The Perceived Long-Term Influence of Youth Wilderness Expeditions in Participants’ Lives

María José Ramírez, Pete Allison

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Youth expeditions are regarded as beneficial and even “life-changing” experiences for young people, however the evidence on their perceived long-term impact is limited. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived long-term influence of expeditions in participants’ lives 29 and more years after going on a 3–6 week land-based self-sufficient wilderness expedition. Methodology/Approach: This study used a retrospective two-phase sequential research design. The first phase involved a web-based survey followed by individual semi-structured interviews in the second phase. Findings/Conclusions: For the majority of the 144 web-based survey respondents (93.8%), their first BES expedition experience was “enjoyable and meaningful”. Twenty-six interviews were conducted with people who had gone on their first BES expedition 29 to 66 years ago. Interviewed participants perceived seven long-lasting influences of expeditions: (1) ‘Connecting with others’, (2) ‘Fulfilling potential’ such as gaining confidence and resilience, (3) ‘Development of leisure activities and outdoor knowledge/skills’, (4) ‘Knowing thyself’, (5) ‘Sharing the experience’ to others, (6) ‘Impact on academic and professional life’, and (7) ‘Connecting with nature and the world’. Implications: This study provides evidence that the influence of wilderness expedition experiences can be long-lasting and significant on participants’ lives 29 and more years later.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)99-114
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Experiential Education
Volume46
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Education

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