Pioneering the Future of Outdoors

Although there is a good amount of great work within the sector taking place, many are finding themselves “stuck” in dynamics undermining their progress and impact. These include: unsustainable activity throughout the sector; unaligned communication streams; competition overruling collaboration, and; multiple socio-ecological and economic crises.

Collaborative action, at the speed and scale that matches the challenges ahead, has the potential, indeed, is likely required, to ensure a thriving industry in concert with human wellness and a flourishing natural environment.

We are adamant that the Outdoor Sector can become powerfully aligned alongside a common vision, goal and ethos - where the sector is at one with nature in its activities, production, and operation. To do this, the Industry must be distinct from the status quo approach to business, by creating a ground-breaking model of flourishing business, humans and nature. This new model will be grounded from a place of trust, respect and unity, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all. In taking this initiative, our work will be a driver of secondary holistic benefits, seeing increased engagement with education, and increased mental & physical health benefits.

This work calls for radical, urgent action. We are convening a collective of key actors within the outdoor sector, across a range of perspectives, roles and focus areas, to co-create a shared, audacious goal and vision. This will be informed by an exploration into the current system dynamics, desire for change, and state of the field analysis. With this, powerful leverage / intervention points for change will be pursued, with coherent actions to instigate a transformational journey for the Industry identified.

All of this work is being carried out with the aim of a significant, whole sector engagement.

Many change efforts, projects, and programmes undertaken by the Industry have been focussed on incremental change and/or improvements - that is: “doing things better” within existing rules, improving effectiveness, efficiency and performance; and “doing better things”, examining assumptions, creating new rules, and generating understanding.

Transformation calls for a “seeing things differently”, fostering innovation, and activating paradigm shifts. It opens up new ways of viewing power, potential and purpose. Taking a transformative approach to change within the Outdoor Industry as opposed to incremental change and/or improvements will allow for the Industry to approach challenges as a whole system, beyond traditional structures, mindsets, and action, and to put a new stamp on priority, value and measure of success. It provides for new models of flourishing business, people and nature.

The Outdoor Sector embraces a unique position. By its very nature, it holds a front row seat to the significant environmental and social challenges facing us as a society. The sector empowers people to deepen their relationship with their natural environment. Such positioning offers an exceptional opportunity to engage its diverse array of stakeholders in the co-creation of new business and social innovation models and pathways that can address the multiple crises we are facing.