Developing Leaders Through Adventure

iALA Educate is a unique South African adventure-based leadership institution believing in enabling and developing Leaders through Adventure.

The iALA experience creates the environment for leaders in a prescribed social environment, to explore the South African physical environment in expedition style, exposed to a set of problem-solving tasks.

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About iALA

iALA is a unique South African adventure-based leadership program. This value-based program enabling young adults to Leaders in their future careers. At iALA, you’ll learn to develop basic management, leadership skills, personal and practical skills, all very useful in order to successfully tackle your first / current or future career. 

We believe in the importance of developing potential and use Adventure-base learning as the stimulus to give this initiative energy and making the program sustainable for personal development. By using the learn-by-do-method, every experience enable students to excel as leaders. In other words adventure becomes the medium for sustainable personal growth. The theme of adventure and accountability is therefore the greatest priority to test our value system.

Our values focus on the 5 qualities of leadership and therefore forms the backbone to achieve these development goals; 

  • CHARACTER that illustrates AUTHENTICITY
  • COMPETENCE and ALIGNMENT with technical leadership skills
  • COURAGE to work with a VISION
  • COACHABILITY that illustrates AGILITY
  • CLARITY of PURPOSE

iALA students will live in and experience a community that embraces the tourism and outdoor industries in South Africa. Surrounded by sea, river & nature, Stilbaai supply a plethora of outdoor activities, from open water swimming, sea kayaking, surfing and canoeing to mountain biking, hiking and kloofing.  The region also supports a host of adventure opportunities, that serve and support the thriving outdoor industry.

Each and every one of us wants to go on an adventure from time to time without learning how to do this adventure (your personal adventure skills) from scratch. iALA helps you fulfil one of your “wish list” dreams.

Adventure-based Program

Our Adventure-based programs inspires passion for self-development and transformation by providing opportunities to explore and learn Leadership skills through outdoor adventure. In other words, the integrated curriculum provides transferable skills to all aspects of life through comprehensive coursework in practical skills, Leadership styles, interpersonal development, communication, group dynamics, expedition planning, adventure programming, adventure experience, risk management, and social, environmental and economic stewardship.

What you learn in the process is what we call experiential learning and developing a preferred learning style. This is a powerful way to learn the lessons because it is for life. When you hike through the Fish River Canyon, you learn resilience. When you help your group solve problems, you learn communication. Not fully knowing where the path will lead, you learn to make decisions in the face of uncertainty. When you reflect on this experience with your mentors & instructors, they become more than skills for navigating the hike — they become skills for life.

What is Outdoor Adventure Leadership?

Outdoor Adventure Leadership encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and activities, but a common thread runs through all experiences, focusing on developing and increasing intra- and inter-personal relations, leadership abilities, personal well-being, and ecological mindfulness. Leadership skills gained on expeditions to remote areas of the world transfer to any context where high quality leaders are needed. Completing an expedition teaches tenacity, perseverance, the power of teamwork, grit, overcoming obstacles, and reaching a common goal. iALA students learn all these skills and know how to transfer them to all aspects of life.

Programs, Expeditions & Events 

We offer outdoor adventure experiences. iALA cater for GAP YEAR students after school where we focus on personal & Identity development through a mental reset over a period of 40 weeks. Young adults need to get in touch with the real self, outside school and the comfort of a normal household. In addition we also offers formal Cathsseta qualifications from NQF level 5 in Adventure-Based learning.

The Events , Expeditions and Training programs that run through the year include, mountain biking events like the WINDPOMP SJERRIE MTB. Expeditions like hiking, mountaineering , kloofing and hunting. As well as training in ocean paddling, survival, SCUBA Diving, open water swimming, surfing.

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