Rachel Keyworth '11, G'14, Shares the Positive Impact of Outdoor Pursuits at East Campus
Springfield College Associate Professor of Therapeutic Recreation Rachel Keyworth '11, G'14, was once again one of the group leaders during Outdoor Pursuits.
By: Damon Markiewicz
Springfield College recently celebrated the 95th anniversary of Outdoor Pursuits at East Campus, also known historically as freshman camp. An outdoor living experience that takes place at the conclusion of final exams in May, Outdoor Pursuits enhances a student’s understanding and appreciation of individual differences of the social aspects of group living.
Springfield College Associate Professor of Therapeutic Recreation Rachel Keyworth '11, G'14, was once again one of the group leaders during Outdoor Pursuits. Keyworth has witnessed the impact Outdoor Pursuits can have on attendees from both a student and faculty perspective.
Why is Outdoor Pursuits Special for You?
Rachel Keyworth - I think outdoor pursuits is that special thing that you have to see it to believe it. It's a way to get students out of the four walls of a traditional classroom. And as a faculty member, and an Outdoor Pursuits Unit Leader, we get this really unique opportunity to not only educate the students, but the student are developing in their teaching and leadership skills. The students are developing and their sense of self, their sense of responsibility, and their resilience in life.
In addition, the students are doing it in an environment that's completely foreign to them. We witness they're more open to adversity, and the challenges are real and transferable to what they're going to do when they leave us. As a faculty member, it's just a beautiful thing to witness by day four or five, to sit back and watch the unit you are leading grow and develop together. Being a part of Outdoor Pursuits as a faculty member is just a great way to pay it forward.
How have you witnessed the student’s growth during Outdoor Pursuits?
Rachel Keyworth - The growth of the students is immeasurable. I think the students get here and they don't know what to expect, and we love that about it. As a group unit leader, we meet our community, and we start making our meals, and there can be some resistance to the buy in because it's a little rugged. In can be very weather dependent. We had a rainy first night, morale wasn't the best. The growth happens in the small moments. I think it happens in the sharing of resources. For example, It can happen when somebody is really good at starting a stove, and helps another group learn that skill. Those are great moments.
During one of the days, I had somebody that had never lit a match before. And learning that one skill changed our entire perspective on the week because she had a win. And now she can lean into that win, and all of a sudden, it was the best day of her week. They feel like small things in the moment, but they're really big things that these students are trying for the first time in an uncomfortable environment. They're seeing the growth, they're building community, and they're building relationships. I tell my campers, I may not have seen their faces on campus until meeting them at Outdoor Pursuits, but come the fall semester, we're going to see each other all the time.
The students have expanded their paw print, and now they have more peers to lean on, more people to bond with. I truly believe that Outdoor Pursuits is such a retention builder for students on the fence, whether they're an undeclared major or they're thinking that they haven't really found their footing. Students find their footing at Outdoor Pursuits, and that stays with them forever.
How would you describe the learning environment during Outdoor Pursuits?
Rachel Keyworth - The environment here is very much a growth mindset. Nothing is going to be perfect right away. We know that and we're a comfortable place for the students to learn something new. You might fail the first time, but the goal is to do better next time, refine the skill, and apply the skill everyone here wants to teach. Everyone at Outdoor Pursuits wants to help each person get better.
Whether that's making a fire, or time management, we're here to help students with all of those things. I think the leadership at Outdoor Pursuits and East Campus is really human centered. We're always checking in with the students and their well-being. We talk about being 1% better than you were yesterday.
The environment at East Campus during Outdoor Pursuits is such a supportive, uplifting place. As leaders, we want to push students forward and drive their momentum forward so that when they leave, they're just better than where they started the week.
What are some of your favorite Outdoor Pursuits moments?
Rachel Keyworth - Some of my favorite moments are the small ones. Seeing groups of students that would have never spoken on campus, talking about life, making connections about their world and making plans.
It's the light bulb moments when the students realize that the themes that we're practicing each day are transcendent through all of the classes. And then there's the application of, okay, in the fall, I could do this because I did this at East Campus.
How have you been involved at East Campus as both a student, and now faculty member?
Rachel Keyworth - As an undergraduate student, I started working at East Campus doing maintenance work. I did everything from cleaning the bathrooms, to sealing the floors, to trail maintenance. And then I broke into the facilitation role during my sophomore year after taking the class. I started facilitating groups, and I fell in love with it.
An important note is working as a group facilitator helped me find my career path. Starting my sophomore year, I was a student facilitator for small groups, large groups, sports teams, you name it. Next, I became the graduate assistant at East Campus, which was the most transformative experience of my life. It was working at Camp Massasoit when I decided that I wanted to be a Recreational Therapist.
I was a challenge course director during Camp Massasoit, and it opened up my world to the possibilities of accessible recreation. At East Campus, we had partnerships with the Mass Commission of the Blind, and I was able to work with individuals, visual impairments, on the challenge course.
East Campus is the best outdoor learning lab and we have access to it at Springfield College. I make it a priority to get out to East Campus as much as possible with my students. I think it’s important to show our students what East Campus can do for their learning, and the positive impact it can have on our community.
How do you describe East Campus to others?
Rachel Keyworth - East Campus is kind of that deep breath you didn't know you needed. The setting at East Campus reminds you to pause and take that intentional breath. Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Ben Taylor ’99, G’16 and Associate Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Angela Veatch G’07 challenge you in this amazing way that accelerates growth. You leave East Campus, a harder worker, a better thinker, and you leave with that humanities mindset of how am I going to apply what I did here to where I'm going to end up in my professional field.
I think especially like the way the world is now. It's so technology driven. It's busy and we're fast moving. We forget to pause. East Campus is that pause for Springfield College. The environment pushes you to ignite all of your senses. Everybody should consider spending time at East Campus to take that deep breath and just experience yourself.
