We are thrilled to share that our Founder, Austin Rogers, has been awarded the Innovation Award from the 2025 Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC) for her work with Rooted Life Adventures!
This prestigious award celebrates emerging ideas and practices that shape the future of wilderness risk management. As the 2025 winners, Austin Rogers and Rooted Life Adventures were recognized for their approach to addressing the mental health needs of Gen Z participants in outdoor adventure settings. RLA Programs help this generation grow, thrive, and stay safe while exploring the world around them.
It is an absolute honor to be acknowledged in this way. What makes this recognition even more meaningful is that Austin was nominated by the incredible Denise Mitten. Denise is a true giant in the field of outdoor risk management.
Here’s the full text of Denise’s nomination.
“I nominated Austin Rogers and her work with Rooted Life Adventures for the Innovation in Wilderness Risk Management Award. Austin’s work has resulted in ideas and practices that both shape and extend wilderness risk management. Austin’s recent professional innovation addressing Gen Z’s mental health needs has the potential to evolve wider thinking and practices within outdoor risk management.
Rooted Life Adventures is an international residential program for young adults who want an immersive experiential learning adventure. Their adventure excursions include surf lessons, waterfall rappelling, whitewater rafting, overnight kayaking adventures, jungle hikes, and beach watersports. Groups spend 10 to 12 weeks together. Risk management during outdoor programs includes managing risks that derive from participants’ mental health. This includes their emotional, social, and spiritual health, too.
Austin realized a need after working a number of years in gap programming and being trained as an adventure guide.
Austin understood that when teens and older adolescents left home and engaged in adventure programs, especially after COVID, they needed to be better resourced. So, Austin designed a program for teens and emerging adults that significantly reduces mental health risks. All whilst allowing young people to flourish in an adventure program. Austin’s progressive approach to risk management is to deeply integrate psychoeducation and therapeutic support into the rhythm of programming to better resource students during their residential program. As well as help them learn tools and life skills to carry forward after the program ends.
Rooted Life Adventures has demonstrated these outcomes for students. Showing that mental health risks can be managed and reduced through weaving psychoeducation into daily routines with help of therapeutic coaches. Participants can remain in intentional and scheduled contact with their current therapist in their home country.
Austin’s work has implications for the broader outdoor and adventure sectors. Many organizations are now incorporating training for their leaders in what some people term ‘clinical first aid’. This means specific training in mental health considerations while participants engage in outdoor adventure programming. At Rooted Life Adventures, therapeutic coaches are part of the residential program. They help participants learn and practice skills to have vulnerable conversations with a peer or navigate cultural differences.
Research reports that as many as 79% of Gen Z report feeling ‘lonely all the time.’
Reports of self-harm in the United States were trending downward before COVID-19. However, they have now reversed, and maladaptive behaviors surpass pre-pandemic levels. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems have risen by over 40% since the pandemic began. At the same time, Gen Z deeply craves connection, individuality, and authenticity (in themselves and others).
Because of the integrative experience at RLA, students often take ownership of their experiences and build meaning from them in real time. They can sustain long-term mental health practices because they have built healthy habits and increased their stress management skills. Program staff weave this psychoeducational approach into the daily rhythm of the program. Instead of relying on lectures or worksheets, they create space for psychoeducational conversations and guided experiences that have meaningful connections to everyday life. Participants immediately apply what they’re learning to their own growth. Concurrently, therapeutic coaches, adapting their support to fit individual needs, help students build insight. They also build confidence at a pace that feels right – including being challenged in ways that feel manageable and meaningful. Rooted Life Adventures does not wait for mental health challenges to occur and then addresses them. Their staff makes learning and practicing mental health skills a cornerstone of their daily program.”
A word from Austin.
“I am so grateful to Denise, to the WRMC Steering Committee, and to everyone who has supported Rooted Life Adventures over the years. This award is a reflection of our amazing team and the brave, curious, and resilient students who come on this journey with us. We can’t wait to continue evolving our programs, innovating in outdoor adventure risk management, and helping young adults flourish in both mind and spirit.
Here’s to more adventures, more growth, and more meaningful impact!”
—Austin
You can find out more about Austin and the Rooted Life Advenures story here.