The Adventure Therapy Europe and the first Gathering of Adventure Therapy Europe 2017

Welcome to the first Adventure Therapy Europe Newsletter!

We are very happy to announce the upcoming GATE: Gathering for Adventure Therapy in Europe (Spain, 2017) and the launching of our website

GATE 2017

Back to the Roots

1^st- 4^th of February 2017
Valencia, Spain

The 1^st GATE theme is “Back to the Roots” and will be a celebration of the European history of the adventure therapy methodology.

The keynote speakers will be from the European community of elders and the participants from all nations interested in nature and outdoor based treatment programs. Adventure therapy is a way of working with youngsters that has already been extensively practiced and researched in the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Interest in adventure therapy is growing among practitioners in Europe but there is no a formal network of AT professionals, organizations or researchers using this new and innovative approach.

This GATE is for all adventure therapists, adventure therapy programs, psychosomatic clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, child and youth mental health units and hospitals, or any other programs, institutes or individuals that aspire to do quality work with their clients. Round tables and workshops will provide room to share knowledge and experiences and there will be space to dream about the consolidation of The European Network of Adventure Therapy.

If you have any questions about the 1^st GATE please send us an email at gate@adventuretherapy.eu

History of the Adventure Therapy Europe Network

In 2015, the Belgian organization NATURE organized a training in Adventure Therapy and four other European organizations joined (Upplifun, Kétté, Asociación Experientia and Create Your Change). They all felt the need to forge a network of trainers, educators, youth workers, mental health professionals and therapists to share knowledge, experiences and resources regarding Adventure Therapy.

In January 2016, three more organizations joined (Kamaleonte, Pressley Ridge Portugal and De Mutsaersstichting). They all decided to apply for a partnership grant from Erasmus+ to fund an 18 month project named Reaching Further: Exploring the healing effects of Adventure Education and Experiential Learning, a methodology to increase the quality of youth work for European youngsters with fewer opportunities.
This partnership project started in October 2016. The aim of the partnership is to create a common language and a platform to improve the quality of Adventure Therapy in Europe.

The partnership has already met twice, in Germany and in The Netherlands, and will meet once more in Italy before the GATE in Valencia in 2017. After the GATE, there will be one final meeting in Hungary to tie up loose ends and perhaps organize publishing matters of the projects findings.

Each meeting is an opportunity for participants to learn from others and the partnership has already spawned training programs for both youth and trainers.

This newsletter, the website, the biannual GATE, as well as the 8 organizations behind the partnership will be the bollards for a bigger European AT network and hopefully more organizations (from more countries) will join to this network after the GATE.

Adventure Therapy Europe Newsletter, Volume 1

Our mailing address is:
info@adventuretherapy.eu

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