Class 1 News

Class 1 preparing for camps.

For many parents the idea of sending their little child out into the wilderness is a daunting prospect. For some past trauma and insecurities about the great unknown play out in nervous conversations. Life however has other plans for everyone wishing to stay sheltered from the archetypal activities that camps present. Essentially it is to build resilience, independence and a practical all round ability to cope with the adversity that will inevitably one day emerge that we engage in outdoor pursuits.

You could say we are providing a preparation for life and an imaginative healthy balance to the compartmentalization, specialization, technicisation and abstraction of the modern learning/ living environment. Camps in comparison to separation provide a canvas for mixing all of the subject areas and life skills in this way they build an understanding and reverence for the interweaving of humanity and the landscape as well as throwing in the events that shape us as competent individuals. 

Inevitably, despite the best intentions of all involved, something will break down, a vehicle will get bogged, someone will need help, a weather event will arrive, personal limits will be tested, and one will meet the overwhelming generosity of those along the way who offer their expertise and assistance to enquiring youth. Plans can change and opportunities will arise sometimes disguised as adversity. As the children get older and gain more skills it is possible that camps can safely meet the needs of young adolescents requiring either physical challenges or inner nurturing and inclusion, facilitating personal transformation.  

Class One have begun preparing themselves for an extended time in nature, these longer camps will also provide detoxification from technological pressures, stimulus for further studies on life’s path and as well as providing a repository of fond memories on which to draw on in the future.

The images show our first cooking group successfully preparing and serving a classic camp lunch. Children bathing at Emily Gap, going out in extreme conditions, reducing the risks and having fun. 

In this way we are meeting an edge, being aware of dangers and looking out for each other, experiencing the beauty of nature and training for life.  

Many thanks to Gill, Katie Frey and Sylvia for their support on the day.

Harry