I have achieved more than I thought I would at the start of the Award. My confidence was very low before starting the Skills for Life award, as I was very shy and nervous of new situations and making friends.
But now my confidence has grown immensely and beyond what I expected as I am now making more friends, trying new things and getting involved in activities. This experience has made me feel like I can achieve anything I set my mind to do and how I can come back with resilience after having setbacks! Doing the Award has given me the confidence and skills I didn’t think I would ever find.
I feel like working as a team has helped me to achieve new things and has changed the way I think about my life. I had a lot of fun and I was given so many opportunities that I know, I can carry with me for the rest of my life. I will always look back at this 19-day adventure and be proud of what I have achieved and overcome. I have also learnt to accept people in my team for who they are and to get on with them despite whether there are issues or not. I have also learnt to make my own choices and to ask for help from my group if I’m struggling.
I am lucky to have had James and John as my two instructors for the 3 weeks. They pushed me outside my comfort zone and told me how I was capable of doing anything I want to do, and this has made me realise what I want to do with my life. I have also developed a growth mindset and that positivity is better to have in life than negativity.
When I RETURNED HOME, I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON AND MY FAMILY COULD SEE HOW MUCH FUN I’D HAD AND HOW MUCH IT HAD CHANGED ME AS A PERSON.
ChelseaI thought that doing the Award would be hard and I wouldn’t take anything from it, but I was proved wrong. Being away completely changed me as a person with learning difficulties with no meaning, to a girl with learning difficulties with a positive meaning in life. When I returned home, I was a different person and my family could see how much fun I’d had and how much it had changed me as a person.
I would definitely recommend the 19-day Skills for Life Award to every single young person aged between 15-19 because it is one of the best experiences I have ever done! I wish I could do it again. I will always look back at the memories I made and what skills I got from it.
ChelseaFurther Reading
Five ways the outdoors can boost mental ...
10 October 18
What are the benefits of being in the outdoors for mental wellbeing?
Should a scout go Outward Bound?
30 January 19
Why Outward Bound deserves a place in every Scouts heart.
A Summer with Lojska
19 February 19
Read our Q&A with Lojska, a Skills for Life Award participant from Manchester.