Anyone who has seen the Youth Adventure Programme in action knows the benefits in can bring to the lives of young people. Year after year our young people amaze us with their efforts and dedication as they build their resilience and grow in confidence. Recognising their achievements is incredibly important to us, and one of the ways we do this is through our partnership with ASDAN.
ASDAN is an awarding organisation whose qualifications help young people develop knowledge and skills for learning, work and life. ASDAN credits are nationally recognised, meaning young people come away from our programme with credits they can use in their future lives. ASDAN is a great way to recognise young people’s achievements outside of what is usually measured or assessed in their education, so is a really positive way to celebrate achievements and build self-belief.
For each camp a young person attends, they receive an ASDAN credit for the work they put in during this time, which includes setting aims, reviewing, reflecting and striving to develop in areas they have identified. At the end of their time with us we present each young person with a certificate from ASDAN, acknowledging their success and dedication to the programme. Being formally recognised gives a real sense of achievement and is a huge boost to many of the young people we work with. It allows them to see that they are capable of gaining recognition through alternative avenues, and helps them progress towards other learning, training, or employment opportunities in the future.
In 2020 our programme was heavily disrupted by the pandemic, but we were able to offer alternative ways for young people to achieve at home through our ASDAN accredited Thrive Award. The award encouraged young people to Volunteer, Create and Challenge themselves in new and innovative ways. We were very impressed with the effort young people put in to achieving their award; from litter picking and cleaning a war memorial, to cooking for their family and learning sign language, more than 50 young people successfully received an ASDAN credit certificate for taking part.
To find out more about how YAT works with ASDAN you can read more on their website; https://www.asdan.org.uk/courses/case-study/customised-accreditation
“I feel much more confident and enjoy life. I’m making the most of it. I want to go on to uni and travel the world because being part of Youth Adventure Trust made me want to do things like this.” Callum, age 16