Abstract
Czech education in nature and outdoor sports (especially rowing, water sports, skiing and cycling) has been influenced by the indigenous approach of turistika activities, which includes active movement (travelling on foot or by bike, skies, and canoe), outdoor and cultural activities (learning about nature, local history and sights, theatre, and life of local people). However, commercialism, commoditisation and semi-privatisation of various outdoor leisure forms have impacted recent outdoor changes since the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
This presentation reviews the effect of these changes on the recent development of experiential outdoor education programmes. We argue that other societal changes are also impacting on the indigenous outdoor culture.
There has been an increasing emphasis centred on achievement of physically challenging adventurous activities in natural environments, such as ropes courses. This has also resulted in increasing regulations and required accreditation from Czech and European Union authority.
Time spent on such activities is less, as are numbers of volunteers to organise courses. The effect may have produced both positive and negative results because of these changes, but careful consideration is needed if future generations are to benefit from the creativity and innovation of the Czech turistika activities and education in nature.