about our services to schools
All academic research monitoring the UK population’s physical health, mental health and health of our wildlife has sadly reflected a deteriorating state of modern affairs and has been scientifically linked to a reduction of time spent in nature and exercising (research presented below). Trail Unknown seeks to be an exciting solution by offering schools 1) the education and 2) the activities necessary to get future generations as passionate about the outdoors as we are, while offering all the skills and confidence to adventure outside safely.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
1. Education - inspiring lectures and outdoor skills workshops
- Inspiring Physical & Mental Well-Being: educating students on physical and mental well-being and presenting engaging research on the benefits of exercising and spending time in nature
- Inspiring Adventure: bringing in professional UK adventurers/athletes to tell stories and share their wisdom on improving mental & physical health
- How to Plan a Microadventure: where to go nearby, what to do, what skills and equipment are needed – best followed by our ‘Be the Wolf’ micro adventure activity offering where we enable students to plan and execute their own microadventures with our expert assistance
- Wildlife Conservation Workshops: raising conservation awareness by coordinating joint workshops with experts from a variety of local conservation charities (Wildlife Trust, RSPB, National Trust etc.)
- Navigation Training: taking your bearings using a good old compass and OS map – best followed by our ‘Howling at the Moon’ team navigation challenges
- Outdoor First Aid: taught by professionals, students will receive official first aider certification specific to outdoor environments
2. Activities - cycling Courses and adventure programmes
- The Wolf Cub Course: This is a half/full day cycle course aimed at empowering beginners to see cycling as a safe and sustainable method of transport by teaching basic bike handling skills and road safety.
- The Wolf Pack Programme: This is an ongoing programme which starts with the Introduction to Cycling Course and goes onto develop all the skills needed to safely enjoy cycling on the roads and local mountain bike trails, finally building up to a 2 day cycling trip with over-night wild camping. This course includes skills such as advanced bike handling, bike maintenance and repair, correct nutrition, navigation by Ordinance Survey map and outdoor first aid. Students will receive relevant qualifications from recognised awarding bodies and t-shirts with wolves on them, naturally. Read more
- Howling at the Moon Challenges: These are a series of team navigation challenges designed to take place either by bicycle or foot over an afternoon, a full day or on an over-night wild camping trip in areas of natural beauty. All relevant skills are taught in workshops building up to the challenges. These challenges work well as fundraising activities where we will help students build a fundraising profile and raise awareness – each student has their own choice of charity though we will recommend conservation charities.
- Be the Wolf Microadventures: We enable students to plan and execute their own microadventures with our expert assistance. We split students into three teams where one team figures out where they want to go, one decides what activities they want to do, and the other decides where they want to stay. We pack it out with plenty of team building challenges and activities for good measure.
why children's outdoor education needs ADDRESSING
"Only 1 in 5 children feel connected to the natural world in Britain." - RSPB
"Less than 1 in 10 children regularly play in wild places; compared to 5 in 10 adults when they were children" - National Trust
“Between 1970 and 2013, 56% of UK wildlife species declined, with 40% showing strong or moderate decline." - The State of Nature '16
"For 60 years I have travelled the world exploring the wonders of nature and sharing that wonder with the public. But as a boy my first inspiration came from discovering the UK’s own wildlife. The groundbreaking State of Nature 2016 report is a stark warning – but it is also a sign of hope. This report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate. However, we have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love wildlife to ensure that it remains here for generations to come.” - Sir David Attenborough
"Less than 1 in 10 children regularly play in wild places; compared to 5 in 10 adults when they were children" - National Trust
“Between 1970 and 2013, 56% of UK wildlife species declined, with 40% showing strong or moderate decline." - The State of Nature '16
"For 60 years I have travelled the world exploring the wonders of nature and sharing that wonder with the public. But as a boy my first inspiration came from discovering the UK’s own wildlife. The groundbreaking State of Nature 2016 report is a stark warning – but it is also a sign of hope. This report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate. However, we have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love wildlife to ensure that it remains here for generations to come.” - Sir David Attenborough
so the kids are playing outside less, Why is this a problem?
The National Trust released a paper on a term coined 'Nature Deficit Disorder' which describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. These are only the costs to the individual, the costs to society and the environment are far greater but it must be understood that the problem begins with the individual.
In the 3 sections below we have outlined key facts on the UK's physical health, mental health and health of our wildlife. In each section we have addressed how spending more time outside can be a powerful and inexpensive solution to a saddening state of modern British affairs.
In the 3 sections below we have outlined key facts on the UK's physical health, mental health and health of our wildlife. In each section we have addressed how spending more time outside can be a powerful and inexpensive solution to a saddening state of modern British affairs.
1. Physical Health
- Three in ten children in England aged between two and 15 are either overweight or obese
- The proportion classified as obese increased dramatically from 1995 to 2008: rising from 11% to almost 17% in boys, and from 12% to 15% in girls
- A major decline in children’s cardiorespiratory fitness (heart and lung) of 10% in just one decade
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men (aged 16+) are classed as physically inactive in the UK – less than 30 minutes of exercise per week
- The recommended amount of moderate exercise is 150 minutes per week (21.5 mins/day) - not achieved by 45% of women and 33% of men
- Low physical activity is one of the top 10 causes of disease and disability in the UK
- Lack of physical activity is costing the UK an estimated £7.4 billion a year, including £0.9 billion to the NHS alone
- One in six deaths in the UK are caused by poor physical health including: strokes, diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
The Benefits of Enjoying Nature to our Physical Health
Reduced risk of all-cause mortality by 30% (11), Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by 35% (11), Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes by 40% (11), Reduced risk of colon cancer by 30% (11), Reduced risk of breast cancer by 20%: for every 2 hours a week a woman spends doing moderate to vigorous activity, the risk of breast cancer falls by 5% (11), Reduced risk of bowel cancer (11), Strengthened immune system (7), Better vision (4), Improved Sleep (11), a longer life span with the biggest improvements related to reduced risk of death from cancer, lung disease and kidney disease (10).
2. Mental Health
- 10% of children (aged 5 - 16) and 20% of adults (aged 16+) in the UK have a clinically diagnosed mental health disorder
- The number of mental health disorders rose 1.5% from 2013 to 2014 and has only ever risen since it was first monitored by the Office of National Statistics
- One in 12 adolescents are self-harming
- About 35,000 children in England are being prescribed anti-depressants
- 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24
- 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
The Benefits of Enjoying Nature to our Mental Health
Improved self-esteem and mood (8), Restored mental energy (2), Improved concentration (5), Sharper thinking and improved creativity (6), Recovery from stress (3), Improved short term memory (1), people who are inactive have 3 times the rate of moderate to severe depression of active people (11), A longer life through recovery from stress and attention fatigue, encouragement of physical activity, facilitation of social contact and better air quality (9).
3. Health of UK Wildlife:
- A measure that assesses how intact a country’s biodiversity is, suggests that the UK is losing significantly more nature than the global average. The index suggests that we are among the most nature-depleted countries in the world
- The UK was once largely covered by trees, just 13% of its land area is now woodland, and only 1.2% is semi-natural ancient woodland, making it one of Europe’s least wooded nations.
- One third of all UK wildlife species have decreased in population by 50% or more since 1970
- 15% or 1,200 of a total 8,000 species assessed have become extinct or severely threated from extinction in the UK since 1970
- An index of species’ status, based on abundance and occupancy data, has fallen by 16% since 1970, and by 3% between 2002 and 2013
- An index describing the population trends of 213 priority species to the UK has fallen by 67% since 1970, and by 12% between 2002 and 2013
- Public spending on UK biodiversity and conservation fell by 32% between 2008 and 2015
- In 2012, Only 21% of eight to 12-year-olds in the UK currently has an adequate level of connection to nature according to RSPB research supported by the University of Essex
The Benefits of Enjoying Nature to UK Wildlife
A child’s “connection to nature” describes their attitude towards nature: their deeply-held feelings of empathy for creatures; their sense of responsibility for, and oneness with, nature; and their simple enjoyment of it. If children are connected with nature, they are also more likely to be interested in their environment and in taking part in nature-based activities. In other words, children who are connected to nature will enjoy it and want to save it, both now and in the future. Four principal factors have been identified that contribute to connecting children with nature: experiences of nature; knowledge about the environment; having nature near their home; and the attitudes towards nature at home.