I believe that having a sense of adventure and having the opportunity to get outdoors is incredibly important when growing up. For me it started when I was very young going out into nature and having adventures, this is what gave me my love for the wilderness and survival. Now I know that I was very lucky to have the opportunity to be able to do this. I grew up on a farm in the countryside, my dad would take me into the woods when I was just a young kid and show me how to use a knife, light fires and build dens.
The outdoors not only is a place where I can practice my skills, no, it’s much more than that. It’s become a place where I can build my confidence, face my struggles head on and overcome them and something that I can use to try and make a difference in our world.
Since being a young kid many people have shared their knowledge and time with me, to build me up through what I love most. Now I want to give something back.
My last post was all about being a positive role model to younger kids. This post is all about me trying to be a positive role model to you and something that’s had a big impact on me.
If by reading what I want to share with you, it inspires you and makes you say “I’ll give that a go”, “I reckon I could do that”, then I will have achieved my goal.
You may or may not have heard of the BES, the British Exploring Society. A youth development charity set up to inspire and challenge young people through the outdoors. They say that “When you push young people out of their comfort zone, you can really have a massive impact on them and transform their lives. It will build resilience, courage, confidence, motivation and can give you a different attitude”. That’s something the great outdoors is best at.
BES can take you all around the world on expeditions, but over lockdown they’ve been doing virtual expeditions trying to inspire young people to get outdoors in the wild where they live. They are called Wildestan, (The Wilderness Where We Stand).
I’ve now completed a season of Wildestan and a few weeks back they asked me to write up what they call a Real Life Story.
This is all about my experience of Wildestan, why I joined and how it’s benefited me.
If you’re a young person you should definitely get involved with the BES. Read all about my experience with them and then click the link at the bottom of this post and head over to their website.
MY REAL LIFE STORY
Please share a bit about yourself as an introduction
Hi my name is Evan and I’m 15.
I’ve grown up with the outdoors right on my doorstep. From a young age I came to love spending time outdoors and learning skills I’d need to survive in the wild. The outdoors became a place where I feel comfortable and an environment that I most felt confident in. For example, I’m not an academic kid and I’ve always really struggled with anything that involved reading and writing. I’m a practical lad, who has always been homeschooled and so this has given me the opportunity to learn more about the things that I’m interested in and build my self confidence through becoming good at those things and learning new practical skills. So when I sit down to do the things I find tough, one I’m much better at them but secondly I’ve found that I actually enjoy them. So for me the outdoors is not only an interest, but a massive part of my education and something I’ve used to help me overcome my struggles. I see how much of a difference the outdoors can have on a young person’s life.
How did you hear about British Exploring Society?
I saw a post about the British Explorers Society (BES) on Facebook a while back when I was looking at expeditions, explorers and adventure Facebook groups I could join. I clicked on it and it took me to a page titled something like “LISTEN UP YOUNG PEOPLE, come take part in our virtual adventures and explore the wilderness where you stand.” That sounded right up my street.
Why did you choose to join Wildestan Adventures? – How did you think Wildestan might benefit you?
My dream is to become a polar explorer and expedition leader who takes young people who are struggling in life – with their mental health, low self confidence and all the other struggles that they face – on expeditions to help transform their lives. I have faced my own struggles and found solutions to them through my love for the outdoors. I have seen how much of a difference it makes to me, but at the age of 15 being an expedition leader is.not quite possible and so I’m in training. Then when I saw that the BES do virtual weekly expeditions that I can join from the wilderness where I stand. I could learn the skills I’m going to need to be an expedition leader from experts in their field it sounded perfect! Looking back now I’m so glad I hit that sign up button.
How do you find the Wildestan Adventures?
I love them and I’ve learnt so much. Each week is something completely new, ranging from how nature benefits your mental health to exploring quarries and cliffs or learning practical skills.
Why do you keep coming back?
I just kept coming back because I love being able to learn new skills and ask questions to experts who are enthusiastic and passionate about what they love and happy to share their knowledge with young people who are enthusiastic to learn.
What are your highlights so far?
For me one of my highlights was when we cooked expedition style food, Fish and Chips gone wild. I love cooking, especially over a campfire or in the wilderness and so I loved cooking along and having tons of fun. My other highlights are the time when we went searching for bugs and other wildlife in a city centre and learning how to be more resourceful and reuse stuff that we see only fit for the tip and to reduce our waste – a skill that that’s needed in the wild but also one that we need in our everyday life, now more than ever.
Are there specific skills that you feel that you are developing over the course of Wildestan? (life skills)
The Wildestan expeditions have definitely boosted my confidence – my confidence in learning new skills but also my self confidence.
By unmuting myself, asking questions and chatting with the experts and other young people when that Tuesday evening came around once a week, I feel as if I have gained more confidence. It has definitely helped me to make connections with other expedition leaders which will hopefully help me towards my dream of being an explorer. Wildestan also gave me a talking point which most people were interested in.
Have there been practical lessons for a future expedition that you learnt on Wildestan?
As I write this I’m in the last stages of preparation for the BES expedition to the Scottish highlands which I’m well excited about. One of the things I’m really looking forward to is trying out some of the skills that I’ve learnt from wildestan. For example, I imagine we’re going to be getting our drinking water from the streams up in the mountains and so purifying it is going to be essential for the team (fire) to stay safe and healthy.
Having now completed a season of Wildestan, do you feel more comfortable about joining an expedition if you haven’t done anything previously?
Through finding out and joining in with Wildestan I found out that I was old enough to join in an expedition. I applied and was so happy, extremely grateful and honoured when I got that email saying basically ‘welcome to the team’. I’m sure this opportunity is going to be life changing and have a massively positive impact on my journey to trying to achieve my dream of becoming an explorer.
How would you describe your leaders and what impact did they have on your experience?
As someone who wants to be an expedition leader who works with young people, the leaders couldn’t have been any better. Being able to ask advice and get tips was great.
What do you think is so special about British Exploring Society?
The British Exploring Society is so unique and epically awesome. What I love about them is that they are accessible to all young people no matter what your circumstances and their expeditions and workshops are not only for people who have lots of money they make it accessible for every young person. From what I’ve read and heard and (hopefully will soon experience) is that their expeditions are no package holiday. They give teens and young people a real sense of adventure. Some people may think adventures are only for young kids who have a vivid imagination. Well I definitely disagree, that sense of adventure is 100% buried deep within all of us and sometimes it just needs unearthing.
If another person was thinking of joining Wildestan but was undecided, what would you say to them?
If you ever get the opportunity to do anything with the BES – whether that’s to join in with a season of Wildestan or to go on an expedition somewhere on our planet – then grab it. A motto I try to live by but sometimes find tough is to ‘get stuck in’ and give it your all and in the end you’ll come away with the biggest grin on your face.
British Exploring Society website, go check them out.
Junior Survivors 
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