Step into the Spirit of SPL — Where Adventure is Shaping

Together at the top after days of challenge and teamwork, this moment captures more than a summit. It’s a mark of the connection built along every step of the way.

At first glance, it may seem like just another trip into the woods. Hikers weighed down by carefully packed multi-night packs, or a group of students streaming into the Lodge with a mix of excitement and anticipation for what is to come.  

Picture this: a group of 10 youth trailing up the mountain, single file with raindrops streaming off of their gear. Muddy boots, cold, damp nights and bugs buzzing around their ears. 

Those moments are not the focus of concern when outdoor education is working its magic. 

It’s the laughter that erupts mid-hike when the rain pours and no one cares, because A: we’re together and B: pushing past discomfort with the comradery of our peers and the support of the instructors, fuels confidence and makes one feel alive.

It’s realizing that a day without screens feels freeing, because the connection that you’re seeking and what you are experiencing is all right here. It’s using your body, it’s being together and it’s doing hard things. That is a day that feels full. 

It’s the evening campfire, reminiscing about the day, the travels by foot and the events that happened throughout the day. It is the combination of all of these things that make outdoor education so impactful. 

Living Simply and Fully

For over 60 years, SPL has been a place for growth and adventure. Powered by people who believe in the beauty of doing more with less, our 70 staff live here in a community that prioritizes people and place. By living by example in a mindful and low impact way, students don’t just learn about sustainability, they feel it in every choice and routine and every shared meal. 

Learning to Care for the Planet and for People

Every year over 3,000 young people arrive with their school group or youth camp — sometimes they’re nervous and are unsure of what to expect. Through shared challenges in the woods and quiet paddles, something shifts and connectivity becomes the forefront of their experience. 

The takeaway of a new respect and knowledge of the land takes root — and at the same time, the same respect blossoms amongst the group. Here, stewardship means more than just “leave no trace,” it’s about recognizing our role in something bigger and choosing to care. 

Growth Happens at the Edge of Your Comfort Zone

Outdoor education doesn’t feel like education. We call it Challenge by Choice, meaning — no pressure, no performance … just a supportive space to try, fall, laugh and grow. Because growth happens when you try something, even when you’re unsure. 

Live on the edge, but not recklessly, rather with a sense of curiosity. 

This is the edge of your personal comfort zone, and what that can look like for every individual varies. At this edge is where learning lives, be it an idea or a brave next step. 

This leads us into Generosity of Spirit, which is showing up for one another with words of encouragement and also in kindness in every action. Whether it’s repelling down the rock face or inviting someone to sit with you for a meal, the culture is shaped in real time by decisions being made that can spread like wildfire. 

SPL is More Than A Place — It’s a Way of Being

Our groups face tough weather, and also pleasant weather. The groups face challenges that test their patience and resolve, but also fuel their souls. Here we face these things with a mindset we call Happy Warrior — not because we’re always cheerful, but because we choose courage and teamwork in the face of difficult things. 

To learn these skills, one must live it. With the outdoors as our teacher, our programs aren’t just simply activities, they’re an invitation to make these mental shifts. 

For over six decades we’ve watched thousands of young people leave SPL with a new way of connecting to themselves, others and to the world around them.

That’s what it means to be an outdoor education centre, and that’s the spirit of SPL.