the basecamp approach

by blending a deeply relational approach with the naturally powerful vehicle of outdoor adventure, we deliver an exhilarating and impactful curriculum that empowers young people to thrive.

Our 1-year curriculum is underpinned by a number of psychological modalities and evidence-based therapeutic approaches to support young people struggling with their self-esteem, mental and emotional wellbeing and social engagement.

Elements of Positive Psychology, Coaching, Adventure Therapy, Experiential Learning and Social and Emotional Learning form the core foundations of our programme and are disseminated in our adventures, training, conversations and facilitation with young people. Using these foundational pillars, we deliver a long-term, high-impact, individualised strategy that transforms the wellbeing of young people and empowers them to thrive in the long-term.

“My son has entirely come out of his shell. his whole extended family have commented on how he holds conversations and asks for help, and he went from being totally disorganised to having his bags packed 2 weeks before the trips.” - Parent

“No one else in Leeds is combining adventure and personal development like Basecamp. It’s such an opportunity for young people who are struggling.”

“Basecamp was the making of my coachee. Her engagement in school has increased in more ways than I imagined.”

- School Coach, Carr Manor Community School

“The Basecamp team are incredibly professional and dedicated to the work they do with young people” - Teacher, Carr Manor Community School

  • 'I felt like my coach just kind of got me. like she didn't push me but i felt like i could do the cave when she was there.'

    Rajan, 12

  • 'we've had conversations on basecamp that have made me see some people differently and want to look out for them at school and stuff.'

    Sophie, 13

  • 'my son came home and wouldn't stop telling me how kind the staff were. That is a huge deal for him.'

    Parent

  • 'the basecamp staff are really on it, so professional. their strength is in their diverse experience.'

    Teacher

  • ‘After this trip I’ve decided that I want to be outdoors as much as i can be, like live on top of a hill and hunt my own food and listen to the birds and everything like that.’

    Morgan, 12

Programme overview

The Basecamp Programme goes far beyond the scope of standard outdoor residential provision. We deliver an engaging and impactful curriculum that empowers young people to thrive by addressing four key pillars: self-awareness, self-belief, self-management (emotional resilience) and aspiration.

Each young person will also be supported by their personal Adventure Youth Coach with these aims in mind. Adventure Youth Coaches take part in adventures alongside young people, cheer them on, reflect back their successes, celebrate them, inspire them and challenge them to set goals. Our Adventure Youth Coaches also run Basecamp Huddles with their group of 8 coachees. These are fun, engaging group coaching sessions that build trust, empathy and self-esteem.

curriculum

  • autumn term

  • autumn term

  • spring term

  • spring term

  • summer term

  • summer term

  • Skills Workshops

    Before each Adventure Trip, the Basecamp team host a skills workshop in-school on that module. For example, if the module is Resilience & Determination, we’ll spend a few hours in school exploring this through games, activities, conversations and speakers. These sessions mean that when young people go on the Adventure Trip, they’ll have a foundation of knowledge and can be thinking about what the module means to them in reality. They are also key to keeping our sense of Basecamp community going.

  • Adventure Trips

    Our Adventure Trips are for seeing what we covered in the Skills Workshops come to life and turning our big talk into action. Each trip’s activities and advenutres will be based on the module we’re lookig at. So if the theme is The Fear Factor, we might take on an epic abseil or a night hike. Over the course of the year young people will jump into plunge pools, abseil down cliffs, scramble up waterfalls, climb mountains and start to really discover what it means to believe in themselves and push themselves out of their comfort zone.

The Basecamp Journey:

For Schools and young poeple, the Basecamp Programme starts in May of the Year 7 academic year. Before they finish Year 7 in July, young people are put forward for the programme, invited to a Taster Day and will be invited to sign up before receiving an acceptance letter and being invited to a Parents Q&A Eve with their families or carers. We kick off properly in Year 8 with a Launch Day and from there the programme spans the whole academic year.

basecamp badges

When young people become part of the Basecamp Programme, they’ll have the opportunity to win badges and prizes. Each theme has a badge and to win the badge, they need to submit a sentence or two describing what they’ve learnt about that theme and why they should be awarded. There’s prizes for certain amount of badges earned and these can even be linked up with your schools’ badging system for an integrative approach.

interested in getting your school involved?

If you’re interested in the Basecamp Programme for your school or simply have more questions please do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.