Karen Warren

Preparing the Next Generation: Social Justice in Outdoor Leadership Education and Training

This article calls for attention to social justice issues in the education and training of future outdoor leaders. A look at the literature on race, gender, and class sensitive outdoor leadership and a critique of traditional avenues of outdoor leader preparation is offered. Recommendations for training race, gender, and class sensitive outdoor leaders are given.

Factors that Influence Women's Technical Skill Development in Outdoor Adventure.

Abstract This article provides a theoretical foundation for understanding womens technical skill development (TSD) in outdoor adventure. An examination of societal and biological factors influencing womens TSD focuses on gender role socialization, sense of competence, technical conditioning, sexism, spatial ability, and risk-taking. The article suggests leadership and instructional strategies for facilitating technical skill competency for women in outdoor education.

Social Justice in Outdoor Experiential Education: A State of Knowledge Review

Outdoor experiential education has often been critiqued for its White, male, middle/upper-class, able-bodied history, thereby causing professionals and programs to consider issues of social justice. This state of knowledge paper will review the literature on social and environmental justice, identify gaps in current social justice literature and practice, and offer recommendations for creating a new history.

A Path Worth Taking: The Development of Social Justice in Outdoor Experiential Education

This article examines the influences promoting social justice in the field of outdoor experiential education. The philosophical foundations of outdoor adventure including the work of John Dewey and Kurt Hahn are considered in light of social justice education. The historical evolution of social justice activism within the professional community is analyzed. Other influential trends including the development of outdoor programs sensitive to social justice concerns, the cross fertilization from other related fields, and the demographic and economic imperatives to transform the field are described. The methodological fit between outdoor experiential education and social justice education is the final influence presented. The article concludes that potentials for social justice education within the outdoor experiential education field create an imperative for inclusion.

Challenges Faced by Women Outdoor Leaders

Working as an outdoor leader in a profession with a male-dominated history and practice presents unique challenges for women. Women leaders continue to face inequitable work environments, sexual harassment, questioning of their technical outdoor skills and competency, and gender-role stereotyping. In addition, lesbian and gender-nonconforming leaders encounter challenges rooted in heterosexism and transphobia in the outdoor leadership field. This chapter examines some of those challenges using both anecdotal stories and research to uncover lessons for making the outdoor leadership field more accessible and equitable to women outdoor leaders.