Each spring an excited group of athletic individuals filter into the small and close-knit whitewater rafting community. Upon arriving at the river community these trainees are given a place to camp, and an opportunity to ride along with the senior guiding staff. Although the senior guides are tolerant of the new arrivals, they recognize that, in an average training year, only one third of them will eventually become guides.
Over several months, the new arrivals will be asked to practise rescue techniques, learn to read complex whitewater hydraulics and develop sound decision-making abilities within highly stressful and quickly changing conditions.
Only after these hard skills have been attained can trainees begin to comprehend the immense responsibility they hold for the safety of others. In an effort to manage the risks inherent in rafting, guides need to develop their problem-solving techniques before they progress into dangerous situations. Whitewater guides must understand that each participant plays an important role in an interdependent team, which must coordinate efforts in order to successfully navigate treacherous and complex whitewater rapids.
Often people who want to become a professional guide see the role of guiding as a burden to be shouldered through physical strength and expertise. Indeed, physical competence is an important component however, the importance of the other team members within the boat is often underestimated. This lack of recognition can quickly lead to failures in communication— creating an environment where accidents can occur.
The turkey boat is used in raft guide training to address the importance of teamwork and communication. A team of guide hopefuls (around eight, total) with little or no direct advice, are given a whitewater raft, paddles, life jackets and helmets and told to navigate difficult whitewater rapids.
Much like learning to drive a car, the kinetics of whitewater rafting are not overly complex. Your paddle works as the steering wheel, gas pedal and brake. And as with driving a car, once the basic kinetics have been learned, confidence quickly follows. Unlike a car, however, a raft can be controlled by any of the individuals holding a paddle—and to complicate matters, each individual is viewing the river from a different location. So the turkey boat consists of eight individuals, armed with minimal technical knowledge and growing (sometimes inflated) confidence, eagerly striving to prove their leadership ability.
Leadership development schools such as Outward Bound have taught basic sports psychology for years. The idea behind these schools is that group development progresses through stages. Further, these stages can be used to develop tools that facilitate highly dynamic group interactions. Although raft guiding activities can be classified as adventure recreation, or perhaps even educational, the focus of guide training programs are to build physical and social competencies, including guiding technique, communication, respect, and problem-solving. Because of this focus, guide training programs can be described as a developmental adventure education.
Developmental adventure education contains a strong process-based component. This process can be used to assess the goals of the group and attempt to facilitate a trajectory of learning for the participants. These trajectories work to place engagement in activities in the context of a valued future within the group. In this way, learning can be experienced as a form of identity.
The adaptation of personal behaviour is the foundation of developmental adventure education. Facilitating the process of adaptation guides the participant in developing an understanding of group expectations, norms and behaviours.
