Fundación Club del Bosque

Valdivia, Región de Los Ríos

Fundación Club del Bosque is a non-profit organisation founded in 2021 in Valdivia, Chile, to promote Outdoor Learning as a meaningful educational approach that connects children and young people with nature. The Foundation currently operates a kindergarten and a primary school serving 120 students, while also fostering connections between educators, school communities and decision-makers to expand access to outdoor learning across Chile.

Each year, the Foundation organises the National Outdoor Learning Seminar, a two-day gathering that brings together educators, researchers and school communities to exchange knowledge and practice in nature-based education. The 2025 edition welcomed more than 170 participants from 29 communes, and this year's third edition, will be held on 4–5 September 2026 in Valdivia.

The 2026 Seminar will place a stronger emphasis on community-building and the participation of educators from urban, rural and under-resourced schools. It will also feature Professor Pete Higgins from the University of Edinburgh, as keynote speaker, an internationally recognised leader in outdoor and sustainability education. His participation builds on a collaboration initiated through a visit by the Foundation's founder, Claudia Contreras, to the University of Edinburgh in 2025, strengthening knowledge exchange between Chile and the UK in outdoor learning.

Many participating educators work in schools with limited resources and little access to professional development in nature-based pedagogy. A grant from the Anglo Chilean Society funded scholarship places for teachers who would otherwise be unable to attend, ensuring the Seminar remains accessible to educators from under-resourced schools across Chile.