Ellie Shea-Graff

• Facilitate high-quality outdoor education programmes for diverse groups, ensuring safe, engaging, and life changing experiences.
• Course direct multi-day and specialist programmes, overseeing planning, logistics, and delivery.
• Manage and coordinate day camps and large-scale corporate events, ensuring smooth operations and high client satisfaction
• Train, mentor, and assess instructional staff, including signing off competencies across a range of outdoor activities.
• Oversee programme management, maintaining standards, schedules, and risk assessments.
• Act as the primary point of contact for instructors, providing on-the-ground support.
• Manage the First Aid department, ensuring compliance, staff readiness, and appropriate response to incidents.

Dorchester Learning Centre is an alternative provision school for students that find themselves between mainstream education.

• Lead for outdoor education interventions.
• Organise diverse outdoor education sessions including hiking, bushcraft and forest school, watersports, indoor rock climbing and bouldering, fossil hunting, crabbing, mountain biking, swimming, rock hopping etc.
• Work with a variety of students, from permanently excluded (behavioural), AHDH, impoverished, extreme anxiety, self harm, young carers, long term sickness and SEND.
• Cater sessions to individual student requirements for effective learning including bespoke 1:1 sessions.
• Employ adaptability in response to the complexities of each student's situation and needs.
• Facilitate compulsory outdoor education for all students from primary to secondary year 11.

With 7 years experience as an outdoor educator, I was able to hit the ground running at YMCA Lakeside and deliver exceptional, outdoor education programs to a huge variety of young people.

• Dynamically tailored and adapted sessions to aid with engagement for all students, including HAF (holiday activities and food) students during summer camps.
• Worked alongside a team of experienced instructors to deliver unforgettable outdoor experiences, using each others strengths to optimise the session.
• Used the outdoors as a tool for experiential learning.

Hillary outdoors was an incredible and unique place to work, allowing their instructors the freedom to plan their entire program. They operate on and off site in Tongariro National Park and would also extend their operational area out to Taupo Lake and Kailmanawa Ranges depending on the capability of the groups.

As an instructor, I would plan and execute each day depending on the ability and needs of my group, taking into account the weather for the week. I would make decisions on the activities and layout of the program so the participants could successfully complete their outcome i.e. leadership, resilience etc. All routes and overnight locations would also be part of my planning.

List of activities -

• Summer alpine hiking & scrambling (incl. steep ground)
• Winter alpine hiking & scrambling
• Off track bushwalking
• Rock climbing (natural & bolted)
• Abseiling (natural & bolted)
• Alpine overnight (tents/snow caves)
• Bush overnight (tarping/tents)
• Canoeing
• Sea kayaking
• Caving
• High Ropes & low ropes
• Bushcraft

please see log book for full details

• Led multi-day expeditions in bush environments and residential trips, ensuring safety and engagement.
• Specialised in on and off track navigation, canoeing, high ropes, and abseiling.
• Assisted in ocean and beach activities, including snorkelling and sea kayaking.

Please see log book for full details of programs

• Group led multi-day bush walking/canoeing expeditions, 16 day Graduation program (May/June) and 24 day Rights of Passage program (August) with students from Hong Kong.
• Activity specialist in bush walking, canoeing, abseiling and high ropes.
• Oversaw development of an intern during 24 day program.
• Logistics/Site management for 24 day Rights of Passage program (July).
• Abseil Guide throughout both Rights of Passage programs.
• 16 day & 24 day programs included multiple expeditions and on site & off site activity days.

please see my log book for full details of programs.

• Led expeditions across Victoria for all ages up to year 10 in bush, water, and abseiling environments.
• Supervised high rope sessions and managed abseiling on natural and artificial rock.
• Specialised in bush walking and rock climbing/abseil activities, ensuring safety and engagement.
• Tailored programmes to align with specific learning outcomes for clients.
• Addressed challenging situations involving hazardous wildlife unique to Australia.

• Coordinated and led residential outdoor activity trips for diverse groups.
• Conducted thorough risk assessments to prioritise participant safety.
• Administered first aid and reported incidents as necessary.
• Planned engaging outdoor activities for various age groups, including S.E.N. and scouts.
• Utilised motivational leadership techniques to enhance participant engagement and support.
• Trained new team members to uphold high operational standards.
• Inspected activity equipment regularly to ensure safety compliance.
• Facilitated experiential learning through reflective tools and activities.

List of activities -

Hill walking, High ropes, Rock climbing (artificial), Abseiling, Giant Zipwire and standard zipwire, 3G swing, Aerial walkway, Tree climb, Archery, Kayaking (still water), Canoeing (still water), Raft building, Caving (artificial), Bushcraft shelter building, Bushcraft fire lighting, Bushcraft cordage making, Low ropes, Problem solving & Team initiatives, Buggy building, Nightline, Laser tag, Campfire, Bottle rockets, Frisbee golf, Environmental arts.