Survival 24:7 offered a platform of education, self-development and energy release over the challenging year of 2020, to a number of individuals across a broad age spectrum (from 6 to 80 years old) and diverse mix of abilities and needs (including disability; vulnerable young people and adults; primary-school to pensioners; mental, emotional and physical challenges).
2020 has seen a growing need and desire for people to 'get out, escape and find sanity' using the great outdoors as a safe environment, full of potential and new opportunities to be challenged and develop. To facilitate this Survival 24:7 has been offering such activities as:
- archery
- survival and bushcraft skills (e.g. shelter making, fire skills, elements awareness, tracking, tools making, dietary and food workshops)
- hedgerow medicine and foraging
- nature ID and awareness sessions
- mental health workshops
- vulnerable adult/young people education
To support a part of the above outreach and activity portfolio, Survival 24:7 has been working with a number of organisations, young people groups and local businesses, including Flourish at The Farm, Red Hill Christian Centre and youth groups. Obviously there has been a need to adapt this year, so the key has been: (1) to make activities much more person led; (2) keeping groups small and 'bubbled'; (3) offering shorter timeframes and frequency by making challenges much more 'bite size'; (4) specialising and streamlining sessions to meet stricter criteria of education and development; (5) developing a broader and longer timetable for all season sessions (rather than limited by weather, time of year etc), by adapting how, what, where and when; (6) offering more local opportunities, to reduce travel and give community driven sessions; (7) prioritise education for young people, especially vulnerable adults/young people; (8) tailor sessions for a more targeted audience (rather than a spectrum within any group, thinking age, ability, need and expectation to be grouped together for a specific activity / session plan).
