In mid-January, over 75 professionals from outdoor schools, overnight camps, and residential environmental learning centers gathered for the 2025 ANCA Outdoor School Summit.
Outdoor schools and related organizations transform lives by offering overnight, multi-day programs that connect participants to nature and each other. Based in environmental education, program participants — most often students — learn about a variety of topics by using the outdoors as a classroom.
Because they host programs over multiple days, outdoor schools have unique logistical challenges in our field, such as providing meals and overnight accommodations for large groups. The Outdoor School Summit offers a space for professionals to share solutions on these logistics and to learn about best practices for growing their impact.
This Summit took place at NorthBay, an outdoor school in North East, Maryland. With a scenic campus on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, NorthBay was the perfect location for Summit participants to network and learn in a variety of programs and events.
We’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event. Here’s what some Summit participants said:
- “It's wonderful to feel that you are part of a larger movement and that this type of work is being done all over the country. These people are inspiring and extremely open and sharing.”
- “This experience was transformative.”
- “It was truly inspiring to be in the presence of other leaders in the industry, and the collective knowledge shared was invaluable. It’s so important to stay connected with others in the field, exchanging ideas and learning from one another’s experiences.”
- “Continuously the best conference I have ever been to. I leave every time feeling energized and full of ideas.”
We’re grateful to NorthBay for hosting this event, as well as Summit sponsors Hennebery Eddy Architects and The Kipos Group for their support. The next Outdoor School Summit will take place in January 2027.