Can Year 10 reach the African Adventures FINALS to win a trip to Kenya?

SPA Geog African Adventure Challenge with Year 10

#Where will Geography take you?

Within the Geography department we welcome students who are assets to their Year group. These students are the first of the school to become Ambassadors of Geography in Year 10 and are shining role models to younger year groups. I have no doubt the three students who have entered the African Adventures will aspire to top grades in the New curriculum at GCSE Geography and hopefully make it to the finals of the competition they have entered.

Year 10 students Yetunde (far left), Princess and Precious have entered the African Adventures competition to win a trip to Kenya.

The aim of the AfricanAdventures’ School Geography Challenge is to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges facing many of the world’s LIDCs (Low Income Developing Countries). Our three students took part in a decision-making exercise, which focused on the impacts of El Nino flooding in Kenya. They first identified the impacts of flooding that they believed to be most significant, before deciding how they would spend an allocated budget on emergency aid to the region. They then completed an Aid Action Plan which justified their decisions and spending, making implicit links between the impacts and the aid they chose (please see the photo below). These resources were focused around one of our Kenyan partner projects, The Walk Centre; a community-based NGO located in Nakuru.  

The African Adventures’ School GeographyChallenge is providing the opportunity for schools from around the UK to showcase their budding and motivated geography students. The ten best entries will be shortlisted and those students will be invited to attend a final, as part of a team of four, to undertake a live challenge and compete for the incredible prize of a trip to Kenya in June/July 2017 with two staff members! As part of the trip, the group will visit The Walk Centre and see first-hand the work being done there, with the support of African Adventures, to overcome development challenges and improve the lives of many. Our students will find out whether they have been successful in their bid to make the Finals in February. 

Please see the link below for an explanation of the project the students were involved in:

https://vimeo.com/171902126

What does the trip mean to St Paul’s Academy?

“In Geography we have worked hard to inspire the students that the subject is not defined by studying theory in the classroom. Through our slogan ‘Where’s your next Geography classroom?’ is challenges this notion and aims to provide the students with a wealth of experience studying ‘Geography in reality’. Winning the trip with African Adventures would provide the school with a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a classroom – that for many of our students – is beyond their reach. It provides an international platform to our established volunteering initiative and takes the students a World away from the confines of a seat in classroom.” (Mr Davis).

“It would mean that we would have an opportunity to influence someone else’s life positively. To show them that someone cares for them and that every life is worth living, no matter what age you are.

We chose to get involved because we believe that we, as young people can be empowered to do something remarkable; not only for ourselves, but for someone else too.

We spent our free time after school, empathising with the Kenyan People of Nakuru, prioritising not only emergency aid, but also long term aid to further develop the country. Using the given resources as guidelines, we also used them to consider the social, economic and environmental impacts of a flood and the aid needed to counteract it. We hope to win the prize of a trip to Kenya because it is once in a lifetime opportunity to contribute by being a helping hand.

We have recently been successful in becoming Geography Ambassadors. This trip would be a prime example of geography in reality, taking our knowledge and applying it outside of the classroom. #Where Is Your Next Geography Classroom? (Hopefully, an African Adventure!)” (Princess, Precious and Yetunde).

Below is a link to the company we have much thanks to for providing the chance of a life changing opportunity to Kenya!

Please see the St Paul’s Academy website for more details of events within Geography. For all the pictures, especially of students REWARD trips and outside learning experiences. Please congratulate your child or those of you who teach these students if you see them! Let us hope we receive good news in February!

#Where is your next Geography classroom? (as the Year 10s say- “Hopefully, an African Adventure!”)