Outward Bound Weekend For Teenagers

Stepping out with Outward Bound brought new horizons.

It was tough, uncomfortable, wet, dirty and, at times, downright scary. But for nineteen young people the three days they recently spent on our action-packed Outward Bound ‘I CAN’ weekend were as much about facing their fears as making new friends.

The weekend, brought together young people who already had a relationship with Winston’s Wish, whether that was through attending our Residential Weekends or receiving individual support, and challenged them all to take a huge leap outside their comfort zones!

With a combination of tough physical and mental challenges the young people were pushed to their limits and enabled to find undiscovered skills and qualities. All the activities were created to empower and motivate, and have a positive impact on the personal and social development of those taking part.

After an opportunity to meet their fellow adventurers the group were put to the test straight away, on the Friday evening, with a tough hike to their accommodation for the night; basic log cabins set high in North Wales’ Aberdovey hills, without beds, running water or electricity.

“The hike to the cabin, and having to spend a night without any home comforts at all, was quite a shock to the system for many of the young people,” said Danny Nugus from the Family Services Team. “Having to chop their own wood for the fire, collect water, cook dinner on a basic burner, and the absence of any influences from the outside world meant they bonded as a group incredibly quickly!”

The rest of the weekend saw the young people rock-climbing, night-hiking, conquering ‘The Trapeze’, abseiling, tackling the ropes courses and taking part in various team-building challenges. An essential part of the weekend, however, was the opportunity to meet other young people their age who have had simila experiences, bereaved through illness, suicide, murder, or accidents. In a safe, supportive environment they were able to share coping strategies, reflect, and identify how they could apply the experiences shared and lessons learnt during the weekend, into their everyday lives.

“This was the second camp of its kind that we have run which was specifically created to more effectively meet the needs of bereaved teenagers,” said Brett Riches from the Family Services Team. “The feedback we had from the teenagers who participated in last year’s camp was extremely positive and a real reflection of how valuable these experiences are for helping young people increase their self-esteem, confidence and hope for the future following the death of a family member.”

“We’ve had equally positive comments from this year’s group of young people, all of whom have not only found new skills and the courage to push themselves to the limit of what they thought was possible, but they’re all going away with new friendships too,” said Brett.

The weekend was funded by Dreams Plc and Winston’s Wish worked together with The Outward Bound Trust to create the specially tailored event which was held at the Outward Bound Centre in Aberdovey, North Wales. “It would have been impossible to create and run this life-enhancing experience without the support of our volunteers – Steve Edgell, Ruth Nelson and Jodi Pennington – Outward Bound, Dreams Plc and the Winston’s Wish team. It was an amazing weekend and a privilege to be a part of it,” said Danny.

We got Outward Bound…

“I’ve become more adventurous and willing to try more things.” – Catherine, 14

“I did stuff that at first I really didn’t want to do.” – Ali, 15

“I feel more confident doing challenging things.” – Ashley, 15

“I got more confident and my comfort zone became wider.” – Adam, 14

“I have made new friends and was able to talk about my Auntie’s death again.” – Beki, 14

“I feel I can talk freely about my situation to people I know.” - James, 14

“I can do something if I really try.” – Danni, 15

“I can move on and still do all that I want to.” – Beth, 16

“The group activity helped me see different ways people are coping.” – Jack, 16

“I didn’t like the fact that we had to leave Outward Bound because it was amazing for me.” – Daniel, 14

“I will be more active and I will be more confident in myself.” – Chris, 16

“I became more confident and find it easier to interact with each other.” – Freddie, 14

“[I’ll be] more confident, determined and hard working.” – Georgie, 16

“I think it has given me more ways of coping because people have shared their ideas.” – Jess, 14

“I enjoyed talking to people in the same situation as me.” – Leona, 14

“I have made more friends who understand what has happened and how I feel.” – Robyn, 16

“I will now push myself harder and know I can achieve goals with the support of my team.” – Sam, 14

“The walk has inspired me to do a Duke of Edinburgh Award.” – Tom, 14

“I feel stronger in myself.” – Zoe, 14

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