Learning Expeditions Innovation in Mental Health
Learning Expeditions are study trips. ‘Trip’ is not the correct word for what we offer. We rather call it our Learning Expeditions. ‘It’s not tourism’, it is hard labour. Physically, the journey will tire you. Mentally, you will gain inspiration and energy for years to come. Real life experiences, on the spot, simply last longer in your memory than a textbook. This is demonstrated by research. You must get away from home to gain and build up new beliefs and knowledge. Learning by doing, learning by sharing. Start a dialogue with each other and other cultures. Participants recognize the undeniable impact of traveling and learning at the same time. Even years after their return, the inspiring and knowledge-enhancing nature of the trips will linger on. Not infrequently have people made personal choices during their learning expedition that directly led to success and a turning point in their professional and personal life.
The Learning Expeditions are a concept developed by Rokus Loopik. Since 2002 he organized these trips for people working in Mental Health or consumers. This is the field where he originally started working as a nurse about 35 years ago. More than 250 people travelled with him to various cities in the world; New York, Philadelphia, Bucharest, Kansas, Poughkeepsie, Glasgow, Netherlands, Norway, etcetera.
The concept of the Learning Expeditions is now also extended to Education, the field where Rokus, since a number of years was employed. He has sought the cooperation with Anja de Bakker, Robert Stompff and Bowen Paulle, all working in innovative education. Together they have taken the initiative to organize Learning Experiences to special education institutes in the world. Institutes that make a difference. For more information; see Innovation in Education.
The motivation for organizing these Learning Expeditions are developed as a result from a professional view on education, as well as from personal motives. The initiators are sure that the expeditions provide participants with a different perspective on Mental Health. Not care systems where the focus is mainly on quantity and numerical performance, but Mental Health Programs and People who focus on talents and making a positive contribution to the lives of people with sever challenges.
For seven days participants will visit a variety of educational institutions in New York and other cities.
The aim of the Expeditions
Our goal is taking professionals away from their natural environment and confront them with new, different and innovative ways of teaching. By travelling to foreign countries and cities, professionals can’t rely on old believes and they need to adjust to another, a new, often strange culture. It offers participants a chance to gain unexpected new insights and inspiration, to network, to meet people they would otherwise never meet and thus to broaden their horizons. All things considered, participants build up new beliefs and new innovative energy, with which they can initiate new projects within their institutions, after returning to their home country. The effect of these trips is phenomenal and long after returning people witness a changed view of their believes, convictions and work.
Are you willing to broaden your horizon? Are you interested in this mind blowing experience?
Speaking in the language of Usain Bolt.
“Are you ready? I am ready! Let’s go!”.