Proceedings of the Cave Think Tank

Abstract

The Cave Think Tank workshop was a pre-conference workshop leading up to the Eighth International Adventure Therapy Conference, held in Australia in 2018. The workshop took place over three days, from 10.30am Friday 24th Aug until 3pm Sunday 26th Aug. Group discussions took place in a cave and a shed, surrounded by natural bushland in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. The 24 participants came from eleven nations, listed here in alphabetical order: Australia (5), Belgium (1), Canada (1), Hungary (2), India (1), New Zealand (2), Norway (1), Spain (3), Taiwan (4), UK (2), and the USA (2). The Adventure Works Australia teaching team (Anita, Pete, Ben, Amanda and Cathryn) voluntarily hosted the workshop, displaying impeccable organisation and catering skills, and helping create a safe and productive space for the work to be done. Participants were diverse in their culture, experience, professional background, ways of using adventure therapy practices, language and food preferences! All were able to speak from their experience and from their understanding of what their local practices and practice needs are. However, all were also aware that they did not necessarily represent their home nation, that they spoke from their own perspective, and that nations represented were limited to those who had volunteered to attend. The workshop aims were co-developed with participants at the outset, and co-facilitated by participants in order to meet agreed aims.