Daf's Story
Our vision - 2019
Our vision for 2019
Talk and action
In late December we spent time working on our vision and dreaming big for 2019 - here’s the output!
Read our vision document below for 2019 and news on what’s coming up.
Your turn
If you would like to develop your young people through adventure leadership training or find out more about our leadership courses, do get in touch.
How to develop young people through experience
Highlights from our leadership development course for young people in Turkey
How to develop young people through experience
Steve & Andrew’s word for the week on developing young people
Steve and Andrew report on the recent leadership and development course for young people in Turkey
In early October Steve and Wilki travelled to Turkey, to deliver a leadership and development programme to some young people of a range of nationalities. The group were lively and warm from the outset and we were made to feel welcome both by our hosts Josh and Debbie, and also the students themselves.
The package was lively and focussed on experiential learning, and even the most bleary-eyed students in the mornings were sparked up by some of Steve’s energy-fuelled activities! After some fun exercises to get to know each other better, we spent some time thinking about the significance of strong interpersonal relationships within a team, before moving on to a session on trust within teams.
We made good use of some local green spaces to do some trust-building exercises, before drilling into the detail of the different stages of a team, and some likely features to look out for when the group return home to build their own teams in the coming months.
Day 3 focussed fully on communication as leaders, which included some excellent exercises to illustrate how vital it is to understand ourselves in order to communicate well, and to understand how to influence a whole range of different character types. The group absolutely loved this session, not just because it was innovative but it also clearly illuminated some of the character traits they recognised both in themselves but also each other.
As always, the best way to develop what’s been learned is through experience, and so we spent an afternoon putting the group through a number of scenarios and activities - some were practical, some physical and all required thoughtful dialogue within the team to succeed.
We wrapped up the programme with some pre-mission training, centring around navigation, stretcher building, search techniques, casualty evacuation and basic first aid. The group were then dispatched into a search and rescue mission over rugged terrain, with a clear mission which they managed to complete just before the time ran out! Perfect brinkmanship!
Finally, we sat down to review what we had done and learned - which elements of the mission had been a great success and where the low points were, before evaluating their strengths as a team and where they might focus their development for the future.
It was an exciting, fully-charged and rewarding few days and it was a pleasure to work with this highly motivated group. Thanks to the group from us both!
Your turn
If you would like to develop your young people through adventure leadership training or find out more about our leadership courses, do get in touch.
Stand up and be known
An activity day for The Salvation Army in Llanelli developing young people
Stand up and be known
Steve’s word for the week on being you and being community
Friendship is one of the most precious things we see being developed consistently throughout our youth events and activities.
There is no formula being outworked here, no social engineering just a safe space to express, to take a step outside some comfort and lose ourselves in the moment.
As I reflect on how many of these team events we have delivered throughout the years I’m humbly reminded at how friendship endures, encourages and strengthens through the storms of life.
As human beings we need each other, we are built to connect and connection is part of being human. This picture above is of an activity day we ran for the Salvation Army on 20 August 2018 on North Dock in Llanelli.
It sums up so much of what friendship and community is:
Commitment
To journey together. Through the good times and the bad. To say in action, ‘I’m with you’.
Communication
To listen well. To find the rhythm within the relationship, to work to become in tune and stay in time, to go in the right direction
Courage
To step out and be known. Space to get it wrong, strength to get it right, to forgive, to be forgiven, to laugh and to cry, to choose be known.
Multiplying Future Leaders
You can model leadership, talk about leadership and even write about leaders; these are all great aspects of training, but miss something.
Experiencing leadership in action is the missing piece of the jigsaw.
Experiencing leadership in action this is what our Solid Ground leadership course is all about.
Last May 30 young adults aged between 18- 30 years old from around South Wales engage in a 3 day intensive programme.
Here’s what they had to say, and their words say it all:
“I have learned so much throughout these three days - thank you”
“Life-changing”
“More people should be on these courses - great!”
Your turn
If you would like to develop your young people through adventure leadership training or find out more about Solid Ground Leadership courses, do get in touch.
I know what I want to do now
Year 11 student launched into new career
Interview with Cameron Brown year 11 student from Cefn Hengoed
“I know what I want to do... I want to join the police force.”
After six months of being on one of our Youth leadership courses Cameron now begins his first steps to fulfilling his ambition to become a police officer.
This coming September Cameron starts his BTEC in Public services at local Swansea College.
Here Cameron talks about the experience with LoadedUK over the last 6 months and how he sees this experience as being an integral part in his journey to becoming a Police Officer.
Cameron thanks for talking to us about your experience on our leadership course involving completing a Duke of Edinburgh Award.
How has LoadedUK helped you this year?
I guess I’m lucky in some ways as I know exactly what I want to become! This experience has definitely helped me gain a place at college because I’ve achieved my Duke of Edinburgh through your support.
What skills would you say this has developed in you over the last six months?
“Communicating clearly is so important and a skill!”
I would say learning to communicate well and organisational skills. The climbing award really highlighted for me how important it is to communicate clearly and also how much of a skill good communication is!
Working as a team has been so important and the sessions have demonstrated this in such practical and real ways. There have been many times where we as a group have had to work
through challenges and make choices that have had real consequences.
Give us some examples of how this developed you as a team?
When we went climbing we learnt how to belay each other up and down the rope. This built a real sense of trust between us. We had to step up and take real ownership of our actions.
“It highlighted for us the benefit of working together and making a clear plan.”
If we mucked about there would have been real consequences, people could have got hurt. But as it turns out we rose to the challenge. There were some real surprises on that day lots of people really stepped up and this really began to build the team.
Another example was when we went underground we had to navigate through a cave in the Brecon’s. I was navigating and we had to work together to find the right route. I think it was
these times that really highlighted for us the benefit of working together and making a clear plan.
Where would you say personally this has helped you grow?
This journey has transformed my belief in me. I now believe I can complete something. To complete something like the Duke of Edinburgh this has opened my eyes to what I am really capable of doing!
“You have to do it. No one else is going to do it for you!”
The expedition was a massive part of my self-belief changing. The long walk both days, putting up your tent, cooking your own food and navigating.
You have to do it, no one is going to do it for you, this kind of prepares you for life, no one's going to do it for you, you have to take responsibility for your actions.
Has this been good for the school?
Yes definitely! A lot of us struggle in a classroom! It gets too much sometimes…stressful! Learning outside has been so effective in a lot of us getting awards and gaining new opportunities.
Thanks, Cameron; so would you recommend this course?
Yes. It been a great experience and the LoadedUK team have been great! Thank you.
More about the project and our approach
The awards serve to increase changes in life and making the most of opportunities for young people through gaining qualification and awards.
These contribute to their access into further training or employment.
For us nothing is more important: the transformation of an individual’s belief about themselves and our capacity to choose differently, to choose life.
A core value of Loaded is in serving to develop character and we see the environment a person dwells in as a key factor in our healthy development.
Did you know?
Loaded UK is a LOTC Quality holder (certificate #R2QB104139).
This national award combines the essential elements of provision – learning and safety – into one easily recognisable and trusted accreditation scheme for all types of learning outside the classroom provider organisation.
Find out more about our accreditations here →
Your turn
If you would like to know more about our D of E expedition training package or about supporting your project please get in touch.
From "I can't" to "I can"!
Life-changing projects from Loaded UK
The transition from “I can’t” to “ I can”
For the last six months we have been delivering a learning and personal development project.
This has supported young people who are at risk of failing to gain opportunities when leaving mainstream education.
Impact
“I did it! This has been an amazing experience!”
One of our Duke of Edinburgh groups completed their practice expedition this week.
Nothing that out of the ordinary, you might think.
But, for this group of 14 to 15-year olds from Swansea this has significantly burst their self- belief bubble, moving them from “I can’t” to “I can” and even more - “I want to!"
Not only did this group of seven smash this expedition training in good style - coming out stronger as a team and more competent in life skills - they completed it in a heat wave of 27
degrees.
Well-done Cefn Hengoed crew 2018!
More about the project and our approach
The awards serve to increase changes in life and making the most of opportunities for young people through gaining qualification and awards.
These contribute to their access into further training or employment.
For us nothing is more important: the transformation of an individual’s belief about themselves and our capacity to choose differently, to choose life.
A core value of Loaded is in serving to develop character and we see the environment a person dwells in as a key factor in our healthy development.
Did you know?
Loaded UK is a LOTC Quality holder (certificate #R2QB104139)
This national award combines the essential elements of provision – learning and safety – into one easily recognisable and trusted accreditation scheme for all types of learning outside the classroom provider organisation.
Find out more about our accreditations here →
Your turn
If you would like to know more about our D of E expedition training package or about supporting your project please get in touch.
Be more Bear
Life-changing projects from Loaded UK
Be more Bear (Grylls)
Recently we have been delivering Woodland Classroom courses and Leading and Surviving in the wild.
Learning outside the classroom provides positive results in learners, gaining a higher retention of skills and information which develops increased levels of concentration.
Impact
Woodland sessions
In our woodland sessions, pupil put pulleys, jammers and ropes into action.
They gained an understanding of Newton forces in their design of a rope bridge.
Elsewhere, we prepared groups for an expedition into the wilds, using a survival skills workshop Bear Grylls-style!
Leading and Surviving in the wild
It's one thing to survive, very much another to survive and lead others.
In our Bear Grylls survival skills workshop we helped the young people research and discuss possible risks before trekking into a wilderness environment.
This process helped raise awareness of risk and develop skills and actions that serve to prevent and manage those factors when out on expedition.
We have also used the workshops to highlight our environmental impact, which teach young people about sustainability.
More about the project and our approach
These courses serve to increase changes in life and making the most of opportunities for young people through gaining qualification and awards.
These contribute to their access into further training or employment.
For us nothing is more important: the transformation of an individual’s belief about themselves and our capacity to choose differently, to choose life.
A core value of Loaded is in serving to develop character and we see the environment a person dwells in as a key factor in our healthy development.
Did you know?
Loaded UK is a LOTC Quality holder (certificate #R2QB104139)
This national award combines the essential elements of provision – learning and safety – into one easily recognisable and trusted accreditation scheme for all types of learning outside the classroom provider organisation.
Find out more about our accreditations here →
Your turn
If you would like to know more about our D of E expedition training package or about supporting your project please get in touch.