Free Extreme Arctic Talk in Newcastle

The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), based at the Royal Geographical Society London, takes young people aged 16-23 to extreme locations to learn essential survival skills and carry out research projects in some of the most sensitive areas of the world.

BSES will be visiting Newcastle at the end of January, to speak at schools and youth groups across the North East about expedition opportunities in the Arctic, Himalayas, Amazon and Desert.

The week will kick off on 23rd January at 17:00-18:00, at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle, where wannabe explorers will have the opportunity to try out Arctic equipment, such as ice-axes and crampons, and find out how they could join a BSES expedition this year.

Young people in the North East can also apply for a £2500 bursary towards expedition costs for an Extreme Arctic gap-year trip, or for a £1000 bursary towards a 3 or 5 week summer expedition - find out how by coming along to the Sunday afternoon talk.

The talk is free and open to all, but it's recommended that you book a seat by emailing lucy@bses.org.uk.

Schools or youth groups that would like to find out more or book at talk should contact lucy@bses.org.uk

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BSES Himalayas on youtube

Footage of the British Schools Exploring Society's 2010 Himalayas trip is now available for public viewing on youtube: click here to view.

The British Schools Exploring Society's Himalayas 2010 expedition witnessed the devastation caused by heavy rains and flooding in Ladakh. This meant that, in addition to conducting field work in the Thanglasgo and Palzampiu valley, hiking with Sherpas in the Tanjarta valley and summiting the 6000m mount Dawa, the young BSES volunteers worked on several successful projects, run in conjunction with local villages:

One set up a medical clinic [to care for victims of recent flooding]; a second assisted with repairs of the local water supply; the third project made visits to schools in nearby villages; and the fourth involved transporting stones for the repair and rebuilding of damaged bridges. All projects are proved a fantastic success and are provided the Young Explorers with a personal development opportunity potentially more significant than any summit attempt would provide them.

To discover more about the 2010 expedition take a look at footage of this year’s team or read the expedition blog.

To find out how to get involved with the 2011 expedition, email lucy@bses.org.uk, or take a look at www.bses.org.uk and choose ‘exploring’.

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£1000 BSES funding for the Channel Islands and North East

The Royal Geographical's Society affiliate charity, The British Schools Exploring Society, is offering young people in the Channel Islands and North-East £1000 towards expedition costs.

The British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) has been running expeditions to extreme locations for 16-23 year olds since the 1930s. Most expeditions run during the school summer holidays for three or five weeks, offering young people the opportunity to explore the Arctic wilderness, Himalayan mountains, Amazon rainforest, Oman desert or Namibia's savannah.

Older students have the opportunity of spending extended periods of time in the Arctic or desert, on longer gap-year projects, and can opt for specialist expeditions such as 'Arctic Skills' and 'Polar Nights'.

BSES expeditions are called 'adventures with a purpose', meaning that environmental responsibility and research are an integral part of all trips. From monitoring glacier retreat to collecting data on river dolphins and caiman populations, all BSES conservation research is published, presented and archived at The Royal Geographical Society.

In addition to ongoing research and contributions to the society, BSES gives young people first hand experience and direct interaction with some of the most pressing global concerns of the 21st century.

Anyone aged 16 or over can apply for a place on an expedition and learn about fund-raising techniques. With BSES's strong ethos that no-one should be excluded from opportunities, to assist students in the North East, £1000 funding in now available to each student to apply for on a first-come-first-served basis. Young people in the Channel islands are also eligible to apply for this funding, to assist with additional travel costs they will incur flying to the UK to embark on their adventures. For students based outside the North East and Channel Islands, significant support and grants are also available to assist young people in meeting their expedition costs.

Find out more by visiting www.bses.org.uk or contact lucy@bses.org.uk to ask for expedition details.

This article was also posted at www.responsibletravelnews.com

www.lucygrewcock.com