Off the streets into the great outdoors

Published by Roisin Rowley-Smith for Riverside in Housing and also in Communities, Education, Environment

Taking kids off the beaten track is helping them to follow the straight and narrow on an activity programme that uses outdoor activities to stop youngsters getting into trouble.

Riverside Housing worked with Merseyside police to send 12 young people from Seacombe and Poulton on the Wirral on an outdoor experience to find out more about themselves and develop confidence and self-esteem, in a bid to curb anti social behaviour in the area.

The Lets Go Adventure outdoors project took youngsters aged 11-17 mountain biking, gorge walking, climbing, abseiling, canoeing and kayaking at locations on the Wirral, North Wales and Cheshire.

Jayne Branch-Murray is community initiatives officer for Riverside Housing. There are very few activities in the area for young people to get involved in through the holidays and its at this time that they can get into trouble, said Jayne. The outdoor adventure course was a motivating activity for the group. They had to learn to work as a team and develop trust throughout the activities. These are life skills that develop confidence and encourage respect life skills that help youngsters in their day to day relationships and activities.

The five-week course is continued one evening a week until the October half term.

John Driver, programme director from Lets Go Outdoor Learning and Adventure, is keen to develop in youngsters the skills they gained from taking up challenging outdoor pursuits. Sometimes kids have very little structure in their lives, said John. But taking up challenging activities where your success depends on your teammate, often has surprising results that really helps change behaviours. Its also a chance for youngsters to be children again and develop their sense of play. Often teenagers are under so much peer pressure to be tough and take the type of risks that can lead to anti social behaviour. We challenge them in what is sometimes a demanding physical environment a healthy way for young people to channel their energy.

Wirral Partnership Homes, Wirral Sport Development and Maritime Housing also supported the project.