How YOU Can Help Vulnerable Young People Keep Their Shine

AT THE end of the summer, six of the Kaboodle Senior Leadership Team will be walking (...and maybe crawling by the end) for 10 hours through the beautiful, but grueling, hills and valleys of the Black Mountains for the 2024 Housebuilders Challenge. 

But why are they doing this? 

The Housebuilders Challenge is held every year to raise money for the amazing Youth Adventure Trust (YAT). 

This great charity provides two programmes of outdoor adventure, alongside one-to-one support, to vulnerable 11–15-year-olds to help them to build resilience, develop confidence and learn skills which will last a lifetime.   

But the question we often get asked is, what exactly is the money we donate going towards? 

So, we decided to speak to the very helpful team at YAT to find out exactly what the money we are raising will be helping them do, and to learn more about their two awesome adventure programme – The 3-Year YAT Adventure Programme and The 1-Year YAT Resilience Programme. 

And here’s what we found out. 

The YAT Adventure Programme 

This is the charity's original programme. It runs over three school years, from Year 7 to Year 9, includes three residential camps and eight different one day activities and is completely free for the participants and their families. 

This year, YAT is helping 280 young people on the Adventure Programme who are suffering with a range of issues, including bullying, low self-esteem, mental wellbeing, lacking friendships, living in poverty and unstable home lives, to name but a few. 

Any donation, no matter how small, will really make a difference to this programme, which is completely paid for through fundraising. Here are some ways your support could help: 

£15 = 1 mentoring session for a vulnerable child  £35 = 1 child’s place on a school holiday activity day 
£75 = 1 Explore day 
£285 = 1 child’s place on Coastal Camp 
£552 = 1 child place on Mountain Camp 
£3,900 = 1 child place on The YAT Youth Adventure Programme 

The YAT Resilience Programme 

In just its second year, this new year-long programme includes 10 monthly activity days, a Coastal adventure, an overnight expedition, take-home activities and a coherent thread that guarantees a progressive and meaningful experience for the young person taking part. 

In 2024, 30 children took part in the YAT Resilience Programme, and here’s what YOUR generous donation could pay for. 

£27 = 1 Resilience activity day 

£130 = 1 child’s place on a Coastal Adventure Day  £200 = 1 child place on an Overnight Resilience Expedition 
£1,900 = 1 child’s place on the YAT Resilience Programme 

What the young people had to say about the YAT programmes 

And, if you are still unsure on whether to donate, here is what some of the children who have benefited from these programmes had to say about it. 

Kate, 13, said: “The biggest difference I have noticed is how resilient I am. I am more positive now and I keep on trying at things.” 

Bradley, 14, said: “Without the Youth Adventure Trust, I would have lost my shine. When I started the programme I wasn’t in the best place mentally. Yet going away and having the experiences I had really put the light back into my life. It made me realise that bad days are just that, bad days. And without them, good days wouldn't be as good.” 

David, 13, said: “Ever since Mountain Camp, I’ve felt so much more motivated to do stuff. I feel so much more confident and I'm not afraid to try things, because I'm not afraid to fail anymore.” 

How to donate 

So, now you’ve found out what a difference your money could make, you are probably wondering how you donate to this awesome cause! Well, it's simple! 

Just follow the link to our fundraising page at Youth Adventure Trust: Kaboodle Housebuilder Challenge 2024 (enthuse.com) and click on the donate button.