Humans love stories.

We are hardwired to remember and deeply connect with anything with a captivating narrative.

Remember how you were taught to write stories at school. Set the scene, introduce characters, create a beginning, middle and end, with all the events and details contributing to the main plot, which unravels with twists and turns, triumphs and disappointments, keeping the reader hooked right until the end when all the unanswered questions are finally resolved.

In this seminar, Pete Tupper invites us to explore a missed opportunity – that we don’t use this power of narratives enough in the design of outdoor experiences. Trips are often a simple collection of activity stations: 1 hour each of rock climbing, kayaking, hiking and stand up paddle boarding, with nothing tying it all together. No overriding theme or goal, no beginning, middle and end, and no plot to give each of the activities meaning and context.

In the workshop, we begin by looking at a range of hypothetical trip itineraries from this perspective. Which of the trips has a strong narrative and which are missing this opportunity? Discuss how in each case the narrative element – or lack thereof – may affect the overall memorability, excitement and the likely engagement level of the students throughout.

Seeds of ideas are then given for types of narrative that can be woven into trips with relative ease and to great effect.

An itinerary can relive the chronicles of a true historical character.

It can be the odyssey of a multi-day journey from A to B, with all the planning, execution and highs and lows along the way until the goal is reached.
Students can follow the physical journey of an element of nature such as water in the region, migrating wildlife or the life cycle of an animal.
Teams can be given an overarching challenge that runs throughout the itinerary such that each challenge relates to the next in a seamless and captivating chronology.

Service trips can emphasise the before, after and future.

Even the development of individual students and teams themselves can become the backbone of good stories. All it takes it to get a little creative, identify or design a narrative and ensure that it is clear throughout the trip.

With our story-loving brains now warmed up to viewing outdoor experiences through this lens, it’s time to get creative. In small groups, participants are given the bare bones of hypothetical outdoor programs for a school groups. The age range, location and activities are known, but something is missing. Brainstorm how these skeletons of trips can be developed into story-based odysseys that students will engage with from start to finish and remember for years to come.

Groups then present their creations to share inspiration around the room and spark wider discussion around the topic.