Training

Risk Management for Outdoor Programs
Online Training Course for Outdoor Professionals
October 24 - November 14, 2020

Dates
October 24 - November 14, 2020

Four live online sessions:
    Saturday October 24, 11 am - 12 noon ET
    Saturday October 31, 11 am - 12 noon ET
    Saturday November 7, 11 am - 12 noon ET
    Saturday November 14, 11 am - 12 noon ET
Independent individual and group work occur between live sessions.

​Outcomes

• Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
• Learn procedures, systems and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
• Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips

Valuable for
Program Coordinators/Managers, Risk Management officers, Risk Management/Safety Committee members, members of Boards of Directors, executive leadership. Leaders of outdoor, wilderness, travel, experiential and adventure programs.

​Course Format
The course is composed of four live video-conference sessions and three independent work periods:

1. Live sessions. Four live, video-conference sessions, one hour long, occurring 11 am – noon Eastern Time on consecutive Saturdays.  This include structured real-time small-group and large-group discussions and participant project presentations. These take place starting Saturday October 24, ending November 14, 2020:
    Saturday October 24, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Daylight Saving Time (UTC-4)
    Saturday October 31, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Daylight Saving Time (UTC-4)
    Saturday November 7, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)
    Saturday November 14, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)

2. Independent work. Between live video-conferences, three independent work periods for individual and remote small-group activity. This work includes:

• Review of pre-recorded slide presentations with presenter video
• Completion of readings
• Participation in online discussion forums
• Participation in interactive video-based decision-making activities
• Completion of writing assignments (including writing risk management plan and strategic improvement plan content)
• Peer review of select classmate writing content
• Completion of organizational self-assessment
• Completion of online worksheets
• Participation in online risk decision-making role-playing scenario
• Structured analysis of case-study examples
• Completion of quizzes and final exam

These occur the weeks of October 25-31, November 1-7, and November 8-14, 2020.
Independent work is anticipated to take a minimum of 7-12 hours per week.

​Trainer/Facilitator
Jeff Baierlein, Director, Viristar Risk Management; past Executive Director at Outward Bound USA. 

​Language
English

​Cost
USD $259. Course fee includes four live sessions, materials for independent work sessions, an electronic copy of the course textbook Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure, and certification.

​Syllabus

Live Session 1
Welcome, Orientation, Introductory Concepts in Risk Management

Independent Work 1
General Concepts in Risk Management

• Approaches to Risk Management
• Standards
• Laws

Risk Domains

• Organizational Culture
• Activities and Program Areas
• Staff
• Equipment
• Participants
• Subcontractors
• Transportation
• Business Administration       

Live Session 2
Facilitated Discussion
Participant Presentations: Self-Evaluation of Risk Management in Risk Management Domains

Independent Work 2
Risk Management Instruments

• Risk Transfer
• Incident Management
• Incident Reporting
• Incident Reviews
• Risk Management Committee
• Medical Screening
• Risk Management Reviews
• Media Relations
• Documentation
• Accreditation
• Systems Thinking

Special Topic: COVID-19 Management
​
Live Session 3
Facilitated Discussion
Participant Presentations: Self-Evaluation of Risk Management with Risk Management Instruments

Independent Work 3
Synthesis & Application
Risk Management Plan Development
Strategic Improvement Plan for Your Organization
Final Exam

Live Session 4
Facilitated Discussion
Participant Presentation: Strategic Improvement Plan for Your Organization
Conclusion & Certificates

Textbook
The course textbook is Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure (viristar.com/book). This 208-page text is provided to each student in electronic format.

​Certification
Participants take short quizzes throughout the course and a final written exam. Individuals who fully participate in learning activities and successfully complete the final exam receive a certificate from Viristar valid for three years.

Previous Participants Say:

• “Viristar delivered a high quality training and I would recommend it to any outdoor program.”  Si Dilks, ChinaClimb
• “Extremely useful, important and informative course…very enjoyable and worthwhile.” Kelvin Fawcett, Nord Anglia International School
• “Great insight into risk management—took a lot away to implement back at my workplace. Very well run.  Great course!” Liam Warren, Harrow International School

​Registration
Enroll at https://aore.org/pre-conference_workshops.php. The course is being offered as a “pre-conference” workshop at the annual conference of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, although anyone may enroll (and need not attend any other conference-related activities). Follow directions under “How to Register for Pre/Post Conference Workshops” to register for the AORE annual conference and select this training event from the menu.