Leadership and Outdoor Education
UTS’s annual outdoor education events are the core of its Leadership Program.
The program is vital to UTS’s commitment to producing tomorrow’s leaders. UTS
employs ALIVE Outdoors, a leading experiential education organization, to
coordinate and facilitate both onsite leadership workshops and outdoor
activities at Camp Wanakita, Camp Northland and Kilcoo Camp.
YMCA Geneva Park, located near Orillia, plays host to an
overnight trip for F1s (Grade 7) and S6s (Grade 12) in mid-September. The S6
students organize the trip, designed to introduce the newly arrived students to
UTS' familial atmosphere and cherished traditions. The F1 students are inducted
into one of the 4 UTS Houses, and they participate in a variety of activities
designed to promote the positive spirit of the school and of their particular
House.
Camp Wanakita, in Haliburton, is host to the F1 (Grade 7) and
F2 (Grade 8) programs, which run for 3 days and 4 days, respectively, at the end
of February or early March. S5 (Grade 11) UTS students apply to participate as
counselors for this trip. The F1 program focuses on community building,
as students learn what it means to be a part of a community and what their role
is within it. The F2 program focuses on Team Building, as
students engage in activities in which they have an opportunity to be both
leaders and team members. The Program involves both leadership workshops as well
as outdoor winter activities. ALIVE Outdoors staff, UTS Staff and S5 Counsellors
work to teach, model and reinforce the expectation for all students to
demonstrate respect, cooperation, risk-taking, resiliency and the positive
encouragement of others.
For M3 (grade 9), we are in the process of developing a new
program that involves a series of workshops focusing on first impressions,
active listening, personal responsibility and emotional intelligence. Beginning
in the fall of 2011, these workshops will occur during the school day at UTS.
Beginning in 2011, the M4 (Grade 10) Leadership Retreat at Camp
Northland, in Haliburton, will run for 3 days towards the end of
September. This retreat provides students with the opportunity for group
discussions surrounding concepts of leadership, and challenges students to
reflect upon, identify and share both personal leadership strengths as well as
areas for growth. Students set goals for leadership contribution back at UTS and
actively begin to harness their own leadership strengths through activities at
the camp. ALIVE Outdoors staff and UTS staff promote learning and support
expectations as students engage in leadership workshops, games and various
outdoor activities, such as canoeing or climbing.
The S5 (Grade 11) Leadership Training Program at Kilcoo Camp,
near Minden, runs for 3 days in early October. This retreat focuses on the
importance of mentorship, modeling leadership and putting leadership skills into
practice. This camp provides training for those students undertaking leadership
roles within the school as well as those interested in applying for a counselor
role at the F1 or F2 Wanakita camp. Students engage in a variety of activities
and discussions which focus around leading others. Students are challenged to
overcome conflicts and mediate difficult conversations through a series of
discussions and role play activities. ALIVE Outdoors staff and UTS staff support
the students as they learn to design and deliver a workshop, a campfire and a
reflective Closing Presentation regarding the camp experience. Students also
engage in a myriad of outdoor activities, from canoeing and kayaking to archery
and tennis.
