What is the best way to knacker a child ’ s education ?
Force THEM to spend too long in the classroom .
I ’ ve seen the evidence for myself . With Wide Horizons , I spent two days taking a group of 10 year-olds from Woolwich in London rockpooling and roaming the woods in mid-Wales . Many of them had never been to the countryside before and had never seen the sea .
One boy from that trip stood out : he had remarkable powers of observation and intuition . I mentioned this to his teacher and her reply astonished me : “ I must tell him . It ’ s not something he will have heard before .” When a child as bright and engaged as this is struggling at school , the problem lies not with the child but with the education system .
I know that there are many , many young people who do not get these opportunities and therefore miss out on these life changing chances .
I was so fortunate to come across Wide Horizons as they understand the critical need to introduce children to the wonders of nature and the outdoors but do it in such a way as to deliver powerful and meaningful results .
This is why I am delighted to endorse this report and hope that you continue to support Wide Horizons in the delivery of their vision – that every child should experience adventures as part of their education and development .
Every child deserves an adventure Alex Brooks-Johnson
We believe that every child , regardless of their background or circumstances , should experience adventures as part of their education and development .
Yet , millions of children , every year , are missing out on the opportunity to express themselves , to experience the wonders of nature , to understand more about themselves and , critically , to learn through adventure – which is so much more powerful than sitting behind a desk .
We hear from educators that the single biggest barrier to learning is low selfesteem amongst pupils . You ’ ll read in this report how adventure can be used to build the attributes required to raise selfesteem ; attributes identified in our Theory of Change such as resilience , confidence , communication skills and well-being .
Chief Executive , Wide Horizons
Writer , activist , Wide Horizons supporter