ORIC (Outdoors NSW) Practitioner’s Conference 2016

The UPLOADS team recently attended the ORIC practitioner’s conference at Camp Wombaroo in the NSW highlands.

The conference kicked off with a pre-conference workshop hosted by the UPLOADS team. The aim of this workshop was to provide practical guidance on injury prevention in the delivery of led outdoor activity programs. Specifically, we engaged practitioners in a discussion about injury causation and prevention, and to support practitioners in translating the UPLOADS research in practice. This also involved a sneak peak of the new UPLOADS National Incident Dataset statistics. Thank you to everyone who engaged with us during this workshop! I think we all walked away from the workshop feeling inspired and motivated!

“It became apparent very quickly that this wasn’t going to be just another run-of-the-mill conference…”

Dr Mandi Baker‘s opening keynote raised some big questions about what makes a good leader? Can soft skills be taught? How important is “fun” the led outdoors? It became apparent very quickly that this wasn’t going to be just another run-of-the-mill conference as many of the delegates offered points of discussion from their real, experience-driven points of view.

In the session workshop presented by Dr Amanda Clacy, there was a similar response from the delegates. After opening the session with some of the new data from the National Incident Dataset, practitioners were quick to engage in an open conversation about the current constraints in the reporting culture in the led outdoors. The group also came to discuss the importance of reporting rich and consistent information to be able to better understand the factors leading to incidents and to develop appropriate prevention strategies to be able to reduce future risk.

With a strong sense of ‘By the People, For the People’, it was clear the ‘outdoor edder’ community was ready and willing to ask the difficult questions, learn the much needed lessons, and grow together as a sector.

On the final day of the conference we were very fortunate to be provided with a stand out keynote presentation from an exceptional ‘outdoor edder’, Clare Dallat. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the humorous, moving, and honest presentation in which Clare encouraged us all to look beyond some long-held assumptions and beliefs with the aim of better serving the people in our care by becoming the very best versions of ourselves. Through sharing her own story of evolving over almost 15 years, Clare imparted 10 valuable lessons to us all:

1. It doesn’t always take a raging river or a wild weather event for an accident to occur.

2. Risk management is not a science.

3. Engaging in conversation has far surpassed any course or degree I’ve taken in terms of return on investment.

4. There are many second victims. Be kind. Reach out.

5. Be human. Be accountable. Be brave. Change.

6. Change comes from within but a group of people will make it happen.

7. No-one wakes up and says “Today is a great day to f*%k things up”.

8. What we do is complex.

9. Don’t run. Hold on. Use the energy to grow, to listen and to make it better.

10. Don’t forget. Give it meaning.

Please contact Clare  if you would like to hear more about her presentation or the lessons she relayed.

There were so many relevant, practical, and informative workshops delivered by the experts in their field. This is what made this conference so outstanding. Over the 3 days we spent at Camp Wombaroo at this practitioner’s conference, I became more and inspired by the work our ‘outdoor edders’ do. This genuinely is a tribe of people who are determined and willing to really develop their community.

Thanks to Liz Horne, Mark Brackenreg, and ORIC (Outdoors NSW) for organising such an inspiring conference. I truly look forward to meeting with you all again in the future!

About amandaclacy

After completing my PhD in sport psychology and concussion risk, it was clear that the wonderful world of research had captured my attention. In my role at the Centre for human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems I am part of a brilliant team of researchers, working on world class research in the fields of sport and outdoor recreation, transport and infrastructure, organisational health and safety, urban planning and design, and defence security and resilience. My personal research interests are in the dynamic topic of injury management in grassroots sport. Although my PhD only skimmed the surface of this complicated issue, I look forward to a long career not only improving sport-related injury risk but also finding new ways to motivate kids to keep participating in sport and outdoor activity.