The significant grant awarded from the Department for Education will enable Challenger Troop CIC to further expand its successful bespoke youth engagement programmes throughout London, Essex, the South and North West of England in building character and instilling values in young people that will determine their future steps.
This funding recognises our success in helping young people from the ages of 7 to 18, develop “grit”, resilience and the determination to achieve their potential in school and beyond.
Challenger Troop’s unique programmes, delivered in partnership with schools, build character, resilience and a motivation to succeed. Through outdoor adventure activities, including fieldcraft, bushcraft, sports, first-aid, and residential activities, supported by mentoring and other group command tasks as well as community volunteering activities, participants develop key life skills such as teamwork, communication, co-operation and the ability to listen, along with a positive can-do attitude, all vital to help them prepare for a successful life in modern Britain.
Challenger Troop’s ethos places a great emphasis on developing character through:
Altruism – community volunteering and/fundraising projects form a key component of Challenger Troop’s secondary school programmes. Participants learn the value of helping others, understanding how their behaviour affects those around them and encourages them to help both at home, in the classroom and in the community.
Bounce back – Through the challenges we set, participants develop grit and determination and a motivation to succeed, coupled with the self-belief that their goals can be achievable through hard work and focus, along with the ability to learn from mistakes and overcoming failure.
Comfort-zone busting – the majority of Challenger Troop programmes take place outside the classroom in unfamiliar environments and involve collaborating and effective team-working with participants from other schools, preparing them effectively for life outside school.
Destination: At Challenger Troop we raise aspirations, provide encouragement and praise and develop a can-do attitude among participants. We actively build their self-confidence and self-esteem. We provide vocational qualifications and develop links with colleges and employers to ease transition from school into the world beyond.
Mr R Law, Head Teacher at Goldwyn Community Special School said “Challenger Troop places a huge emphasis on improving and developing stronger coping mechanisms to deal with school and school-gate pressures. The instructors actively encourage participants to reflect on their behaviour and to find more appropriate responses and through their programmes the participants gain self-confidence and self-respect. I know pupils and students who are succeeding in school thanks to Challenger Troop’s support.”
Simon Dean, Founder and Chief Executive of Challenger Troop CIC, said “We are delighted to have received this recognition. We see first-hand the often life-changing impact our programmes have on a young person, as they learn how to take responsibility for their actions, communicate better with their peers and engage more effectively with their education and the community around them. This grant funding will enable us to reach even more young people and provide them with the skills necessary to provide them with the best possible life chances.”
Semi-structured interviews, carried out by Brighton University researchers as part of an evaluation report into Challenger Troop’s core 6 and 12 week programmes, identified increased levels of self-confidence, improved ability to work within a team, increased self-respect and respect for others amongst the young people who participated in the Challenger Troop programme. In addition, they identified marked improvement in the demonstration of social skills and significant improvements in pupils’ behaviour. School staff spoke of improvements to individual pupils, especially in behaviour, attitude and increased maturity. Report authors concluded; “Rather than protecting the young people that they work with from adversity, Challenger Troop exposes them to challenges and in doing so builds up both their resilience and their self-esteem, which has a cumulative effect on improving their behaviour and attainment.” Reference: An Impact Evaluation of Six and Twelve week Challenger Troop Military-ethos Programmes for School children on Attainment, Attendance, Behaviour and Social skills. Stephanie Fleischer and Yaa Asare, 2014. University of Brighton
"Outdoor learning is giving them back their childhood wonder and curiosity at new things, allowing them to experience the marvel of discovery and the learning that comes from taking risks"
