At YMCA Lakeside, every day brings new opportunities for adventure, growth, and connection with the natural world – and few people know this better than Outdoor Instructor, Suzanne Dearn. With a passion for helping young people discover their strengths and embrace the outdoors, Suzanne brings energy, expertise, and a love of nature to every session she leads.
Can you describe a typical day for instructors and participants?
We will usually run 2 activities in the morning – something like an obstacle course and raft building. Everyone then enjoys a hot lunch together, and then we get back into our activities in the afternoon. This could be anything from a 3 hour session like climbing and abseiling at the local crags, or canoeing on Windermere. Then comes dinner time, and we head back out for 1 more session in the evening, often a local fell walk or a campfire. Participants then get to enjoy a hot chocolate and start winding down ready for bedtime.
What’s your favourite activity to lead, and why?
My favourite activity to lead is Stand Up Paddleboarding on a sunny day! It’s something that everybody can get involved in. You can go from a complete beginner at the start of the session to standing up and skilfully turning by the end of a session, as well as having a good splash about and a laugh with friends too.
How does being in nature, rather than a classroom, change the way young people learn?
I find that being in nature has an almost instant calming effect on young people. I find that children can often listen and concentrate more easily out in nature than in a classroom setting. I also think that learning in nature can help those young people that struggle in a school setting completely excel in a way that they haven’t experienced before.
In what ways does nature help build confidence or resilience?
For some of our groups, just being outside on a bad weather day can build their resilience. They assume that we won’t go out because it’s raining, so we kit them up in waterproofs and boots, and get going with our planned activities. By the end of the session, they’ve surprised themselves that they have not only survived the storm, but they’ve had fun in doing so. This in turn builds their confidence, as they realise they are stronger than they thought. Sometimes it’s the smaller things like this that have a lasting impact on young people.
Why is outdoor learning important?
In todays world, I think outdoor learning is more important than ever. Being happily engaged in outdoor activities gives everybody a (much needed) break from technology. Young people forget that they haven’t checked their phone for 3 hours, and instead fully throw themselves into new challenges with their team mates, which I think almost gives them a mental reset from the stresses of modern life.
What do you think nature teaches better than anything else?
Nature teaches and reminds us that the world is a magical place. It’s easy to get bogged down with negativity, but to go outside and see the beauty that nature offers, whether it’s vivid autumnal colours covering the hills, discovering weird and wonderful fungi or sitting in a peaceful woodland, nature can leave us feeling a sense of awe.
