News

Lancashire Youth Challenge take on Hadrian’s Wall

by The Areti Trust, posted in Activities, Grants
lyc
Day 2 of the walk

One of the projects which the Areti Trust helped to fund this year was the Hadrian’s Wall walk by Lancashire Youth Challenge.

In August a team of 16 young people, 2 staff and 4 volunteers hiked across 50 miles in 4 days, beginning at Hedden-on-the Wall and concluding in Carlisle.

The young people on the walk had been referred to Lancashire Youth Challenge by Lancaster Children’s and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Barnardo’s, Lancashire Constabulary, local pupil referral units and schools due to their personal needs and vulnerabilities.  They had worked hard in preparation for the walk, building up their fitness, resilience and team-building, and they completed this amazing challenge successfully.

“Spending time in nature can improve children’s confidence”

by The Areti Trust, posted in Activities

The Institute of Education at UCL was recently commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts to research the effect on children of engaging with the natural world outdoors.  The report found that the experience boosted children’s confidence and overall had a very positive impact.

You can read the press release here or download the full UCL report here.

Light Up Lancaster

by The Areti Trust, posted in Activities
Light Up Lancaster
The screen at the Maritime Museum on St George’s Quay

One of the projects which Areti helped to fund this year was “Close to the Wind” – a piece of work made by year 3 children from four local schools working with the Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Cumbria-based sound artist, Dan Fox.

Children from Archbishop Hutton’s School, Arnside National School, Morecambe Bay Primary School and Ryelands School climbed Warton Crag in September to listen to the sounds of nature and to learn more about the natural world.

The children’s words and experiences were stitched together to produce this work for Light Up Lancaster; the screen is made from hundreds of strips of elastic, and as the wind blows across them it creates acoustic sounds and visual patterns, while the children’s recorded voices complete the work.

Report from Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

by The Areti Trust, posted in Uncategorized

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom has recently published an interesting study into outdoor learning for 9-11 year-olds.  It is clear about the benefits:

Pupils and teachers noticed improvements in pupils’ engagement with learning, concentration and behaviour, as well as positive impacts on health and wellbeing and teachers’ job satisfaction.

but also acknowledges the barriers to its wider implementation.