156 - Adventure Education means Facilitating Vulnerability with Phil Brown

Mar 15, 2022

Phil Brown, Lead Trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Centre, specializes in adventure education focused on overcoming vulnerability. He discusses how true adventure education goes beyond physical challenges, emphasizing emotional and social exploration. Phil highlights the importance of fostering trust and risk-taking in shared experiences, and how individual growth is enhanced through collective vulnerability. He also touches on the vital role of play in learning and the facilitators' responsibility in creating safe spaces for deeper connections.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Evolving from Sage to Guide: The Art of Advanced Facilitation

01:57 • 3min

Navigating Group Dynamics in Education

04:35 • 5min

Exploring Adventure Education

09:32 • 13min

The Power of Play in Adventure Education

22:51 • 30min

The Intersection of Adventure and Vulnerability

52:31 • 7min

Navigating Emotional Responsibility in Facilitation

59:23 • 6min

Embracing Vulnerability in Facilitation

01:05:03 • 6min

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If you think of adventure education, do you imagine rock climbing, swinging from trees, and kayaking down flowing streams?

For Phil Brown, Lead Trainer at High 5 Adventure Learning Centre, it looks more like overcoming vulnerability and supporting one’s peers.

Adventure education is facilitation in action - literally. The act of exploring and adventuring stretches far beyond the physical experience and challenges us emotionally and socially.

Phil joins me in this episode to share the facilitation lessons he’s learned from a career in adventure education.

Find out about:

Why adventure education is about far more than physical challenges
How to encourage risk-taking when you've worked hard to establish trust and psychological safety
Why collective and individual growth happens when we share novel experiences
How we each need different support structures around us to take risks - and how we can facilitate them
What it means to be vulnerable in a shared space and the things it can teach us

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Questions and Answers

Part one

[01:03] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator?

[02:05] What advanced facilitation skills did you learn that changed your mind?

[05:20] Why Phil struggles with a 'traditional' educator mindset.

[10:06] Can you explain what adventure education is?

[15:05] What happens if the physical challenge is entirely within a person's comfort zone?

[21:15] When does the trust start to build - on the ground or in the air?

[23:38] Can playful contexts teach us serious skills?

[26:35] How do you find the right 'amount' of risk? How do you determine that balance?

Links

Vertical Playpen - High 5’s podcast hosted by Phil

High 5’s website

Connect to Phil:

On LinkedIn

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