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Is there more to education than the National Curriculum? It all depends what you think education is about. Maybe it is more than trying to grab as many qualifications as you can: a chance to learn about yourself and others, to grow in confidence, and to learn how to cope with the challenges of life.
Adventure Education tackles these issues head on by placing individuals in a wild environment where cooperation and teamwork is required for success. There are no school rules, no low marks if you get it wrong, only consequences for personal comfort and safety. This is a very powerful tool for self-development as it is hard to ignore its lessons and achieving success is hugely empowering. As a result it is particularly effective with disaffected youth and eager young adventurers alike.
Adventure is, by definition, unpredictable and carries an element of risk. Teenagers today live in a pretty confined society where they stay in constant contact with parents by mobile phone, and there is little material hardship to make them uncomfortable. However, in order to grow up, young people need challenge: physical, mental and emotional. They need excitement and something to commit to where the outcome isn’t certain. It is crucial that young people are allowed to test their limits and find out how they cope. How can you develop self-confidence if you are held back by your doubts? By exposing themselves to potentially hazardous environments in a carefully controlled way, teenagers learn to manage risk sensibly: in short, to become responsible for themselves and others.
Hanging on to a climbing wall exhausted and a little bit scared; abseiling down a waterfall, cold and wet; navigating your way through the mist of the mountains and feeling tired with a heavy rucksack; 
these are the things that make their mark on youngsters and leave them buzzing. They love these adventures for the sense of achievement and confidence they bring. However, they also develop key skills such as self-reliance, decision making, problem solving, communication and organisation. They become more flexible, learn to manage relationships in testing circumstances, become less selfish, and learn to apply real determination and courage when things get tough.
These are not the optional extras of education; they are the essential life skills required to grow up into confident, capable and responsible adults. As Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound said ‘If only we could be shown what we are truly capable of, then we would never settle for anything less’.