Experience is everything. Employers ask for it; it's what separates a competent driver or pilot from a great one. But the experiences that shape a young person most rarely happen in a classroom - or by a hotel pool. At STC Expeditions we offer something harder to come by: trekking through the foothills of the Himalayas in India or canoeing across the still lakes of northern Finland.
Many of us were initially nervous about being so far from home. A year on, we all agree the trip changed us. One member of our group wrote about our time working in the conservation at the Lale’enok Resource Centre in his personal statement, helping him win a place at the University of St Andrews to study Geography.
For me, the experience of immersing myself in rural Kenya while walking through the forest with Maasai warriors became a vital part of my successful application to volunteer in Peru with Project Trust. Genuine cultural immersion in the Kenyan countryside isn’t something many people my age can claim.
While an STC expedition clearly benefits your students’ future applications to university, placements and jobs, there is another side to the story. A trip abroad to a new, unfamiliar country and environment often brings out new sides to the people on it, transforming a student lacking confidence into someone with a new-found voice. This was certainly true of one member of our party. He had seemed quiet and reserved through his first year in our sixth form, but Kenya brought out a friendly, confident side to him, a welcome surprise.
But don’t take our word for it, take the word of a teacher upon their return from Sri Lanka: “From challenging bike rides, hikes and surfing to cultural immersion of sharing food with locals. Outstanding, down-to-earth and highly knowledgeable guides who immerse and steer you through their vast culture. Volunteering was a safe yet humbling experience – one that taught us empathy without preaching.”
For a school one of the most important things
is the benefit that a school trip can have on the pupil from an education standpoint. In Kenya, we learnt how the local population are working to diversify and rebuild the environment, which was dovetailed with enjoyable and exciting game drives in the early morning sun. In Jordan, your students can learn about the rich layers of the country’s history and visit Petra, one of the new wonders of the world. In Borneo, you can meet and learn from conservationists saving the country’s rainforests and reefs.
Organising a trip to the other side of the world is no small undertaking, and that’s where we come in. We handle the essentials: flights, itinerary, safeguarding and risk assessments. But STC also offers significant support in advertising and launching your expedition. We can help with information packs for parents, posters to go up around school, PowerPoint slides for assemblies and information events. We also send in a member of the team to deliver a talk to all interested students and parents to explain the details of your expedition to them and answer any questions they may have.
There's nothing wrong with a week by the pool. But if you want your child to come back to school in September with something a poolside can't give them - real confidence, a story worth telling, and a personal statement no one else could write – head over to our website for more info or give us a call on our office number: 01392 660056.