YHA is launching a £1 million appeal to give more children adventures they’ll remember forever.
“School trips are a formative experience for pupils,” explains outdoor leader David. “They provide memories which last a lifetime. They inspire and motivate young people towards greater levels of achievement in their studies and in their personal development.”
Residential trips offer significant benefits to children. They improve their attainment, strengthen their bonds with friends and teachers, provide a safe space for them to conquer mountains, overcome obstacles, and work together on team challenges. This sort of trip is also a great leveller; the cliques of the playground tend to disappear.
They’re important for all children. But for children from low income families, this could be the only chance they get for a night away from home.
“For two days, extremely disadvantaged children were able to put behind them the worries and concerns that they live with daily,” Lisa, a primary school teacher, said of one trip. “To sleep in a bed with bedding, have a warm shower and eat as much as they like for breakfast was a highlight. I can’t express enough the impact that the experience has had.”
But the number of children experiencing poverty is rising, and at the same time, there’s less money for residential school trips, meaning they’re being cancelled across the country. According to the Children’s Commission on Poverty, around 30% of children missed out on these trips because their families simply couldn’t afford it. Combine this with two years of cancellations because of the pandemic and many children are being denied these formative experiences. Children from low-income families are much more likely to stay at home.
Driven by this injustice, YHA is launching an appeal to ensure no child misses out. If we reach our target of £1m, we can fund trips for 10,000 school pupils from the poorest areas of England and Wales.
By donating £50 you could pay for a child from a low-income background to stay overnight at a hostel, and £100 could support their place on a two-night residential. These donations will make an adventure a reality for a child.
Matt, headteacher at West Horndon Primary School, has seen the clear benefits of residential trips over the years. “It’s 20 or so years since we began visiting YHA, and former pupils still tell me how much they learnt and how much they enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s so important that every child gets to take part regardless of background, finances and previous experience.”
YHA is asking people to give what they can to help the children who need it most to have an adventure of a lifetime. Find out more about YHA’s urgent appeal and donate online.
