Reconnect with Rise Outdoors

About our founder - James Cameron

I am a full-time Outdoor Education teacher on the Mornington Peninsula. I love my job in teaching and sharing a passion for the Outdoors and I lead trips regularly throughout the year.

I have worked in the Outdoor industry since I was 18 and built up a raft of experience alongside a passion for the local area. I would like to share this passion with the next generation and offer an opportunity for local youngsters to get outside over the holidays with a trained professional and like-minded individuals.

My hope and desire for the program is to allow students to disconnect from devices, reconnect to the environment and those around them, build a sense of self pride, respect for our local history and each other.

I cannot wait to get started, exploring our local backyard one adventure at a time.

Our team

Alongside our founder, we have an amazing team of qualified Outdoor Educators who work across the Mornington Peninsula in secondary schools. They bring a mix of expertise, unique skills and knowledge, and perhaps most importantly, love the outdoors as much as James does.

Our values

We value and respect our local environment and focus on developing a program that is educational, fun and gives children a chance to reconnect with their surroundings and others. To support this our values are:

Disconnect to reconnect

Appreciate our environment

Build self-pride

Respect one and all

Historical appreciation

Our focus areas

Disconnecting from phones and building friendships

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Spending time outdoors offers a rare opportunity to disconnect from our phones and reconnect with the people around us. When we put our devices away, we become more present in the moment, more aware of the natural world, and more open to forming genuine connections with others. By choosing to unplug, we make space for connection—with each other and with the environment around us.

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

The plants that grow around us are more than just scenery—they carry stories, uses, and value that often go unnoticed. Learning about local flora deepens our connection to the land and helps us understand the ways in which nature has supported life long before our time. By recognising the usefulness and beauty of the plants in our area, we not only gain practical knowledge but also foster respect for the ecosystems we explore.

Showing respect for each person in the group

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Showing respect for each person in the group

Being part of a group outdoors means sharing space, responsibilities, and experiences—and that requires mutual respect. Respect shows up in how we listen, speak, help one another, and recognize everyone’s unique contributions. A group that treats each member with respect will find more joy in the journey and build a stronger, more supportive community.

Building self-pride

History of the local area

Showing respect for each person in the group

Outdoor experiences are powerful opportunities to build self-pride. Whether it's reaching the top of a hill, or simply stepping outside one’s comfort zone, each success is a chance to feel proud. True pride comes not just from success, but from knowing that we showed up, gave our best, and learned something new along the way.

History of the local area

The places we explore outdoors are full of history, often deeper and more complex than we first realise. Understanding the history of the local area allows us to appreciate it more fully and respectfully. Many landscapes were once home to indigenous communities whose stories, traditions, and knowledge still echo through the land today. It reminds us that we are not the first to be here, and encourages a sense of gratitude and responsibility for the land and its legacy.

Engaging outdoor learning

History of the local area

Children will “participate in play that promotes engagement with outdoor settings including aquatic and the natural environment.” This will be done throughout the course of the walk and education will be provided to ensure participants are building understanding around safe practices with the outdoors. These are clear sub-strands of the Victorian Curriculum.

Rise Outdoors curriculum information

We have developed our program to include links to the Victorian Curriculum to enhance each of our hikes with relevant education and give children the opportunity to practice behaviours that promote social engagement with peers and leaders.

The sub-strands of the curriculum include:

Exploring a range of ways to play and be active in outdoor, aquatic or natural settings
Understanding how to be safe in the outdoors through play in natural environments
Identifying how personal qualities contribute to identities
Recognising how individual personalities and teamwork contribute to achieving success in physical activities
Exploring how personal and cultural identities change over time
Investigating how personal and cultural identities are influenced by the groups and communities to which we belong and the places to which we feel connected

Reconnect with Rise Outdoors

About our founder - James Cameron

Our team

Our values

Our focus areas

Disconnecting from phones and building friendships

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Showing respect for each person in the group

Understanding the uses of the flora in our local area

Showing respect for each person in the group

Building self-pride

History of the local area

Showing respect for each person in the group

History of the local area

History of the local area

History of the local area

Engaging outdoor learning

History of the local area

History of the local area

Rise Outdoors curriculum information

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