WEA brings national conference to IMU

The 21st Annual National Conference on Outdoor Leadership will be held Feb. 4 through 7 at the Indiana Memorial Union. The theme of this year's conference is "Tools of the Trade."\nThe conference, sponsored by the IMU and hosted by both the Wilderness Education Association and IU Outdoor Adventures, was held at Bradford Woods two years ago.\n"The two state parks, two state forests, a national forest and a large reservoir within 30 miles of town was a strong attribute for the conference being held here in Bloomington," said David Calvin, program coordinator for IU outdoor adventures and executive director for WEA. \nWEA is a not-for-profit organization made up of professors, students and those in the field of outdoor education who seek to educate in environmental outdoor leadership skills. WEA has now been on IU's campus for three years, Calvin said. \n"In order to optimize the learning environment and increase the quality of recreation, outdoor leadership requires seamlessly blending technical skills with people skills so that course participants feel comfortable, confident and competent," said Greg Martz, IU outdoor adventures program coordinator and director of operations for the WEA.\nPre-conference workshops will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 and 5. These workshops include Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder recertification, a Risk Manager seminar and Basic Snow Techniques, among others. \n"The pre-conference activities should benefit all students who have an interest in outdoor leadership, outdoor education and environmental education," Martz said. \nA banquet Feb. 5 will begin the conference with a buffet and opening remarks at 6 p.m. in the IMU. The events will continue through the weekend and will include all meals and various workshops, ending with an optional breakfast at 8 a.m. Sunday. \nMany IU students will attend the conference as well as those from other midwest universities, professors and those interested in outdoor leadership. \n"I've never been to one of these conferences before, but I'm really looking forward to everything that I will learn and be able to take with me," sophomore Kathy Zaleski said. "I think IU has a lot to offer as far as resources." \nOne of the highlighted events will be 7 p.m. Friday when the keynote speaker, Gary Scott, will take the stage. Scott is a world record mountaineer and professional motivational speaker who recently published his first book, "Summit Strategies: Secrets to mastering the Everest in your life." \n-- Contact staff writer Jacquelyn Janowski at jjanowsk@indiana.edu.