Outdoors

Outdoors Scholarships for Skills for Life

Sally Ryder Taylor describes a new Outward Bound Trust initiative

The Outward Bound Trust has been helping young people unlock their full potential while gaining new skills, confidence and resilience for 75 years. To celebrate this anniversary, the Trust is offering 100 scholarships for their Skills for Life Award in summer 2017.

Originally founded after the First World War to help merchant seamen improve their seafaring skills, the educational charity has gone from strength to strength in the intervening years. Now a household name in experiential outdoor residential courses, the Trust offers a variety of courses from their five centres in beautiful wilderness settings, in Scotland, Wales and the Lake District.

Young people participating in the Trust’s challenging outdoor learning programmes come away equipped with a range of valuable skills that prepare them for education, work and life in general. Ongoing evaluation of these courses shows that young participants are more effective in school, college or the workplace afterwards. Not only do they gain in confidence, communication skills and teamwork, but teachers and parents also note improvements in attitudes and academic attainment.

The Skills for Life Award

The Trust has recently developed a unique 19-day summer course, geared to personal development for 15-19 year olds and focusing particularly on the transition into adulthood, whether that involves embarking on A levels, applying for university or entering the world of work. In an ever more competitive world, the Award seeks to help young people to stand out amongst their peers.

As well as the Trust’s trademark outdoor adventure challenges such as hiking, climbing, kayaking and overnight camping expeditions, this course also focuses on individual reflection, leading to a 12-month action plan of personal goals that will help young people continue their progress after they have achieved their award and completed the course. Participants come away with a reference from their instructor that is of great ‘added value’ in their adult life to come.

Highly skilled and experienced Outward Bound® instructors guide the participants individually, through 1:1 personal coaching sessions, as well as in team activities. Challenges are designed to develop confidence, emotional intelligence, leadership, communication and team-working skills. The skills

Pausing on the hike.

are developed through socially and physically demanding activities, including time in teams and time alone, where new accomplishments can be tried and tested.

The Scholarship and how to apply

Thanks to the generosity of the Trust’s donors, 100 Skills for Life Award Scholarship places are available for summer courses in 2017. To be eligible for a Scholarship, students must be a UK resident/ passport holder, aged between 15-19 years on the start date of the course and be able to raise the remaining balance of the course fee.

Each Skills for Life Award Scholarship is worth up to £824 (50% of the total course fee). The total amount awarded to each scholarship place is not based on financial circumstance. Each application will be assessed on the individual’s appetite for personal development through outdoor learning, based on the strength of the answers provided on their application. All applications are subject to standard terms and conditions including medical screening and enrolment criteria.

Students can apply for a scholarship for 2017 and receive more information by visiting: www.obtrustscholarships.org

Two case studies

When Outward Bound Trustee Dame Louise Makin came to Alton Convent School last year to talk about the opportunities that the Trust can offer young people, she so inspired student Joanna Tomlinson that she then applied for a sponsored place on a Skills for Life Award course.

Jo’s parents wanted her to have the sort of Outward Bound experience that didn’t involve phones and new technology and were pleasantly surprised that Jo genuinely didn’t miss using social media during the course. She found that she loved the hiking and orienteering in particular and she met such a diverse group of people that it really helped her appreciate how different others’ lives were from her own. Importantly, the course instilled team spirit and helped Jo become less judgmental of others.

Kay Tomlinson, Jo’s mother comments: “Jo likes to try new experiences and this gave her the chance to really go off the beaten track and try to see how brave she could be.” Jo came away with an increased ability to stand up for herself and with greater competence and confidence in her ability to try new things. Jo herself says: “I think everyone should do this, especially if they are uncertain about it. At the end you feel so positive that you’ve managed to do things you wouldn’t normally do!”

Emily Reed, a pupil at The Queen’s School in Chester, did her Skills for Life Award last summer, aged 15. Gaining a sponsored place on the course at the Trust’s Aberdovey Centre in Wales, Emily didn’t really know what to expect but she wanted to become more confident with being out of her comfort zone. Viv Reed, Emily’s mother explains: “We were hoping that by doing the award she might find an increased awareness of her abilities and be able to conquer any fears she might have, including her fear of heights.”

In addition to knowing that the award will help her stand out on her university application form, Emily explains that the course helped her to develop her leadership skills, gave her a better understanding of the importance of team work and she has become more resilient.

Emily describes what the impact has been for her by doing the course. “Before I did the Skills for Life Award I was very anxious to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and struggled to handle working under pressure. After completing the course last summer I am more open to challenges and am better at remaining calm and dealing with stressful and pressured situations. I also had a fear of heights, but thanks to the amazing support of the instructors and the other members of my team I was able to face this fear. Once I’d abseiled down a cliff face I felt like I could achieve anything!” Sally Ryder Taylor is The Outward Bound Trust press officer.

Safe ashore.