Updated: February 15, 2007

What is CEEPS all about?

As an experiential trainer, you know that the learning never stops, but as facilitators and guides we often find ourselves working alone or with the same few individuals.  We begin to crave the opportunity to work with other trainers who have a different background, different tools and tricks, different experiences to share.  If you are like me, and could afford it, you may have attended a few AEE, ACCT, or other conferences, seeking to fill this void, only to often find that they don't tend to attract a lot of your Canadian peers, and they don't always have precisely the learning you need right now.  If the tangible benefits are stacked against the conference fees, air fares to the U.S., hotels, meals, exchange rates, and time away, the costs can quickly become prohibitive.

CEEPS offers an economical yet powerful alternative - a weekend opportunity for Experiential Education practitioners from all over Canada to get together to develop their professional skills.  The conference includes:

	Thought-provoking new ideas
	Awesome networking opportunities
	Good food
	Industry leaders
	Fun activities - add them to your list!
	Stimulating discussions
	Techniques you can use immediately
	Rejuvenating environment
	Old friends and new friends
	and More...

Our short Mission Statement has more information.

Target Audience

Well, you for starters.  This is a forum for experiential professionals already working in the field to meet with their peers, share their experience, expand their knowledge, and make new connections in the industry.  We also welcome people who are just beginning their experiential education career.  We get attendees from the whole EE spectrum, including corporate, youth, schools, camp, and therapeutic sectors.  (Read what they said about CEEPS over the years.)  Our symposium is also approved by Laurentian University as satisfying the conference graduation requirement for ADVL students.

How does it work?

The conference is structured roughly along the lines of the very popular National Challenge Course Practitioners Symposium that takes place in Boulder, Colorado every February.  For over 10 years, Tom Leahy has hosted a truly unique and powerful conference down there, using a variation on "Open Space" called "Virtual Space".  We enhanced the format and then simply created our own conference up here in Canada.

Where, when, and how much?

Our next conference (the sixth one!) will take place April 13-15, 2007, at the Bark Lake Leadership Centre, in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario (our venue of choice for CEEPS 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006).

The conference runs from Friday dinner (included) to Sunday lunch (also included).

A major success determinant of a conference is the cost.  It has to be better than just reasonable.  It has to be a terrific deal.  We believe that a $300 fee for a two day/two night training program that includes meals and accommodation (double occupancy hotel-style) is a steal.  There are even further discounts for students, and attendees from out-of-province!  For all the details, visit our registration information page.

Year-round presence

Over the years, CEEPS has grown into more than just a conference.  It has become a community of practitioners eager to stay connected and share ideas.  One way of doing this is through a Yahoo news group - a moderated on-line news group which is open to anyone.  Please join us!

On this web site, you also have access the most complete list of Canadian Experiential Education web sites (and related resources) available ANYWHERE!  (Are your URL and logo there?  Contact us to have them added.)

We also maintain what has to be the most comprehensive database of Canadian EE practitioner email addresses in existence (with over 400 current names and addresses).

CEEPS Mission Statement

The Canadian Experiential Education Practitioners Symposium (CEEPS) is the forum-of-choice for Canada's best and brightest experiential education practitioners to gather at least once a year to exchange ideas, expand professional horizons, and network with peers, in comfortable and affordable surroundings. It is also an opportunity for those leaders to give back to their industry by sharing their expertise and experience with practitioners of all levels.

CEEPS is a grass-roots concept, created from within the Canadian EE community, championed by its founder, and driven by volunteers who care. It is not offered by any membership-based organization or corporate entity, and as such, it is not encumbered with other goals and/or interests that might prejudice the Symposium's simple mandate.

CEEPS attendance is open to anyone who has an interest in experiential education and pays the appropriate symposium fee.

Conference Champion:

Got a question?  Want to submit a presentation topic?  Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions, or contact me:

Andrew Welch
57 Mary Street
Alton, Ontario
L7K 0E3
Canada

E-mail address: ceeps2007@
Telephone: 416-907-2076 or 519-940-3439
Fax: temporarily same: 416-907-2076  Please call ahead if you wish to send a fax!
Web site: www.intellact.ca

Click to join the CEEPS news group

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