Outdoor Adventure: Leading in Service through Wellness and Physical Literacy

Catalog description

This course is designed to be a culmination of the Wellness and Physical Literacy course sequence. Students select this course based on their Wellness and Physical Literacy Plan, striving to gain a richer understanding of lifelong wellness and skill acquisition in the realm of outdoor adventure. Students not only participate and enhance their skill development in a variety of outdoor pursuits, but learn to lead various outdoor activities through multiple service learning experiences the students pick from at the beginning of the semester. These experiences allow the students to build upon their knowledge promoting social, intellectual and environmental dimensions of wellness through adventure-based activities, while simultaneously giving them an opportunity to transfer those skills, in a supportive outdoor learning laboratory, to a variety of populations. As this process organically unfolds students identify and explore college and community resources for continued participation in personally selected wellness practices and physical activities. Throughout the semester students work with the instructor to bring their knowledge and love for lifetime wellness and physical activity to a variety of different groups focusing on active engagement and health promotion of outdoor adventure activities through experiential based learning. As a culminating project for the WLPL sequence at the end of the course students develop an actionable physical literacy and wellness plan for their future, including their remaining time at Springfield College to fulfill the Wellness Passport. By continuing to build relationships, develop skills, and make choices, students prepare to design and select activities for their Wellness Passport.