What's ahead for YAT in 2024

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2024! We have some exciting adventures planned, and are thrilled to get back out and about with our young people. This year, we’ll be challenging 330 young people to step out of their comfort zones so that they can develop resilience, confidence and teamwork - the skills they’ll need to fulfil their potential. Every Youth Adventure journey is unique and we'll be making sure each young person gets the individual support they need throughout their time with us to achieve their own goals.

Read on to find out more about our plans to help even more young people in 2024 as well as some of the ways you could get involved.

What’s in store for 2024

You may already be familiar with our annual programme of activities, and one of the things we love is that no year is exactly the same. Each group of young people is different with the challenges they want to overcome and aims they set for themselves, which gives our Programme Managers a new challenge each year to find activities that will appeal, come up with ways to keep the group engaged, and develop bespoke support packages to help the individuals on the programme achieve their personal objectives.

We've kicked off our 2024 Programme this half term with adventure, creative or team challenge Activity Days for our younger group, whilst our older group continued their Pathway Days with a 'Give Back' themed day volunteering on a community conservation project. Take a look at the video to see what they all got up to!

We'll be returning to the Jurassic Coast in May for Coastal Camps, and it won't be long until the days are long and we're running our summer Mountain and Forest Camps.

In June we'll say goodbye to the group who started their Youth Adventure journey back in 2022, so our Programme Managers will be kept busy helping them to prepare for their next steps, whilst also meeting the 80 young people who will be joining us in 2024.

See more of what our young people got up to over their February half-term!

We have 19 mentoring partnerships on the go at the moment and we're impressed with how committed the young people are in working towards their aims. Activities during their sessions include skateboarding, crocheting, pottery painting, floristry, golf and local treasure trails, as well as some low key cafe sessions playing games and chatting.

Ahead of the next cohort of mentoring partnerships, Mentoring Managers will spend the first part of this year meeting the young people on the Adventure Programme and liaising with the Programme Managers to decide who would benefit most from the opportunity of having a mentor. Then over the summer we'll be looking for 20 mentors to train and match them with the young people with the new partnerships starting in the Autumn.

Our monthly pilot programme of activity days has come to an end and young people will complete their time with YAT with three Pathway Days. Meanwhile, we’re gathering feedback and learnings from those involved, so that we can begin planning the rollout to help even more young people - the exciting news is that 30 vulnerable young people in Somerset will join the YAT Resilience Programme in Autumn 2024!

So, watch this space for more tales of adventure, more success stories, more photos and more updates as 2024 progresses!

Alfie’s Story

Alfie used to be incredibly shy and in 2022 he was referred to the Youth Adventure Trust by his school due to his low self-esteem and confidence. Alfie joined our Resilience Programme where over the course of a year he would take part in monthly activity days and takeaway challenges, an overnight adventure and receive ongoing support from his Programme Manager.

Alfie was socially and emotionally overwhelmed on his first day, asking to be collected early. His Programme Manager spent time with Alfie away from the activity days, building up the relationship and helping to boost his confidence to attend each day, helping Alfie to set and work towards his personal aims - to become more confident and attend everything. Alfie's got more involved each time, and his self esteem began to grow. He started to make friends, was an excellent team player and found he could confidently interact with adults as well as his peers.

Alfie's parents are so proud of his progress, especially as last June he decided to apply to be a school prefect, something that would have been unimaginable a year earlier. When asked what he could bring to the role he said, “I can show other students how to be resilient and brave”, something his parents are certain he has picked up through his experiences with YAT.

Join the team

We’re recruiting a Volunteer and Programme Manager to support both our volunteers and our Adventure Programme. If you’re up for the challenge or knows someone who’d be the perfect fit, please apply! To discuss the role, contact Tessa Woodrow, Director of Programmes and Development, on tessa@youthadventuretrust.org.uk.

Ways to get involved

Reel Adventures

The Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2024 features short films of inspiring journeys by remarkable women who fearlessly pursue adventure. Join us for incredible stories of determination, courage and triumph!

📅 Tuesday 26th March

📍 The Hen and Chicken, Bristol

Wiltshire 3 Peaks Challenge

Run, walk or jog 10km or a Half Marathon, and make a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable young people.

📅 Saturday 8th June

🏅 10km: £10 entry with £50 fundraising

🏅 Half Marathon: £20 entry with £100 fundraising

🐶 Dogs welcome & under 12's go free!

Beacons Challenge

If you want something different this year, how about our 6 Peaks or 10 Peaks Beacons Challenge? Just the thing to bring more adventure into 2024!

📅 Saturday 6th July

👥 Teams of 2 - 6 people

🎫 Free to enter!

🏆 Fundraising target: £250 for 6 peaks, £300 for 10 peaks

Make a difference every payday

Payroll Giving (or “Give as You Earn”) is a way to make regular donations to YAT straight from your gross pay - it’s easy to set up, and you pay less tax! Ask your payroll or Benefits / CSR team, and if your company doesn’t already have a Payroll Giving scheme, setting one up is quick, easy and can be part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Inspiration Corner

Where we share interesting articles, books, podcasts or events to inspire you to get outside for your own adventures...

Embrace the Rain

If the Spring weather is putting you off from going outside, listen to Dr Michael Mosley’s Just One Thing podcast about why striding out for a walk after rainfall could improve your mood and immune system! It may feel deeply counter-intuitive - but rainy days could offer a host of health and mood-lifting benefits.

The Ordnance Survey Kids' Adventure Book

Do you dream of a real adventure? This book will teach you all the skills you need, from understanding a map and using a compass, to planning a trip and what to do in an emergency. There's advice on places to go, and lots of Top Tips and Fun Facts to find as well. Recommended for ages 8 to 12, and Jon Rich , YAT's Volunteering Lead, and his family are fans!

Give the gift of adventure

We are only able to support young people through this challenging and uncertain time thanks to the support of people who volunteer, donate, fundraise or leave a gift in their Will. We know times are hard at the moment, but if you are able to give a gift to support young people, it will make a huge difference. Thank you.