Character Development
What is Character?
Character is the sum of an individual’s qualities and characteristics, differentiating a person from others. At the Vancouver Outdoors Society, we encourage the development of students’ characters through the Big 5 Character Traits.
Big 5 Character Traits
The Vancouver Outdoors Society focuses on developing the following five character traits essential to becoming a well-rounded adult:
- Honesty
- Leadership/Followership
- Trust
- Courage
- Patience
These 5 traits are what young people are looking for within themselves, they are what parents want their child to be and they are what all Vancouver Outdoors Society programs teach and help the participants to develop a mastery and superior level of skill.
How to cultivate Character?
Participating in outdoor education is the best way to cultivate character. The unique challenges, risks, and experiences provide youth with the fastest and most powerful path to personal growth. The Vancouver Outdoors Society’s programs help participants to understand these five character traits and how they can define and improve themselves by exploring the dimensions, importance, and descriptors of these traits.
For example, we put participants into situations such as rafting where they need to play the roles of leader and follower to complete tasks. The nature of the experience provides authenticity for participants to make adjustments to their thinking behaviour and communication choices in regards to leadership and followership.
The Journey of Self-discovery
Character development helps us better understand ourselves and enables us to answer these ancient universal questions deliberately:
- Who am I?
- What am I?
- What do I believe?
- What do I want?
- What am I capable of?
- Where did I come from and where am I going?
