Many outdoor programs include a little journaling. But what happens when reading, writing and public speaking become a core part of the adventure? Can words make an outdoor experience last, and can adventure make young people more confident writers?
Adventure Risk Challenge runs month-long summer courses for high school students, mostly from rural California, with little outdoor experience and many speaking a language other than English at home. The researchers analyzed the program's records from 2005 to 2020: before-and-after tests and surveys from more than 250 students, end-of-course questionnaires and 19 interviews with former students.
Students spend about four hours a day on lessons, between backpacking trips, climbing and rafting. They write poems and essays, read stories, and perform their writing for the community and their families.
What they found:
- Test scores rose. Students answered more reading and grammar questions correctly by the end. Essay scores rose by about half a point on a four-point scale. The biggest jump, about 9 percentage points, came on college-entrance-style questions.
- Students felt better about themselves. Self-ratings rose for commitment to learning and social skills, and most of all for self-esteem, sense of purpose and hope for the future.
- Students linked confidence to literacy. One went from hating essays to calling writing "one of my best things." Another had never read a whole book before. Several found public speaking far easier.
- Changes carried into school life. Former students described joining clubs, doing homework, taking advanced classes and applying to college. Some used their course essay in college applications.
- Social skills grew. Students described thinking before speaking, apologizing more easily and making better decisions.
What this means for your practice
These ideas come from how the program is designed:
- Give journaling an audience. A rotating "journalist" writes the group journal entry and reads it aloud at the evening meeting.
- Use nature as a writing prompt. Students write a metaphor poem, choosing an animal, plant, landmark or weather to describe themselves.
- Ask students to write about growth. A reflective essay about how they changed can become a college or scholarship essay.
- Link physical and verbal courage. Instructors compare reaching a summit with speaking in public or tackling a hard essay.
- Plan a public sharing. End with a community reading and a family celebration. Coach students and build in peer feedback beforehand.
- Teach specific feedback. Daily "leader of the day" feedback lets students practice clear communication using concrete examples.
- Make time to read. Mix small-group reading of short stories with free-choice novels.
- Keep writing low pressure. Students valued a space where writing wasn't graded or judged.
- Send writing home. One former student still rereads her program folder when stuck on school assignments.
The Bottom Line
The researchers analyzed 15 years of tests, surveys, questionnaires and interviews from more than 250 high school students in Adventure Risk Challenge, which combines backpacking, climbing and rafting with writing, reading and public speaking. By the end of the month, students scored higher on writing, grammar and reading questions. They also rated themselves higher on commitment to learning, social skills and, most of all, feeling good about themselves and their future. In interviews, students tied their growing confidence to writing about their experiences and reading their work aloud. Several said they went from hating writing to seeing it as a strength. For educators, the study suggests that serious reading, writing and speaking can deepen what young people take from outdoor adventure.