Lyon Education & Adventure Program
Arkansas Adventure Programming Conference
April 20-22 in Jasper, Arkansas
Lyon College is located in the eastern foothills of the Ozark Mountains and on the beautiful White River in Batesville. The area offers the best qualities of the Natural State while providing a safe, convenient and supportive setting. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy abundant opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, canoeing, camping, caving, rock climbing, fishing and hunting.
To take advantage of our location, Lyon College has developed the Lyon Education and Adventure Program (LEAP) that provides its students with information and access to the many activities available in this gateway to the Ozarks.
The College recently installed a bouldering wall, disc golf course and hiking and biking trail.
The LEAP office is located between the Admissions House and Nichols Administration Building.
Program Philosophy and Ethics
Although our outdoor experiences are recreational, each one will become a learning experience for beginners as well as for experienced individuals. While enjoying ourselves and learning about the outdoors, we should always strive to minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible. After all, we are the visitors.
The “Common Adventurer” Philosophy
All outdoor trips are based on the “Common Adventurer” philosophy which holds that the foremost goal of any common adventure is to achieve an enjoyable and worthwhile experience while displaying the greatest respect for the natural environment. The common adventurer, due to the varying degrees of ability of each participant, can best achieve this goal by becoming part of a “common” group effort. In the spirit of this effort all decisions are consensus group decisions. Trip leaders do not command, rather coordinate as the group leads. It is our belief that group effort results in a situation where the teaching and learning of new skills make the common adventurer’s goal more fulfilling and the adventure much safer than would otherwise be possible. Our concern with safety should not be underemphasized. All trips are potentially dangerous because they take place in an uncontrolled environment. As a common adventurer, you must accept the risk and assume full responsibility for your safety and the safety of the group. The safety of the GROUP takes precedence over the individuals’ perceived needs.
Sharing Responsibility on Common Adventure Trips
On a common adventure trip, everyone is expected to share in the responsibilities of the trip. The group is expected to help plan, organize, cook, wash, load and unload vehicles, buy food, clean up equipment afterwards, etc. The success or failure of a common adventure trip rests not in the hands of the trip initiator, or the club or institution which might offer such trips, but rather in the hands of everyone that participates in the trip.
Staff
- Scott Dirksen, Director of Outdoor Recreation and Education, Telephone: 870.307.PLAY (7529)