Over the May half term, young people on our YAT Adventure and YAT Resilience Programmes spent time taking part in a number of exciting activities down on the Jurassic Coast. We partnered up with a new provider, Cumulus, to run two weekends of action packed fun by the sea. Together we encouraged our young people to push themselves out of their comfort zone in order to build their self-confidence and resilience, and prove they could achieve more than they imagined.
I jumped off every ledge during coasteering, even the tallest one, without hesitation. I even shocked myself that I did it as I never thought I could do something like that!! – I feel much more resilient and adventurous!
Sami, Age 12, YAT Adventure Programme
Young people currently participating in our Resilience Programme spent a day jumping in the waves and traversing the cliffs of Dorset, unphased by the large waves, beating sun or the very early start! They approached the days with an incredible can-do attitude, impressing our volunteers and staff with their determination and bravery.
Blaze had a lot of fun on the coastal day and mostly enjoyed jumping into the water from the cliffs. He was so happy when we picked him up and chatted all the way home about the day. It’s wonderful to see his enthusiasm and confidence developing over time. Thank you for helping with that – you’re all doing amazing work and we really do appreciate it.
Parent, YAT Resilience Programme
Those on the Adventure programme spent 3 days on our Coastal Camp. The new location was picturesque, remote and offered a perfect environment for base camp. In addition to coasteering and coastal rock climbing, young people got to take part in kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, beach games and a beach safety session, as well as a number of evening team games and activities. As always, we had an army of fantastic volunteers helping us to run the camps. As well as accompanying young people on the activities, they also supported them to learn and develop through reflecting on individual accomplishments at the end of each day; they were as inspired as us at what the young people had achieved;
Shaun’s determination during the climbing was incredible. He just kept trying when he lost his footing or wasn’t quite sure where to move.
Helen, Coastal Camp Programme Volunteer
One of the young people in my group was terrified of the cave in coasteering and got very upset about the thought of doing it. She got out of the water to watch and after seeing the rest of the group go through and swim into the waves, she asked if she could go back and try again and she did it! It took a lot of courage on her part.
David, Coastal Camp Programme Volunteer
