The Walkabout Program is one of the ways Clonlara students can earn credits.

The program is based upon the work of Dr. Maurice Gibbons, a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. He published his idea of how students could make effective use of their high school years giving relevance to the process of completing requirements for graduation. He called this new approach "Walkabout Program" because it is analogous to the way that young boys in aboriginal tribes became recognized as adults. The youth were sent off, completely on their own, into the wilderness, to survive, using the various skills they had learned while growing up in the tribe. When, and if, they returned, they were welcomed back as adult members of the tribe. The Walkabout represented their passage into adulthood.

Gibbons drew up six categories of activities he believed would make this process meaningful to modern high school students in today's society: Adventure, Career Exploration, Creativity, Logical Inquiry, Global Awareness/Community Service and Practical Skills. These became the Walkabout passages. Passages are completed through personally challenging projects developed by the students usually involving integrated, interdisciplinary subject matter

Since Gibbons published his ideas in 1974, research on best practices and the development of what is often termed "executive skills" have have shown that participating in meaningful and relevant long-term learning projects is of great value for adolescents.

Walkabout projects allow the active, involved young person to use their passions and interests to develop these very important executive skills which include: planning, self-monitoring, decision-making, postponement of gratification and follow through. Development of these skills in the high school years enables a student to become a self-directed learner and better able to navigative the start up years as a young adult.

For students who transferfrom other schools, they are often able to pursue passions and interests that didn't fit into the conventional school schedule. For students who have been involved in our elementary program, they often find doing Walkabouts a natural extension to their learning experience and have developed passions they want to pursue along with a support network to help develop the researching and networking skills to locate knowledgeable people. Growing and developing skills and knowledge through the pursuit of a passion or interest are at the core of the Walkabout approach; earning credits toward a high school diploma is the by-product of the student's work.

While still in the framework of our required credits for graduation, students can choose one or more projects from any of of the six Walkabout areas:

• ADVENTURE: an effort that stretches the student's awareness or courage in a new direction, helping to break down a fear or resistance s/he may harbor. Taking a trip, climbing a mountain, entering a competition, embarking upon a physical fitness program, apprenticing to a worker/mentor are some examples.
• CAREER EXPLORATION: a paid or unpaid experience that exposes a student to some desired future work and/or helps in the development of good work skills. Attending cosmetology school, doing a computer internship, apprenticing to a farrier are but a few examples.
• CREATIVITY: involvement in some creative process stressing originality, and the interplay between process and product: composing music, art, writing, building, etc.
• LOGICAL INQUIRY: following any question to a conclusion arrived at thoroughly, objectively, and systematically. One student, starting with no knowledge of physics, built an electromagnetic device and explained its principles. Another developed a study using questionnaires he devised to find out what makes different people upset and stressed.
• PRACTICAL SKILL: learning any skill that renders one more independent or capable of doing things in the world. Learning a foreign language, cooking, sewing, auto mechanics or accounting are some obvious examples.
• COMMUNITY SERVICE/GLOBAL AWARENESS: the student chooses any issue that has implications for the welfare of others.Then s/he executes a project which raises awareness of the issue, and contributes to change. The issue can be as general as kindness or as specific as Habitat for Humanity work. Action can involve an internship, a poster, a clean-up project, teaching a class,learning a foreign language, working for an environmental group, working in support groups with younger kids, setting up field trips,etc.

A student can participate in up to six projects that give them opportunities to concurrently pursue interests and passions, engage in meaningful and relevant learning projects and earn credits toward high school graduation. With the assistance of one manager and a committee of three adults who are more knowledgeable in the subject area to guide and mentor, the student proposes, designs, implements and presents a project for evaluation by the committee.

When the student completes the project, he or she presents the project to the committee and all stakeholders (the student, manager and committee members)evaluate the project. The project and evaluation is then turned into Clonlara to be reviewed and translated into credit. A walkabout can equal up to 1.5 credits based upon the scope and time spent on the project

For more information about our Walkabout Program, see our Walkabout Program FAQs or contact us with your questions.