Every year since 1965, about 70 percent of the Grade 11 students in Atikokan, Ontario, on the north side of Quetico Provincial Park, have had transformative experiences in the canoe country wilderness.
A new video features several people sharing their experiences and views on the program’s 50th anniversary, the Atikokan Progress reports.
The “Outers” program includes strenuous challenges and culminates in a 12-day trip, including three days solo for each student.
“You don’t have to be a Joe Jock to be successful here. You don’t have to be the smartest academic student,” David Williams, an Atikokan High School teacher who also participated in the program as a student, told the CBC in 2015. “As long as you’re willing to work hard and find success out there, and the kids really grab a hold of that.”
Outers was started in 1965 as part of the experiential wilderness education movement that also included Outward Bound.
Watch the 50th anniversary video, which was produced by Patricia Lambkin: