Youth programmes

Before they start:

“I don’t need to do it, I have camped before.”
“I’m worried to join because I am shy / nervous.”
“I don’t like hiking / nature / the outdoors.”
“It’s the holidays, I just want to relax.”

Afterwards, they say:

“I felt completely at home from the start.”
“I made friends for life.”
“OMG I had so much fun; it wasn’t anything like I expected”
“I never knew I was able to do some of the things I did.”
“It was often quite challenging, and I’m very proud of what I achieved.”
“I did learn a lot, but it didn’t feel like learning.”

We’ll hike, wild camp, play games, do archery, chill out in hammocks, fool around until late round the fire, plus whatever else we happen to feel like at the time.  I have hundreds of suggestions to offer, but the days are not planned.

And all this time (13 days / 9 night for Wolf Pack), they are with people who they have found they are making very good friends with, through all these shared experience.

In order to dispel the natural assumptions that tend to be made, I always stress that these programmes are not School, and they are not Summercamp.  And it’s not Extreme Survival.

It’s about freedom, risk, adventure and being able to skilfully look after yourself in the woods and hills (and in life).

There is no syllabus or teaching. It’s through the nature of our activities – living in the woods, and expeditions in the hills – that we’ll learn valuable skills that we actually need to put to use while we’re on our adventures.

Put us together for a chat – just get them to agree to that, and we’ll be fine.

Show them the videos I made for them at the top of this webpage.  Young people like videos.

Show them the messages from the Wolf Pack girls, or the video of me being interviewed by a prospective Wolf Pack lad.

If there is initial resistance – and there often is – then persuade / cajole / drag them onto a Zoom call with me.  That tends to change impressions very quickly.

Teenagers are often (justifiably) suspicious that it’s going to be just more school thrust on them in the holidays, or that I may have an agenda to Teach them things they might not be interested in.  It’s very easy to get the completely wrong impression of what it’s really like.

In the messages from the Wolf Pack girls, it shows that for a number of them, they were persuaded to come and were reluctant, but quickly found it wasn’t at all what they expected, in fact it was “one of the best experiences ever”! Even the most grizzled cynics.

So, just get them to agree on joining a Zoom call with me (or I’ll come round if I don’t live too far away).

In the end, it is their decision: it has to be, as being made to do something by someone else is not in the spirit of these programmes!

There are a few steps to take first, since these are juicy, chunky, programmes.

First, I have a conversation with the parent(s), to explain what the programme involves and what it is all about, to answer any questions, and for you to get a good idea of who I am.

Once that part is fulfilled, and the practical side of it (dates etc) has been checked, I always meet or Zoom with the potential participant.

This call is a gesture of respect from me, in order to give them the opportunity to hear about the idea for themselves, to get a detailed impression of me, and to ask me any questions.  But also, at the end of it, it is the child who is making the decision.  In this way, a commitment is being made, and the themes of independence, freedom and responsibility are adopted from the first moment.

Usually after that, they tend to be pretty keen, and it can go ahead to actually booking.

Yes. If one of these programmes appeals to you, but feels out of reach financially, then please do not turn away. I have a patron, the Spayne Lindsay Foundation, who supports my work, and we can have a conversation about how we might be able to help. Get in touch with me and we can talk about it.

Here is a one page sheet describing how it works: CLICK HERE

I never take ‘blind’ bookings.  Hopefully you can get an idea of me from the videos and content on this website.  After that it always begins with a conversation so you and your child can get to know me, and build plenty of trust.

I, and all my adult staff, have the necessary Enhanced DBS checks in place, and first aid qualifications – this is a minimum.

I am also licensed by AALA (the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority, a government body), which means I am held to a very high standard on an ongoing basis.  As a qualified Mountain Leader, as well as the technical expertise, it means I have also been assessed and approved through a rigorous process on group management and welfare.

I can also provide a pack of references from previous parents.  You can review this reference pack by CLICKING HERE. All of these parents would be willing to speak to you directly.

Follow these links for full details:

Wolf Pack for Boys

Wolf Packs for Girls

Call to Adventure

For the woodland events in Sussex, participants usually come by car, although Haywards Heath train station is 10 minutes in a taxi.

For Dartmoor expeditions, I usually hire a minibus, with stops along the way (e.g. Cobham M25 services) to pick everyone up.  The ride is fun.

For expeditions to the Peak District, it’s best to go by train, and we meet up at East Grinstead or London St. Pancras and travel up together.

I encourage families to arrange lifts, to cut the amount of time driving to the woods and drop-off / pick-up points.

The is the question that everybody asks themselves.  It is very normal to be nervous ahead of meeting a new group of people, wondering what the others are going to be like… so everyone’s going to be a bit nervous.  That normally lasts for the first 30 minutes of the first event, and then it’s past.

Turning up despite being nervous is a necessary hurdle for most things, and we’re good at making the awkwardness disappear very quickly.

The food is Good.

Cooked brekkies, porridge, crumpets in the woods. Hearty slow-cooked stews and pastas with plenty of cheese available.  Even puddings.

On expeditions, we cook meals on gas stoves and you’ll get to try a number of ways to feed yourself on the hill.

Special dietary requirements are always catered for.

Almost everyone finds that it is a relief not to have their phone with them.

Away from the distraction, there’s a lot of other stuff to notice and get involved in, especially outdoors.  With your phone in the woods, you are not in a building but you might just as well be indoors.

Plus it’s dead weight, might get wet or broken, and the battery doesn’t last.

So no, people don’t take phones and it’s found to be a plus, even if they didn’t think it would be.