Adventurous Journey for Gold and Silver Level

Gold and Silver participants of The Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai completed their Adventurous Journey  at Bhimashankar and Khopoli.  A report from the Award Leader follows.

The IAYP Gold and Silver Level Adventurous Journey camp was held from 8th to 11th October, 2015 at Khopoli and Bhimashankar. Forty-nine Gold and Silver level participants, accompanied by the Award Leader, left for Khopoli. On reaching Khopoli, the participants were given sessions on rope knots, how to handle various equipment and pitch tents. These sessions were lively, informative and helped refresh everyone's memory of these vitally important skills for safety and survival.

Early morning on the 9th of October, all the participants embarked on a trek to Bhimashankar. They were all transported to Khandas village by bus and then began the ascent from there. The trek was challenging and exciting; there were several spots that seemed impossible to climb but with the correct attitude and skill, all the participants were able to manoeuvre their way through the forest. Everyone was determined to complete the trek and reach the peak of the hill. After seven hours with a lot of encouragement from the team leaders, the group finally made it to the top. The trek was exhausting but it helped improve the participants' fitness and build their communication and coordination skills.

In the evening, the participants were divided into groups and took part in different team building games. In the first game, the participants had to form a circle and pass a hoola-hoop around the circle without breaking it. The games became more difficult as they progressed; in the last game, all the team members were blindfolded and the group leaders had to help them form a square. These games enabled the participants to think on their feet and prepared them for life-threatening situations.

On the morning of the 10th of October, the participants did some light exercise and then took a bus to the Bhimashankar temple. It was a beautiful historic monument that offered an insight into Hindu religion and culture. In the evening the participants undertook a few adventure activities. Both net climbing and jhummaring were good exercise; these activities also allowed the knowledge on equipment and rope knots to be put to good use.

The morning of the 11th was spent in some light exercise followed by lectures and a feedback session, after which everyone departed for Mumbai. All in all, the camp was challenging and tiring but it was a memorable and enjoyable experience. Click here for pictures

Experience the 'Land of Tigers'

Have you ever heard silence, the chirping of the birds, felt each drop of water, listened to the sound of wind? All of the above is at least not possible in the busy city life.

Peace, nature, adventure and fun cannot be put into words they have to be experienced. Camp Hornbill at Jim Corbett National Park situated in the lap of nature, gives a new definition of life, which is beyond the entire muddle.  The four days adventure trip organised by our school, Uttam School For Girl, provided us with the best opportunity a student can get while being a member of the International Award for Young People. This programme has taught us that service and fun can go hand in hand, for which our adventure trip can be the best example. It was an exuberant affair backed with ultimate fun, adventure, and orderliness. The morning started with ‘Bird watching’ in the jungle. We could identify at least 27 different species of birds with the help of binoculars. Mountain biking was another fantastic experience. Rappelling and river crossing in a wild forest was a difficult task, but was made simple by the adept and experienced instructors. The day out brought with it a sense of independence, as preparing your own food in the forest gave extreme satisfaction. Interaction with the neighbouring people helped develop knowledge about their cultures. The sweet folk songs sung by the children forced us to shake our legs.

Body surfing in Ram Ganga canal was an unique experience. We learnt to support each other and work as a team. We ensured that every activity was not only successfully but was also completed by each and every one of us. We also worked with an NGO,”The Waste Warriors” in the village. They showed us how animal waste, dry leaves and waste food from the resorts could turn into organic manure. We are planning to start the same within our school premises. In the evening there were many team building and leadership games which kept us in high spirits

Campfires at night were enthralling sessions of laughter, discussions and jungle stories. Unconditional love and care given by the teachers and instructors made us feel homely. I thank IAYP from the bottom of my heart as they were the reason for this trip to actually happen. By and large this trip will be admired by each and every student, tears rolled down while leaving the place.

This is an experience shared by Brinda Gupta a Silver Award participant from Uttam School For Girls, Ghaziabad. 

Meet & Greet with the queen of the hills of Uttarakhand

Landour, a small cantonment town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about 35 km (22 mi) from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. The twin towns of Mussoorie and Landour, together, are a well-known British Raj-era hill station in northern India. Mussoorie-Landour was widely known as the "Queen of the Hills". It is where a group of forty IAYP Silver level participants from Purukul Youth Development Society, Dehradun along with five escorts went for their Adventurous Journey and for them it was an experience they will never forget. 

Their journey included a 16 km trekking from Rajpur to Landour, where they set up their base camp. This was was followed by a 12 km trekking to Khattapani and Ladur the next day and that is where they cooked lunch on fire. After returning back to Landour, next night they organized a cultural evening along with local children from an orphanage nearby. The final day involved a trek back to their home city of Purkal via Jhadipani and Rajpur.