The outdoor environment provides excellent and often unparalleled opportunities for education and personal development, and it is with this in mind that we are planning such opportunities for pupils at Scarborough College.
In October of 2009 we embarked on our first major overseas expedition to Morocco with a group of 19 pupils and 2 staff from Scarborough College. The purpose of this expedition was to experience a culture and environment very different to our own, and we certainly did that! Shopping in the souks of Marrakech and climbing the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, Mt Toubkal, provided real contrast and experiences most of the group could never have imagined before. However, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the trip for many was the opportunity to work on various projects in the village of Aroumd in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Working with the locals on track improvements and clearing irrigation channels, and playing football in the street with the local children, were all real eye openers and provided memories that will stay with us forever.
Following the success of the Morocco expedition we set our sights further afield and decided to visit Borneo in the summer of 2011. An ascent of Mt Kinabalu at just over 4000m, a jungle trek and camp, working as volunteers at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and relaxing on a tropical island, all came together to provide the perfect way to experience the delights of Borneo and most importantly to give something back.
These expeditions are about much more than a holiday. They are about experiencing cultures and environments that exist for many just in books or pictures, learning about the threats to our planet and what we can do help, however little, and helping each individual to push the boundaries of what they can achieve, in a challenging but controlled environment. There are inherent risks involved in any trip of this sort but, with careful management and risk assessment, these are minimised. It is for the attention to detail in this regard that we book our expeditions through Outlook Expeditions. Outlook has significant experience of running trips around the world and they always ensure that all their destinations are carefully checked first hand by their experienced staff at regular intervals.
In preparation for these major expeditions we have been looking at expanding our outdoor activity provision lower down the school. In Year 7 & 8 pupils now have the opportunity to join a 2 day activity trip to the Lake District and we are looking at other opportunities that we could provide for our pupils in challenging environments in the UK and overseas, alongside existing opportunities through CCF and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
For the future we are currently looking at destinations for a 3 to 4 week expedition in the summer of 2014. This may seem a long way off but, in terms of expedition planning, it will soon be upon us. We hope that a new group of Scarborough pupils from the current Years 9-11 (Year 11 and Sixth Form at the time) will choose to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity and travel to one of the many challenging and fascinating destinations that our world has to offer.
Richard Robson
