This adventure was a continuation of a collaboration between cadet forces in Birmingham and Snow Camp, the social mobility programme run by Switch180 charity. https://www.snow-camp.org.uk . Snow Camp uses snowsport to raise aspirations and create opportunities for disadvantaged young people. It operates a three tier system which culminates in some young people qualifying as Level 1 ski or snowboard instructors.
Snow Camp Venturer saw cadets from Tile Cross Academy (part of the CEP partnership with Solihull School CCF) complete the first stage of their journey by undertaking the First Tracks course at the Tamworth Snowdome.
The ten cadets selected to either learn to ski or snowboard and mixed their practical experiences on the snow with classroom sessions looking at personal development and managing mental health issues. They also learned about the Snow Camp journey including pathways to employment.
The instruction was delivered by instructors from the Snowdome as well as alumni of the programme. Two of these were Snow Camp apprentices but the remainder were volunteers. Inspirational to the Tile Cross cadets were two volunteers who were older cadets from the school who had completed the whole programme and are now qualified instructors. One young lady had her whole Snow Camp journey funded by the Ulysses Trust and is now a regular volunteer snowboard instructor.
I also took the opportunity to bring along the 14 year old son of the Ukrainian refugee family we are hosting. He had only been in the UK a week but really welcomed the chance to mix with teenagers again. Coming from Russian occupied eastern Ukraine and having had to travel with is mum through five countries in five days to reach Warsaw prior to flying to Birmingham, this was a welcome release for him and the cadets made a big effort to include him in the activities.
Apart from the personal development opportunities through adventurous training this exercise also provided the cadets the chance to experience an activity that would be socially, culturally, and economically beyond their reach if it had not been for the support of the Ulysses Trust and Snow Camp. The fact that they met former cadets who they remembered from school who had progressed to become instructors and are now volunteering was a powerful inspiration and example to them.
For the unit this reinforces the opportunites that being in the cadets provides thereby promoting recruitment and retention.
‘At the beginning of the course I never thought I would be able to snowboard to the bottom of the slope but after two days I was able to achieve this – I was so proud of myself!’ Christian
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of the Macrobert Trust for supporting this expedition.
