Dr. Ma is the Founder and Education Director of OWLHK. He is one of the very few local environmental education and ecology scholars. Dr. Ma has been involved in the field of environmental education for many years, with various roles for pushing the development of Hong Kong environmental education. He is now serving as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences in HKU, and as a Part-time Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in CUHK, teaching courses of environmental education in the MSc Environmental Management and PGDE programmes. He has also been invited to be a Board Member of the Ocean Park Corporation, and being a member in several advisory committees in government and various authorities to provide suggestions for local environmental conservation and education, included the Advisory Council on the Environment, the Endangered Species Advisory Committee and Education Working Group of the Environmental Campaign Committee.

Dr Ma will be speaking on his work with the charity, Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong, the current situation with environmental education in the local school system and the various projects OWLHK have been spearheading, in particular the Nurture via Nature project.

Charlie is an experienced primary school teacher with a deep passion for outdoor education. Based in Hong Kong, working as the Forest School and outdoor education leader at Malvern College Hong Kong, she is a knowledgeable certified Forest School leader, holding the prestigious Level 4 Archimedes Forest School Teacher Trainer qualification, making her the only individual in Asia with this credential. During Charlie's session, she will speak about the power of Forest School and playing in nature, and its contribution to fostering curiosity and resilience in children. The session will be hands-on, interactive, and (weather permitting) outdoors!

Adrian brings extensive experience in outdoor education, beginning his career as a freelance instructor before taking on roles in adventure training, challenge course management, and learning design. He has worked with various organizations, including Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic and Outward Bound Singapore, designing programs and leading instructor training courses. Adrian is an Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) Challenge Course Manager and Operations Reviewer, as well as a certified climbing instructor who actively supports instructor development and fosters professional communities. Co-founding Blackbox Outdoor Education in 2022, he leverages his expertise, including a Master’s in Instructional Design and Technology, to create innovative training solutions for outdoor educators and experiential learning practitioners worldwide.

In this workshop, participants will examine Bob Ryan’s “Spheres of Practice”. Originally designed for the Challenge Ropes Course, we will make use of it as a framework to help outdoor practitioners effectively navigate the complexities of mainstream common practices, standard operating procedures, and individual preferences. Participants will examine practical scenarios in the outdoor industry, assessing how various decisions can be informed by the different spheres in order to enhance self-awareness and systems awareness.

To find out more about Blackbox OE and what we do, head over to www.blackbox-oe.com .

Join Holly, a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience in outdoor adventure and meaningful learning, for an insightful workshop on gender, LGBTQ+, and inclusivity in the outdoors. This session will deepen your understanding of gender dynamics and offer practical guidance for navigating these topics in various settings. Engage in scenario-based discussions designed to diversify your experiences in a safe environment while exploring actionable solutions for fostering inclusivity in the workplace. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and support all individuals in outdoor spaces!

Associate Professor Delane Lim, the Co-founder for FutuReady Asia, will lead learners in a facilitated discussion on how do we prepare our youth and ourselves for future using experiential and outdoor learning with the rise of technology, data science and gaming. This session will uncover different activities for different learning groups, designing and facilitating a good experiential learning programme to help our youth who may be at risk (social risk, behavioural risk or emotional risk) to be "FutuReady".

Models and Frameworks of Experiential Education is an ideal session for those new to experiential education or needing a recap of the fundamental theories and models that underpin the experiential education approach. By understanding the "why?", educators will be able to make better decisions on program design and how to facilitate their group's experience.

What does it mean to be an outdoor professional? This session will ponder this crucial question and call upon the attendees to co-create their own definition for Hong Kong. On the way, it will look at what it means to be a professional in other nations, the benefits of being recognised as a professional, and the potential pathways that we could take in Hong Kong to achieving professional recognition.

Led by Steven Leung from the Experiential Learning Design Institute, this interactive session will explore the key design factors of an impactful learning experience and how they are instrumental in enhancing the learning outcomes of your experiential education programs.