Outdoor Leadership Schools

Outdoor Leadership Schools are programs that focus on developing and educating tomorrow’s leaders through outdoor immersion and adventure programs.

Hiking can be a Great Team Building Activity

The challenges offered by the outdoors make it one of the most successful venues for exploring leadership skills and to learn about challenges.
Outdoor Leadership Schools are usually independent organizations or run through universities. They are perhaps most popularly used by teens and adults who want to develop leadership and outdoor skills, but can also be used by other professional groups, such as businesses to improve team dynamics.

Why go to an Outdoor Leadership School?

People choose an outdoor leadership school for a variety of reasons. Some University majors and minors require credits from an outdoor leadership school before graduating. Others and perhaps the most popular reason for enrolling in an outdoor leadership school, is to gain the wilderness, survival and leadership skills necessary for gaining employment in an outdoor occupation. Mountaineering jobs and adventure guide opportunities are becoming more and more competitive each year. Some require accreditation from a guide school and certifications such as first aid. Outdoor leadership schools are run with the purpose of giving their students the skills they need to be successful in achieving an outdoor occupation. Not only do students learn key aspects of wilderness and outdoor survival and safety, but they also learn leadership skills, which are almost equally as important for outdoor workers who lead tours and expeditions into the wilderness with inexperienced groups.

Having an accreditation from an Outdoor Leadership School gives your wilderness skills more credibility and will help anyone in moving to the next step in their outdoor occupation. Many Outdoor Leadership Schools have relationships with other outdoor programs and some offer leads to potential jobs for students.

The last and most important reason for attending an Outdoor Leadership School is the fun people have exploring their personal limits and learning about a subject they are passionate about.

Types of Outdoor Leadership Schools

There are a variety of schools and a variety of programs that exist in an Outdoor Leadership School. Located throughout the U.S., there are programs for people everywhere, although travel to remote areas is sometimes required. Outdoor Leadership Schools offer training in specific areas and there are usually courses for different activities. This includes ice climbing, hiking, backpacking, horse packing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, trekking, rock climbing and many more.

Because not everyone has large periods of time to take off for a wilderness school, there are usually seminar-style classes with classroom periods and weekends in the outdoors. There are others, conversely, which run intensively for weeks at a time in a wilderness atmosphere.

Links to Outdoor Leadership Schools

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