Duke of Edinburgh International Award - First Expedition
On Sunday 25th April, students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award ventured on their first expedition. Tackling navigation, teamwork, fitness, nutrition, planning and risk assessment, the students from Year 10,11 and 12 hiked from Cala Figuera to El Toro via the Far de Cala Figuera lighthouse.
The Award aims to develop young people by achieving a strength of character, sense of service and appreciation of nature. Our students certainly had a steep learning experience and, although tired and emotional, are desperately looking forward to our more rigorous second hike taking place very soon. We have many exciting trips and adventures planned for the coming weeks and we look forward to sharing them with you.
Going on the hike was a great experience. It was an excellent opportunity for developing skills, such as teamwork and communication. Although this was primarily a physical activity; we did use our knowledge and initiative. All we had was a basic map, which we used to figure out where we were and where we needed to go. This was a great way to build these skills. It was definitely exciting throughout, especially if we found ourselves feeling a little lost, but then working together to try and get ourselves to the right destination. Of course it was great fun to be with friends, and have a good laugh. However, for me personally, it was really special to have the time to be at one with nature; absorbing the world around me, and reminding myself of how lucky we are to be living on such a beautiful island.
