Experiential educators' views and opinions of youth's interactions with their environment during the sailing expedition: An exploratory case study of the Nova Scotia Sea School

The sailing expedition is a setting in which youth experience rapid change and find their place in a unique social hierarchy. This exploratory case study interviewed 14 experiential educators with the Nova Scotia Sea School (NSSS) to discover their perception of youth's interactions with their social, physical, and natural environments in the context of the sailing expedition to determine if the instructor's work constitutes youth mental health promotion. This exploratory case study utilized a qualitative and naturalistic approach to data collection and analysis. These data indicate the instructors' work does constitute mental health promotion as identified in the Canadian Mental Health Association's Mental Health Promotion Practice Framework; by supporting many protective factors known to promote resilience and mental health. Recommendations for programming and areas of future research explore how best to share NSSS best practices with mental health promotion practitioners.