We regularly partner with local schools and this glowing feedback (below) is from a teacher at a college in Auckland. These students were identified as having struggles with their teachers, challenges at home and challenges with each other.

“We hoped the boys might feel valued and learn new skills over the course of the day trips and be able to bring those skills back to school. The group’s experience exceeded our expectations. At the end of each day, they came back to school energised and full of stories about the day. They enjoyed being able to engage with nature and to challenge themselves. Their reflections are very positive and mention how the programme has changed them. The programme helped build stronger relationships between the boys, and also between them with us as a school. We appreciated being able to send staff along with students so they could build stronger relationships with the boys, outside of a school context. The students’ relationship with these teachers has grown and they appear more ready to accept that we are keen to invest in them.”

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A story from one of our outdoor adventure programmes:

“There was a boy that didn’t know how to swim but he got really involved in the water activities and even swam down a big rapid and did some jumps into the water wearing a life jacket. On the last day, we do one-on-one reflections with the students, and he told me that he was happy that he overcame his fear of jumping in the water.

“Overall, the students decided to focus on respect for their last expedition. They said the culture in their class can be really negative and mean. So they intentionally worked on their manners, not taking jokes too far, and thinking about putting themselves in other people’s shoes and how they would feel.”

– Instructor Anna with students from a college in Auckland

(Thank you to Twinkl for sharing this blog post in their series on Keeping Children Healthy.)

The post A Heart-warming Story appeared first on Adventure Specialties Trust.

Fun.

A lot of fun.

Plus laughter, confidence, team work, and a little bit of splashing …

Adventure Specialties took some students from Rutherford College on a kayaking adventure around Leigh wharf, north of Auckland.

The purpose of the trip was to allow young women the opportunity to participate in non-traditional sports.

As well as exploring the area inside this sheltered harbour, the students also:

• took turns leading the group,
• competed at spinning around 360 degrees as fast as possible,
• helped each other climb from one kayak to another, and
• did a problem-solving team building exercise on the beach.

Check out photos from the day …

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