Outward Bound Trust’s outdoor education centre on the shores of Loch Eil received a ministerial visit earlier this month.
Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick popped by on Friday December 1 to learn more about the Trust’s Women’s Leadership course.
The course is focused on helping women hone the skills necessary to be successful outdoor leaders. The 10-week programme aims to improve candidates’ intra-personal (self-understanding), inter-personal (relationships with others) and technical (water, mountain and rock) skills.
The Outward Bound Trust prides itself on providing visiting groups of young people with a unique outdoor learning experience, and offers a wide range of activities such as kayaking, gorge walking and outdoor team-building exercises to young people, helping them to grow their confidence and belief in themselves.
On the visit, Emma said: “It was great to have the opportunity to learn more about Outward Bound’s Women’s Leadership course and talk to the women currently on it.
“Both because I got to learn about how the Trust is encouraging more women to become outdoor leaders, and also because it meant chatting to these future leaders about our shared experiences of misogyny and getting on with things regardless.
“No matter what job you’re doing, a lot of these experiences are exactly the same, and some of the solutions, are, too.
“I know that having more women in leadership positions, whether as outdoor leaders or elsewhere, is vital in tackling systemic inequalities and letting young girls see that there is so much out there for them.
“Like politics, outdoor activities can be seen as a ’boy’ activity, but by having more women visibly leading these courses we can show girls that these places are for them to enjoy and succeed in as well.
“There’s a lot that Outward Bound is doing that can be applied more broadly when the Scottish Government is looking at tackling sexism and inequalities.
“I am very grateful to Alice Varley as course leader, David Exeter as the head of the centre, and of course to all the women of the Outdoor Leadership Course for spending the afternoon chatting to me and sharing their love of outdoor education.”