Virginia Adventure Education Conference

Virginia Adventure Education Conference An excellent, accessible, and inexpensive networking and professional development day.

The purpose of this gathering is to provide a one-day professional development experience for students and professionals involved in adventure-based education and recreation. Our goal is to bring together outdoor professionals throughout Virginia for networking, learning, and becoming more aware of like-minded colleagues in our state. We seek university students involved in outdoor recreation to p

articipate and network. Camps, outdoor programs, outdoor schools, adventure-based guiding services, public outdoor recreation service providers, outdoor gear companies, businesses, and other organizations involved in outdoor pursuits are encouraged to attend as vendors and sponsors to share resources and recruit staff.

Thank you for being a Silver Sponsor for this year's conference!
02/26/2026

Thank you for being a Silver Sponsor for this year's conference!

Thank you to for being a Gold Sponsor and providing the grand prize for our vendor bingo!
02/26/2026

Thank you to for being a Gold Sponsor and providing the grand prize for our vendor bingo!

Registration closed tonight! Have you checked out the conference schedule yet? https://www.vaaec.org/
02/19/2026

Registration closed tonight!
Have you checked out the conference schedule yet?
https://www.vaaec.org/

Do you ever wonder how best to help you participants when behaviors escalate? Join Kevin and Ryan during their workshop ...
01/30/2026

Do you ever wonder how best to help you participants when behaviors escalate? Join Kevin and Ryan during their workshop "Pushed to the Limit; How to Support Your Participants During Behavioral Escalations" to learn the framework to better understand, identify, and respond to challenging / escalated participant behaviors while on course.
https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html

Workshop Highlight: "Regenerative Recreation: How recreation can build both soil & souls in a regenerative fashion that ...
01/29/2026

Workshop Highlight: "Regenerative Recreation: How recreation can build both soil & souls in a regenerative fashion that restores and improves both human and environmental health. "
During this workshop we will dive into some of the latest research and findings on conservation, agriculture, and recreation and how they relate to one another. You will learn how to advocate the importance of conservation, regenerative recreation, and principles/practices associated with them. And we will explore different and unique that individuals and/or organizations can implement regenerative practices in their various contexts.

Dr. Jeff Marion recently retired from a 39-year career with the National Park Service and is ready to help you hone your...
01/28/2026

Dr. Jeff Marion recently retired from a 39-year career with the National Park Service and is ready to help you hone your camping and Leave No Trace skills! Join Jeff during his workshop "Advanced Camping and LNT Skills"

Make sure to register at https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html
Students registration is only $25!

Rock climbing is for everyone! Join George during his workshop "Adaptive and Inclusive Rock Climbing" This is a hands on...
01/27/2026

Rock climbing is for everyone! Join George during his workshop "Adaptive and Inclusive Rock Climbing" This is a hands on introduction to adaptive rock climbing as an example of adaptive recreation. Come experience what goes into making rock climbing accessible to people with disabilities and try out some of the systems for yourself!
https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html

Have you ever wanted to build your own boat? Join Joseph during his workshop "Skin On Frame Boatbuilding" to learn how t...
01/27/2026

Have you ever wanted to build your own boat? Join Joseph during his workshop "Skin On Frame Boatbuilding" to learn how to do just that as well as get some hands on experience.
Joseph Herberger is a Junior Engineering major at JMU, and a Trip Leader for the UREC Adventure Program. He has previous experience Interning for Cape Falcon Kayak, developing and building Skin on Frame Boats. In his free time he enjoys woodworking, camping, rock-climbing, and watersports.

Workshop Highlight: "Communication in a Whitewater Environment"Signaling on the river can help you avoid difficult situa...
01/26/2026

Workshop Highlight: "Communication in a Whitewater Environment"
Signaling on the river can help you avoid difficult situations and make for an enjoyable whitewater experience. It can also make rescues more efficient when time matters the most. This interactive workshop will dive into the signals that whitewater professionals use around the world to communicate and manage risks on the river. We will play a game to experience the challenges we face communicating in a whitewater environment, explore basic concepts behind signaling, discuss the international signals and their local variations, and conclude with another round of our initial game to see how we have improved.

Since 1999, Kevin Terrell has been an outdoor and experiential educator working throughout the United States for a variety of non-profits and outdoor schools. That career led him to West Virginia where he became a commercial rafting guide in 2009 on the New and Gauley Rivers. During the winters of 2014 to 2018, he carried those skills abroad to New Zealand where he gained his Grade 4/5 Senior Raft Guide qualification working out of Queenstown on the South Island. In addition to these experiences, Kevin also spent one winter in Costa Rica guiding on the Savegre River and has paddled many sections of U.S. rivers from the Hudson to the Colorado. His loves of whitewater and education have come together in recent years as an American Canoe Association Level-5 Raft Instructor Trainer and Level-4 Swiftwater Rescue Instructor as well as a River Operations Manager and trainer for ACE Adventure Resort.

Join Kevin at the VAAEC conference! https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html

Workshop Highlight:"Injecting Play Theory into your Program Planning Process". This workshop will cover some classical t...
01/24/2026

Workshop Highlight:
"Injecting Play Theory into your Program Planning Process". This workshop will cover some classical theories and bring in some new concepts to help you both plan individual programs and help you diversity your entire offerings to help better meet the needs of your participants.

Steve Bobbitt is currently serves on faculty at JMU with the Hart School for Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management. He teaches a wide range of classes from programming, management, facility planning and legal issues. He began his career in parks and recreation and camps and spent the last 28 years in campus recreation at East Carolina University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and JMU where as part of his job help lead the development of adventure programs at all three schools. Steve and his wife love to travel, bike, ski and hike wherever they go and take their dogs with them everywhere!

Register for the conference at https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html
https://www.vaaec.org/registration.html

Join Chris Freeman and Dianna McDowell during their workshop "Building a Network of Support for Place-based Education" a...
01/24/2026

Join Chris Freeman and Dianna McDowell during their workshop "Building a Network of Support for Place-based Education" as they walk you through developing dynamic collaborative networks, fundraising and grant-writing, and fostering rich outdoor educational experiences.

Chris Freeman, recipient of a Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Education, is the Coordinator of the VBCPS Environmental Studies Program housed at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center. He is President of Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Society. He has been appointed to the Virginia Beach Green Ribbon Committee, the VDOE Environmental Education Advisory Committee, and the Mayor's Commission on Offshore Wind and Clean Energy. And in his spare time, you can find him fishing, canoeing, hiking and camping with his family.

Dianna McDowell, recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, currently teaches at the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Environmental Studies Program. She serves on the board of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Society, and the City of Virginia Beach's Open Space Advisory Commission and Clean Community Commission. She enjoys running, paddling, playing Wingspan, and reading about the natural world.

Address

701 Driver Drive
Harrisonburg, VA
22801

Telephone

540-992-2940

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