The year 2024 was another great one for The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). From groundbreaking program launches to prestigious accreditations, we’ve continued to grow, innovate, and strengthen our commitment to education and adventure. Here’s a look at our top milestones from 2024: Celebrating 15 Years of Excellence In 2024, we celebrated…

…If you follow us on Facebook, you may have read about a Community Outreach grant we recently received from the Vertex Railcar Corporation — a startup that’s focused on building the next generation of safe rail tank cars. Vertex and The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education’s (NCOAE) are neighbors here in Wilmington, N.C….

…A few weeks ago, we published Part 1 of this series, which covers what we here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) view as the trending best practices to know about in outdoor and adventure-based experiential education.  Here, in Part 2 of this series, we introduce you to Restorative Practices, and…

…How do I get the patient care experience I need to get into medical school if I’m not a doctor? Discover ways to get hands on experience now….

…Check out the organizations that NCOAE is directly affiliated with and explore our list of resources to learn more about outdoor education….

NCOAE offers select high school credits through Blueprint Education, an accredited distance learning school for grades 8 through 12….

…On a recent early morning bike ride along some local wooded trails, I happen to stumble upon the greatest of beginners: a group of children playing with rocks, moss, and whatever “loose parts” they could lay their hands on. I smile and ride right past them, unwilling to break the spell. But then I spot…

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.” ~ Saint Augustine On those many occasions when schools, clubs, organizations, or companies ask us to come up with an adventure/education excursion for their group, we don’t reach into a cabinet and pull out a cookie-cutter version of a wilderness…

…In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we discuss the integral role EMT professionals play in supporting communities after natural disasters….

Partner with NCOAE as a College or University and give your students a unique experience. Request a custom program today!…

…Professional development — learning that allows you to earn or maintain professional credentials — is key to career planning, especially when it comes to considering a career in the outdoor adventure and education industry. Much more than participating in a bunch of classes, our sector of the outdoor industry looks favorably on applicants with wilderness…

…Explore the remote Pacific Northwest, on a 25-day wilderness expedition!…

…At first glance, our website might lead the casual observer to surmise that our organization, The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE), is just another run-of-the-mill for-profit business. The kind of outfit where the owners get rich by running adventure-based trips for children from well-to-do families to exotic destinations around the globe. Truth…

…If you’re thinking about enrolling in a Teen Adventure Course and you’re wondering how to prepare, then this blog post is for you! It’s a daily occurrence here at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). Someone calls or writes to ask how should they prepare for one of our courses. And while…

We’re pleased to announce that The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) has received approval from the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services to offer an intensive 19-day EMT-Basic training. And what that means to anyone interested in securing their EMT-Basic credentials is that within three…

…If you look atop our website, you’ll see a unique diamond-shaped icon to the left of our organization’s name, and that new brand mark is, well, brand new to us. The name “brand mark,” by the way, is just another fancy way to say “logo,” and we’re really happy to tell you how we came…

We have a formula here at the National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) and it reads like this: Self + Community + Action = Impact. In fact, self is the backbone of what we do at NCOAE. It involves our esteem, self-actualization and the decisions we choose to make — all of which…

Editor’s Note: Stephen Mullaney, NCOAE’s lead instructor, recently returned from our first-ever program abroad — an expedition to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Stephen led a group of South Korean high school teens on a six-day expedition through portions of this mystical and spiritual country. Below are his reflections on what he describes as…

…Say what you will about global warming, climate change and other hemispheric anomalies, but there’s no question in anybody’s mind that a Category 4 hurricane is making a direct bullseye run at Wilmington, N.C., and The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE) headquarters facilities. The good news is that our staff have all…

…Laura Moore @ GWBJ. | June 16, 2025 By Laura Moore Not all educational programs are alike. The core philosophies and values vary from organization to organization. But the Wilmington-based National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education is in a class by itself. Tucked away within a haven of live oak trees off River Road…