The University of Wales Trinity Saint David took its outdoor education and wellbeing research to GATE 2026 in Belgium, joining practitioners, researchers and organisations from across Europe. The Gathering for Adventure Therapy in Europe brought together voices working in adventure therapy, experiential learning, outdoor practice and nature-based wellbeing. UWTSD was represented by PhD researcher Tara Crank and Mache Treviño González, Programme Manager for the MA Outdoor Education. Their sessions explored digital nature connection, reflective journaling and the role of outdoor settings in professional development and wellbeing.

European Exchange On Outdoor Practice

Hosted by UPC KULeuven, UCLL and ALBA, GATE 2026 provided a setting for researchers and practitioners to compare approaches to nature-based wellbeing. The event focused on the relationship between outdoor experience, reflection and therapeutic or educational practice, creating opportunities for participants to share work across national and professional boundaries.

For UWTSD, the conference offered a practical international platform for its work in outdoor education. Both workshops placed participant experience at the centre, using outdoor activity and reflection to consider how people build relationships with place, nature and their own professional practice.

The university’s contribution also reflected the scope of its MA Outdoor Education, which supports practitioners, educators and professionals seeking to extend their knowledge of outdoor learning, experiential education, wellbeing and nature connection.

Digital Tools And Nature Connection

Crank presented Growing Experience and Perception of Nature Through Digital Tools, sharing findings from the first cycle of her ongoing doctoral research at UWTSD. The participatory project considers how digital tools can support nature connection at a community green health hub in Wales, working with domestic abuse survivors and outdoor facilitators.

Her interactive forest experience invited GATE participants to engage with the emerging findings directly. The session considered the ways technology can affect sensory engagement, reflection and relationships with the natural environment, a timely subject for professionals working to make outdoor and nature-based activity accessible and meaningful for different communities.

Tara Crank, PhD researcher at The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, reflected:

“GATE Belgium was a beautiful event to be part of – for me it was a time of reconnection with a community and a marker of growth for my progress in the PhD. Having presented at GATE 2024 in Latvia at the very beginning of my PhD study, now presenting some of my findings was exciting and was helpful in connecting with other PhD students at the beginning of their journey, as well as more experienced members of the community.”

Crank also co-facilitated a Campfire Cooking workshop with Sanne Detrez and Silke Praet from ALBA. The activity brought participants together to share skills and perspectives across organisations and countries, placing informal, practical learning alongside the conference’s research and workshop programme.

Tara Crank, PhD researcher at The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, shared:

“We made a good bond while designing and facilitating the workshop together and hope to have more international collaboration with each other in the future.”

Reflective Journaling In Nature

Treviño González led Returning to the Trees: Reflective Journaling for Insightful Practice, a workshop examining journaling as a resource for professional insight, wellbeing and reflective outdoor practice. Participants were encouraged to explore writing as part of their own personal and professional processes.

The workshop drew on Welsh cultural perspectives, including Cynefin, described as a sense of place, belonging and relational identity. Its use of ‘Dod yn ôl at fy nghoed’, or “returning to my trees”, provided a metaphor for grounding, regulation and returning to oneself through relationships with place and the natural environment.

Lynn Van Hoof, workshop participant at Outward Bound Belgium, said:

“I really enjoyed the workshop. There was a moment when I was journaling where all the puzzle pieces of the GATE just clicked for me, in my personal process… I will definitely apply more journaling in my programmes now!”

The session illustrated how reflective methods can sit alongside active outdoor learning. By linking journaling with nature connection and place-based ideas, the workshop gave participants a structured way to consider their experience beyond the immediate conference setting.

Research Networks And Collaboration

One outcome of Crank’s participation was the establishment of an international PhD and Early-Career Researcher Network for people working in adventure and nature-based therapies. The network is intended to support peer connection and continued collaboration among researchers at different stages of their careers.

The initiative adds to the value of international gatherings such as GATE, where research progress, practical methods and professional relationships can develop together. It also offers a route for early-career researchers to remain connected after the event, rather than limiting exchange to a single conference appearance.

Mache Treviño González, Programme Manager for the MA Outdoor Education at The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, stated:

“Participating at GATE was a brilliant opportunity to share and reflect on nature-based wellbeing and health, continuing the collaboration with colleagues on this shared path of expanding and professionalising our field. It was a privilege to witness and recognise the hard work of our PhD student Tara, not only through presenting her research progress, but by being actively involved in the postgraduate student network that flourished during and after the conference.”

Building Outdoor Education Practice

UWTSD’s participation at GATE 2026 demonstrates how outdoor education can connect academic research with the day-to-day work of educators, facilitators and wellbeing practitioners. Crank’s research on digital tools and nature connection, alongside Treviño González’s reflective journaling workshop, showed two complementary ways of considering engagement with the outdoors.

As adventure-informed and nature-based practice develops, international events provide a valuable forum for sharing research, testing ideas and building relationships between organisations. UWTSD’s contribution placed Welsh perspectives and research within that wider European exchange, while creating fresh opportunities for ongoing collaboration in outdoor wellbeing and education.