Outdoor School

Make the island your classroom

Designed to make lasting change in the lives of students, our Outdoor Education Program teaches students about the importance of a healthy, holistic life perspective, including physical pursuits and personal growth leading to self-confidence and life management.

Getting out of the city and into the stunning beauty of Keats Island is foundational to this learning process; students spend time engaging with one another and in personal reflection, all the while gaining a new appreciation of the natural environment. Students are provided opportunities to experience adventure based activities that will challenge and grow them in all aspects of life: socially, cognitively, physically, and emotionally.

Through the use of adventure activities, individuals are asked to put aside preconceived notions of their abilities and develop new competencies and confidences. At Keats Camps we seek to empower students to believe in themselves, to belong to the team, and to become the best they can be.

Why Outdoor School matters

The Outdoor School Program is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is based on the idea of displacement from the students’ regular surroundings in order to incite personal growth and spend time engaging in the natural environment around them alongside their peers. With an increasing cultural focus on health, a major component of the camp experience is to offer students an experience that instills a love and excitement for physical activity.

The activities we offer in our Outdoor School Program are open to students of all abilities—our facilitators encourage everyone to achieve personal bests within a safe environment. With the variety of activities we offer, every student has the opportunity to succeed in ways they may not have anticipated, instilling self-confidence and providing inspiration.

By bringing your group to Keats Camps, you are offering them the opportunity to experience growth in ways they may not at home. Our activities are team-based and draw individuals together as they are asked to solve problems and engage challenges together. In addition, the activities themselves are distinctive from what most experience in everyday life; rock climbing, orienteering, canoeing, and archery draw on different skills, present new challenges, and enable growth unique to the Keats setting.

As they learn about the environment and enjoy the beauty around them, we are also able to teach lasting lessons about environmental stewardship, sustainability and responsibility. At Keats Camps, your students will learn by doing.

During our Outdoor School Program, we will ask students to participate in activities that have the potential to make lasting changes in their lives. Part of the process of maturation is a realization that we each have areas requiring growth. This is where a different experience, like the one offered at Keats, comes into play: as students are involved in problem solving, team initiatives, and personal challenges, they are faced with realizations about who they are and where they need to change. Although coming to Keats Camps’ Outdoor School Program promises to be a fun and exciting time, it also serves as an invaluable teaching experience.

As valuable as classroom learning is for young people, being involved in experiential education and adventure programming creates opportunities for milestone moments of personal victories and lifestyle changes that they can look back on for years to come.

Your Island Classroom Awaits

Visual Tour

Let’s make the island your classroom