second European Congress, held in Spital, Austria, 2nd-5th October 1996 was a 'working congress' where participants, in small groups, developed European projects, which utilised adventure and experiential learning as 'vehicles' for integration. In contrast to Spital, the meeting in Edinburgh discussed multi-and intercultural problems and issues in society within a theoretical context (Some of these issues and contexts are provided in the conference proceedings, 'Celebrating Diversity - Learning by Sharing Cultural Differences', edited by Higgins and Humberstone 1998). 'Sharing Cultural Differences' leads into the centre of those societal processes and it certainly supplied actual and future discourses about European integration and identity, with much food for thought.

Clearly, where cultural differences determine the situation, there cannot be a homogeneous picture. Although we may use the same concepts, which can be translated easily into different languages, our specific culturally coined experiences are backgrounds that lead to different interpretations.

When for example, people from Greece, France, Finland and Germany hear the word 'forest' they all have different connotations. The international career of the German word 'Waldsterben' is obviously an indicator for the fact that cultural traditions are forming the connotations of the concepts. What is valid for the word 'forest', also is true for the whole outdoor vocabulary, eg: nature, adventure, wilderness, water, holism, mountain, authenticity and so forth.

Before a common horizon can be seen, which may include all cultural horizons of outdoor adventure and experiential learning, it is necessary to begin with identifying the specificity of the different cultural approaches. To begin this attempt, the European Institute asked representatives of different countries to tell the participants at the Edinburgh meeting about their national approaches to outdoor education. These contributions were gathered together in the publication, 'Outdoors, Adventure and Experiential Learning. A Wreath of European Concepts'. The Board of the Institute hopes that this publication will give an impulse to intensify an intercultural discourse about our subject. We would welcome the continuation of this discourse in Linkoping, Sweden, where in September 2000, the fourth European meeting will take place under the title, 'Other ways of Learning-Outdoor Adventure Education in School and Youth Work'.

A number of members and board members contributed to the successful national conference held in Cottbus Germany 12th -16th September 1999,' Adventure - a venue for youth? Differentiation and integration-Possibilities of Erlebnispädagogik'. The publication from this conference is published in German.

Any of these publications can be obtained from BSJ in Germany, e-mail:

kontakt@bsj-marburg.de

Or if in the UK, the two English publications and also 'Outdoor Education and Experiential Learning in the UK' edited by Higgins and Humberstone (1999) can be obtained from

afol@adventure-ed.co.uk

The Board for European Institute for Outdoor Adventure and Experiential Learning

(http://www.eoe-network.org/)

In cooperation with the Center of Outdoor and Environmental Education of the Linköping University and the KUNSKAPSCENTRUM of Kinda the European Institute organizes its 4^th Eurocongress from 9^th to 13^th September 2000 in Rimforsa/Sweden. The title of the congress reads as follows: „Outdoor adventure education and experiential learning in school and youth work." The main conceptional idea of the conference is, that cooperation between youth work and school will improve the strategies in dealing with central social problems like drug abuse, unemployment, violence and patriarchal oppression. Is outdoor adventure education and experiential learning qualified to give an important contribution for prevention or intervention? This is one of the most important questions of the conference and a challenge for our profession, too. Beside these topics the focal point of the congress is a presentation and discussion of the Swedish way of outdoor education, especially the concept of „Reading the landscape". Indeed the congress has different themes at work and again there will be an opportunity to share different experiences and to celebrate cultural diversity. Our swedish partners have planned a lot of fringe events and so it will really be an exciting meeting. Let`s hope, that many teachers, youth workers and social workers will find the way to Rimforsa. You can get more informations about the congress from Ture Göransson (turegoransson@hotmail.com) or the congress office destination Norrköping (Tel.: 11 15 50 20; Fax 11 15 50 75).

Again the board of the European Institute seizes the opportunity of the european conference to realize the annual general meeting of the Institute. All members are invited to take part in the meeting just following the end of the congress at 11.00 pm. Topics include: the report of the board about the work which was done the last two years and especially the ideas and projects of the board and of all members to develop and establish the institute. Another topic will be the election of the board members. It is also planned to co-opt interested and active members onto the board. More details about the assembly room will be given in Rimforsa.

Since the inauguration of the European Institute in October 1996 about 200 individuals or organisations applied for membership and agreed to the statement of intent. The great amount of interested members shows, that the idea of an european alliance was an important step to satisfy the need for an exchange.

So far the Institute has organised three European congresses with different partners in Austria, Finland and UK. It now looks forward to the next Congress in September in Sweden. Details of this and other develops can be found on the institute internet website (www.eoe-network.org), which is currently undergoing improvements.

To develop the Institute further, so that we better meet the needs of individuals and organisations, we have devised the enclosed or attached questionnaire. We would like to ask you to fill in the questionnaire and send it back until July, 15^th (by post or e-mail to Marburg: Biegenstr. 40, D-35037 Marburg, kontakt@bsj-marburg.de). The aim of this questionnaire is:

1. to obtain first hand information regarding your activities and interests
2. to find out more about your views and opinions of the activities and information facilitated or organised through the Institute.

The results will be summerized and published in the next newsletter and in speaker`s corner.

Thank you!