Option 4: Outdoor Recreation

1. Option 4: Outdoor Recreation - What is the Value of outdoor recreation?- What are the technical skills and understanding needed for safe participation in outdoor recreation? - what impact does group dynamics have on the outdoor experience?

2. What is the Value of outdoor recreation? Summary of Content: • Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation: - stress management/relaxation - enjoyment, challenge and excitement - social interaction - appreciation on the environment - health and fitness

3. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Complete the activity on page 96-97 of your exercise booklets.

4. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Stress Management and Relaxation Feelings of anxiety and stress are increasingly common in society today. Some of the reasons for these feelings include: • Urbanisation: communities being over-crowded and polluted e.g. Large cities. • Unemployment: resulting in poverty and family pressures to survive contributing to higher stress levels. • Increased Responsibility: longer hours at work, people commuting greater distances to work lead to less time at home with the family. • Social Changes: the change in traditional family roles, family breakdown increase stress levels. • Disadvantaged Groups: experience discrimination, harassment, drug abuse, poverty and unemployment. Outdoor recreation can be an avenue to alleviate stress and anxiety caused by everyday life. It is seen as an escape from a regular routine and gives a person the opportunity to ‘re-create’ themselves. Outdoor recreation can promote feelings of relaxation or excitement that distracts people from the stress in their lives.

5. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Enjoyment, challenge and excitement Activity (complete in your book) • Reflect on any experiences you may have had in outdoor recreation that filled you with a sense of excitement and challenge. Why did it make you feel this way? • In groups, research and note the feats of one or more of the following outdoor adventurers. Consider the role of challenge and excitement in their motivation to complete their expeditions. • Paul Caffyn – kayaked around the coast of Australia, mainly solo. • Kay Cottee – first woman to sail solo around the globe. • Sir Edmund Hillary – first successful mountaineering expedition to climb Mt Everest. • Brigitte Muir – first Australian woman to climb Mt Everest • Gerrard Gosens – blind adventurer and paralympian, climb Mt Everest and many other feats.

6. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Social Interaction Individuals choose activities according to their needs, personality and lifestyle. Some people enjoy the opportunities for social interaction that outdoor recreation can bring. It can join friends with similar interest together and allow people to make new friends in the process of participating. In contrast, other people prefer to escape crowds and seek out isolated wilderness areas. For these people, solace and isolation can be a valuable spiritual experience.

7. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Appreciation of the Environment The Australian environment offers some of the world’s most spectacular and varied scenery, including alpine, tropical, desert and coastal landscapes. Individuals and communities do not have to venture far from home to enjoy and appreciate some magnificent natural environmental settings. Participation in outdoor recreation can be an avenue that allows individuals to immerse themselves in the natural world.

9. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Activity: Complete in your exercise book • List recreational activities that can be enjoyed in your local region. • Which activities appeal to you? Why? • What outcomes could result from participation in these activities? E.g. An increased respect for rainforests..... • In which activities could a person in a wheelchair or an elderly person participate?

10. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Health and Fitness Many outdoor recreation pursuits involve physical activity and can contribute to the development and maintenance of fitness. The components of fitness developed vary depending on the activity chosen. E.g. Cross country skiing is an excellent aerobic activity. In contrast rock climbing and canoeing develop muscular endurance. Fitness requirements for many outdoor recreational activities are quiet specific. Whilst regular involvement in sport and fitness activities is beneficial for general conditioning, it may not be adequate to prepare for specialised activities such as a hard bushwalk carrying a heavy backpack over several days.

11. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Activity: Draw the table below in your exercise books, discuss and fill in the relevant information.

12. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Activity: Page 100 of your Work Booklets Research the Duke of Edinburgh Award Program. Complete the table that outlines the requirements of each award and answer the questions that follow. http://www.dukeofed.com.au/

13. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Questions: • What is the aim of the program? • Identify some of the unique aspects of the award. • What is the criterion for gaining an award? • Outline what the award requires students to do. • What are the requirements for entry into the program? • List reasons why students may be interested in participating. • What costs are involved? • How long to awards take to complete?

14. Reasons for Participation in Outdoor Recreation Research three types of outdoor recreational activities. Complete the table on page 102 of your Work Booklet using information from your research: