Projects
A typical Outreach project has four stages
Liaison meeting
The referring partner organisation and the local ACFA Outreach team invite possible participants to a liaison meeting where the young people are told what they can expect and what is expected of them.
Achiever course part one: Discovery day
A chance for potential participants to get a taster of the activities that lie ahead and for the ACF volunteer staff to judge whether each individual is likely to successfully complete the whole programme.
Achiever course part two: Residential course
Normally lasting five to seven days, this is the heart of Outreach. A programme of challenging, team-based activities, usually on a military training area, well away from the participants' normal environment and certainly outside their comfort zone. Mentally and physically demanding, the course is designed to show the young people what they can achieve when given the opportunity. Positive adult role models, good humour, robust encouragement and earned praise are the norm.
Typical activities might include climbing, canoeing, abseiling, expedition training, first aid, obstacle course, night navigation, cooking for themselves in the field and living in improvised shelters (basha building). Above all the young participants are expected to take responsibility for themselves and the other members of their team. For many it is the first time they have stayed away from home.
Pathfinder course
Partner organisations are encouraged to identify participants who can be invited to return the following year as mentors on future projects. These young people are invited to attend the Pathfinder course, normally within nine months of their Achiever Residential. This is for the 15-20% of your group who you feel would benefit from going one step further and who might work as mentors for future Outreach projects.
An advanced residential course, it covers team building, coaching and mentoring, and has a volunteering element included. It combines adventurous training activities with both practical and theory modules designed to enhance the young person’s skills and knowledge. As with the Achiever Residential, participants are challenged throughout but given robust encouragement and support.