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ADVENTURE SCHOOL: ADVENTURE OUT & URBAN DESCENTHave you heard the story
about boiled frogs? It’s an old
fable that talks about a frog
being boiled alive, slowly. The
idea is that if a frog is placed
into boiling water, it will jump
out. But if it’s placed in water
that is warm, then brought to
the boil slowly – it won’t be
able to recognise the danger
and will be cooked to death.It’s a harsh story, but it’s one that
Terry Hewett believes resonates
with many people today. Terry is
CEO and founder of Urban Descent
and Adventure Out, and he likens
the spirit of people, and practical
life skills, to that of the boiled frog.“People have slowly and insidiously
been spoilt and weakened by
western advancements to an
extent where we have all but lost
all the practical skills and natural
resilience passed down through the
generations,” he says.The thing is, Terry believes that all
people are good, and they all have
boundless potential. But many
are so weakened by society andtechnology, they don’t recognise
their potential and they don’t realise
the importance of adventure and
connecting to nature.Since 1984, Terry has been
committed to connecting people
with themselves, others and
nature through outdoor programs- igniting the spirit through
adventure. This is how Adventure
Out and Urban Descent came into
being.
“The thing is,” Terry says, “people
like Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy
Caldwell (of Dawn Wall fame)
don’t just live. But rather, they are
ALIVE. And they have wealth in
the most important instance – they
are following a dream, they have a
purpose and they have resilience.”100 years ago, before the industrial
revolution, generations of men and
women raised kids, set standards,
taught and mentored the perfection
of life skills. Learning by experience
was central to becoming a capable,
purposeful, resilient adult.“Then the industrial revolutionstruck and the men went off to
work in the factories leaving women
to raise the kids,” Terry says.“This led to an increasing skills and
competency gap that have now
reached a tipping point. And today,
many parents don’t have the life
skills to pass along. How do parents
teach resilience, self-sufficiency,
problem solving?“That’s where we come in.”Boiled Frog SYNDROME
Adventure Out provides adventure based
training programs to help people learn about
interpersonal and intra-personal relationships.
The programs present a series of carefully
structured challenges, as people overcome these
challenges they learn a great deal about their
perceived limitations, potential capabilities, self-
concept and independence.By working in groups throughout each program,
participants learn about aspects of teamwork
such as cooperation, communication, trust,
problem solving and leadership. Lastly, by
learning to deal with change, uncertainty and risk
through adventure, participants develop valuable
coping strategies that can be implemented back
at the workplace and in their day to day living.Urban Descent is Australia’s leading provider of
adventure fundraising events for charities and
community groups. These events enable people
to abseil from CBD skyscrapers, ride a zip-line
from stadium light towers, and swing from iconic
bridges – all while raising much needed funds for
their chosen cause.It is a not-for-profit entity, so all surplus funds
go to the organisations it serves. Urban Descent
events offer a unique challenge for adventurers
with a social conscience.These highly engaging experiences generate
large incomes for participating charities at very
low cost, without requiring a heavy work load on
staff and volunteers.