DPA Communications Officer, Helen Bruce, joined DNPA Engagement Ranger, Kats Koster-Shadbolt, to share guidance on the 3Ps at the Dartmoor Educators Forum. The event took place at the Dartmoor Training Centre, Prince Hall, bringing together representatives from Shallowford Farm, the Dartmoor Outdoor Festival, the Dartmoor Headwaters Project and Moorland Guides. It was well attended, with talks in the morning and mid afternoon, followed by hands on activities at the River Dart later in the afternoon.
The forum was opened by Richard Drysdale of the DNPA, who spoke about ‘Inspiring young people to love and care for Dartmoor’, which included sharing aims from the National Park Partnership Plan. Key aims include the ambitious goals of giving all school children from primary schools within a 45 minute journey from the edges of the national park the opportunity to visit Dartmoor by the time they reach age 11. By 14, the aim is that all children in the catchment will have had an overnight or residential experience on Dartmoor. By 18, the ambition is that all young people will have been able to make a real impact on the land by taking part in a conservation volunteering activity on the moor.
After this, outdoor learning expert Michelle Roberts-Arena gave a talk about ‘Developing experiential learning through the outdoors with a focus on Rivers’. She asked, ‘How do we develop geographical skills through field work with primary age children?’ and ‘How can we use the outdoors to improve children’s knowledge and understanding about rivers?’ This was followed by a presentation from Emily Tyack, Engagement Officer for the Dartmoor Headwaters Project, who shared interactive techniques which she has used to teach children about different parts of rivers and the processes at work in the water table.
Brendan Stone, Outdoor Education Adviser, then presented on the topic, ‘Working with Rivers’ which included a deep dive into risk assessing and what was meant by a ‘competent person’ when it came to health and safety legislation. It was interesting to hear his perspective on approaching an ‘assessment of risk’ as a verb, and as a dynamic activity which is happening continuously during any outdoor activity, responding to changes in the weather and behavior within a group. He championed the value of being near and around water, enabling young people to experience risk in a controlled manner, thus allowing them to learn and grow from the experience.
Kats and Helen presented their resources around the 3Ps, aiming to empower young people, and anyone new to extended periods spend in the outdoors. They were delighted to hear that many people in the room had already heard of the guidance and seen the resources online, with the Dartmoor Outdoor Festival having adopted the guidance for their outdoor activities. There was a insightful discussion around best practice, with the ‘bag it and bin it’ method for dealing with solid human waste being the most environmentally friendly option. It was positive to bring the topic of Leave No Trace outdoor toileting up for open and non-judgmental discussion, allowing outdoor leaders and activity providers to ask questions and share their own experiences with groups.
Useful videos from Kats, sharing how she prepares for wild pees, poos and periods, can be found on our YouTube channel and printable and shareable resources can be found HERE.