Field Trip Safety for Alberta Schools (2003)

Project Description

The first YouthSafe Outdoors project was undertaken between 2000-2003 to support enhancing risk management capacity related to the planning and provision of school programs and field trips in Alberta. The project quickly grew to be the largest, most comprehensive integrated safety initiative in Canadian school history. About 80% of the school boards in the province formally licensed and used/are using the resource. Many teachers and administrators in schools across the remaining districts refer to it as their preferred resource for field trip related information.

2003 Version Documents Available  

Each document on the CD, with the exception of the Safety First! Guidelines, was provided in both Acrobat format and Microsoft Word format, for convenient customization to fit the needs of the school or instructor. Only print copies remain available.

Safety First! Guidelines for Off-site Activities for Alberta Schools
Off Site Risk Management for School Boards and District-Level Administrators in Alberta
Off-Site Risk Management for School-Level Administrators in Alberta
Trip Leadership Resource for Schools
Self-reliance in the Outdoors: Junior High School Instructors Resource
Self-reliance in the Outdoors: Senior High School Instructors Resource
School Field Trip Resource for Parents and Guardians
L’autonomie lors des sorties à l’extérieur: une ressource pour les instructeurs du premier cycle du secondaire
L’autonomie lors des sorties à l’extérieur: une ressource pour les instructeurs du deuxième cycle du secondaire
Les excursions scolaires: une ressource pour les parents et gardiens

YouthSafe Outdoors Alberta (2003): Sponsors and Partners

Federal funding was also contributed by the National Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund. The Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research helped fund the research phase of the project and school districts in the province contributed a nominal amount toward district licenses. Alberta Municipal Affairs – Emergency Management Branch, sponsored the project in Alberta. The Search and Rescue Association of Alberta and Mountain Equipment Co-op provided community-level support for the initiative.

Education Partners

Community Partners

Alberta Schools Project Steering Committee (2000-’03)

  The Steering Committee that helped ensure the project would meet the needs of Alberta schools included the following individuals and organizations:

Larry Jacobs	College of Alberta School Superintendents
Jeff Reading	Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council of the Alberta Teachers Association
Walt Savill Jeff Reading Scott McLarty	Calgary Board of Education
Henry Madsen	School administrator and Outdoor Education teacher in Edmonton
Dan Haley	Edmonton Catholic Schools
Nestor Kelba	Kamp Kiwanis; ENVOE Management Ltd.
Ann Gray-Elton	Calgary Parent
Paul Olmstead	Search and Rescue Alberta
Derek Simmonds  Ric Henderson	Royal Canadian Mounted Police, ‘K’ Division
Ken Tryon Don Huestis Greg Carter	Emergency Management Alberta

Note: There was only one person on the committee from each organization at any one time; but reassignments were made within some member groups over time.

YouthSafe Outdoors: Media Coverage

YouthSafe Outdoors in Alberta received substantial media coverage, with several dailies and weeklies around the province carrying news based on the media release provided.
The press conference announcing the release of YouthSafe Outdoors: Field Trip Safety for Alberta Schools was held in Calgary in February 2003. More than ten media (television, radio and print) attended the press conference launching the resource and several interviews were conducted following the formal media announcement.

What Alberta Educators Say

YouthSafe Outdoors is Fantastic! – It is very helpful in equipping teachers and this will benefit students by providing safe and well-planned experiences. 

Calgary Public School Administrator

In the currency of school resources, this one is pure gold. It’s all here and very well organized. 

Teacher at Alberta Provincial Health and Physical Education Conference

YouthSafe Outdoors helps parents effectively support field trips, whether at home or as chaperones on trips. They help parents ask the right questions, in a non-confrontational way. We urge parents to support use of YouthSafe Outdoors resources at their schools.

 Marilyn Fisher, President, Alberta Home and School Councils’ Association

It (YSO) will be a one-stop-shop for all the resources I have, but scattered over hells half acre!! 

Calgary College Professor

Fabulous trip planning, leadership and instruction package. I used it to prepare my spring outdoor ed. and phys. Ed. trips and it was user-friendly and informative. I learned a ton and the trips will be much better than they have been (e.g., safety plans, gear lists), I think. I can’t wait to get out there !

Teacher at Alberta Provincial Health and Physical Education Conference

Personally, it “reaffirmed” what I had almost lost: the belief in “building awareness skills and appreciation of outdoor lore…”

 East Central Alberta Teacher

This is a fantastic resource – I am sure we will begin to use it as our field trip bible. You have save me a ton of work that I planned to do this summer. 

Calgary Independent School District Senior Administrator

The YouthSafe Outdoors package fills a huge gap that has existed for teachers taking students off-site. Having the right tools to lead and teach safely gives everyone involved with a trip the peace of mind that comes with solid preparation.

 Pierre Hebert,  Outdoor Education teacher in Edmonton

YouthSafe Outdoors supports leadership, modeling and instruction in outdoor safety. YSO is the premier search and rescue prevention program in the country; it will save lives. 

John Rotheisler, President, Search and Rescue Association of Alberta

Schools may respond to incidents such as the one on the Lost Coast Trail that claimed our son’s life in 2000 and the terrible avalanche tragedy in 2003, by terminating outdoor trips. But, youth are attracted to outdoor activities and they need to learn how to enjoy the world outdoors safely. YouthSafe Outdoors provides superb resources to encourage and facilitate safe school outings and safety education of youth.

Ann Gray-Elton,  Calgary Teacher, and mother whose son died on a school backpacking trip