handbook

LEADER - contents
Foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE
4-5
Welcome6
Expeditions fior Everyone
7
Introduction8
Information for Parents and Teachers 9-15
Leader Expedition Meetings
16-17
The Expedition Programme & Your Development
18-22
Training Expeditions
23
Information & Activities
1. Destination Research
26-27
2. Languages
28-29
3. Fundraising & Money Management 30-31
4. Fundraising Calculator 32-33
5. Fundraising Examples
34-35
6. Fitness
36
7. Personal Safety & Security
37
8. Nutrition & Food Hygiene
38-39
9. Expedition Health
40-41
10.Expedition Skills
42-57
• Risk Assessments
• Campsite Safety
• Fire Safety
• Camp Craft
• Expedition Equipment
• Budgeting Skills
11. Expedition Top Tips
58-59
12. Leadership & Teamwork
60-61
13. Global Awareness
62-65
14. Community & Charity Projects
66-67
15. Social Networking & Mobiles
68-69
16. Reflection, Review & Self-Evaluation
70
17. Using your Expedition Effectively 71
3
Foreword - sir ranulph fiennes obe
May 2009 was an extremely proud moment for
me – after two aborted attempts I made it to the
summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayas.
An expedition is a life-changing experience as
well as a developmental journey that begins long
before you take those first steps into the unknown.
Consequently, I became the first man to conquer
the world’s highest mountain as well as to cross
the Antarctic continent and the Arctic Ocean via
the Poles.
Your journey with World Challenge has now
begun and I know that you won’t be disappointed
as long as you remain committed to what lies in
front of you, you work together with your fellow
Challengers and Leaders to succeed and focus
on preparing both mentally and physically for
your trip.
There were plenty of highs and lows along
the way but, in retrospect, the most testing
parts now make up some of my fondest
expedition memories.
The intensity and unpredictable character of the
natural environment is what excites and stretches
me to the limit and if I could offer a single piece of
advice to you, as a ‘Challenger’, it would be that
I’ve never met anyone who has regretted going on
their first expedition, no matter how arduous.
A good team functions as a single being – not
only will you all work together towards that
common goal whilst undertaking your trek and
community project, but you’ll complement and
support each other so that your work seems more
effective and rewarding.
Good luck!
I still remember one of my first led-expeditions up
the longest river in the world, the River Nile, on a
hovercraft in 1969 like it was yesterday!
©John Cleare
5
welcome
Congratulations, you have embarked on a truly
amazing journey. Setting out to complete this
challenge shows a spirit for adventure and energy
to succeed. We are pleased to be working with you
and your team on this life-changing programme
and our commitment to you is sincere, focused
and total. All we ask is that you make that same
commitment not just to us but also to your team
and ultimately yourself. Prepare yourself physically
and mentally for this incredible experience.
expeditions for everyone
Our ethos truly comes to life when our Challengers
tell us how this programme has changed their lives:
Pioneer Expeditions
Important interpersonal skills and global awareness are
just two of the outcomes that will be achieved on our 8
to 10 day Pioneer Expedition. Our exciting destinations
will offer a focus on either a rewarding community service
project, or a trek that will appropriately challenge the
young people involved and expose them to a different
culture and way of life. While pre-bookings are made
for most components of the expedition, Challengers
will be engaged by the opportunity to make some
decisions and take on basic responsibilities, such as simple
budget decisions and leading their peers. Concepts will
be introduced slowly and time will be taken to ensure
Challengers understand what is expected of them to make
the most of the experience.
We wish you every success and will work with you
each step of the way.
Our Ethos
World Challenge aims to support and facilitate
the development of young people through
life-changing experiences. We provide a safe
environment for students of school age to explore
the limits of their comfort zone, allowing them to
grow in confidence and resourcefulness, both of
which are key qualities to help build successful and
fulfilling lives.
Taking ownership and responsibility for people
and plans is at the centre of the World Challenge
learning experience. Participation and teamwork
are essential factors behind any successful
expedition. Global citizenship is another important
dimension to the programme. Part of the World
Challenge ethos is to ensure that students
experience cultures and environments very
different to those of their home country. This
brings an appreciation of the challenges facing
other cultures and hopefully awakens the desire
to understand, explore and develop a global
perspective on life.
Lizzy Yarnold, 2014 Winter Olympic Skeleton
Gold Medallist and former Challenger
(Maya Route, 2006)
“My World Challenge expedition certainly helped
shape me into the person that I am today. I recall
many moments where I looked up and was
taken away by the beautiful scenery around me
– countries that you may never get the chance to
visit again.
“I learnt a lot about leadership, drive and
motivation during my four weeks in-country and
I have carried those disciplines forward into my
career as an athlete.
“It was a life-changing experience and provided
me with memories that I will always fondly
remember.”
Matt Eastlake
World Challenge Global MD
6
World Challenge has a range of expeditions aimed at
developing young people of all ages, background and
prior experience.
Explorer Expeditions
At 11 to 20 days the Explorer Expedition will extend
participants’ experience, introduce important leadership
and team-building concepts, examine comfort zones
and provide opportunities to experience and understand
another unique way of life. Our staff will support
Challengers for the duration of the expedition in making
decisions, leading their peers and experiencing all that the
destination has to offer. To facilitate outcomes, roles for
all Challengers will be introduced and rotated regularly.
The itinerary will include opportunities for trekking and/
or engaging community projects and although it is quite
structured there is some flexibility for the team to make
some changes.
Leader Expeditions
For an experience involving full immersion and maximum
challenge, the Leader Expedition is the choice. Itineraries
range from 21 to 40 days in length and while flexible
include phases for acclimatisation, trekking, community
service projects and rest and relaxation. Time away will
include extended opportunities to develop empathy
for the local people as well as the natural environment.
While World Challenge and school staff are present and
supportive, Challengers will be engaged by the need to
manage the entire expedition including a complex budget,
booking of transport and accommodation, catering for
the entire team and the design of the itinerary prior to
departure. Given the nature of the programme, the Leader
Expedition delivers superior outcomes for Challengers to
become a leader and a follower, explore ways for dealing
with challenge and gain an understanding of themselves
and the amazing world they live in.
7
introduction
information for parents and teachers
Since 1987 World Challenge has been at the forefront of devising educational expedition programmes
which teach life skills and expand minds outside the classroom. Our hand-crafted expedition itineraries
foster team spirit and leadership skills and allow students to develop a range of skills and competencies
in a challenging environment. Our ethos of Challenge, Participation and Environment is as relevant
today as when it was originally coined. World Challenge is determined to remain the leading provider of
educational and developmental overseas expeditions for schools.
The World Challenge Expedition Programme Aims
The aims for a World Challenge expedition are summarised below. They also show how the expedition
will meet the aims and develop the students through different Focus for Learning areas.
Education through Exploration… is our strap line
and describes the amazing journey you are about
to embark on… but it’s not just a journey for the
body… it’s also a journey of the mind. There’s no
better way to learn about the world, and yourself,
than on a World Challenge Expedition.
Like all expeditions, you’ll face challenges, whether
it’s trekking up a peak in the Andes, dealing
with leeches and high humidity in the jungles of
Borneo, buying food for you and your team in a
market in Zambia, or as team leader, dealing with
the tensions that can build up when you are three
weeks into a 4-week expedition and everyone is
tired and smelly!
To help prepare you for these challenges, we’ve
put together this handbook to guide you through
the period prior to departure and to help you be
ready for the adventure of a lifetime. The book
works alongside the World Challenge meetings
that will be held in your school or college. It is also
designed to be used in conjunction with
your My World Challenge site. In places, the book
will direct you to log on to My World Challenge
and input information, such as your medical and
passport details.
8
As you move through the expedition programme,
you can track your progress by completing the
self-evaluations. It’s through the meetings, the
information and activities here and online and
through the expedition itself that we hope you’ll
start to notice your confidence growing, your
skills developing, as well as your fitness, and it’s
then that you’ll realise what a World Challenge
expedition is really all about.
Don’t forget we are also on hand to answer any
questions you have. You can contact us through
My World Challenge or directly:
www.myworldchallenge.com
Customer Support:
T +44 (0)1494 427600
E [email protected]
So now you are up and running… well done on
signing up for a World Challenge Expedition –
it’s not going to be easy, but it will be both fun
and rewarding and you will have some amazing
experiences.
Expedition Programme
Aims
To enable successful
participants
To develop confident
individuals
To promote responsible
global citizenship
Focus for Learning
Attitudes and attributes
e.g. determined,
adaptable, confident,
risk-taking, enterprising
Skills
e.g. personal, learning
and thinking skills, risk
management
Knowledge and
understanding
e.g. of destination,
culture, environment
How do we organise the learning and development of students?
The World Challenge Expedition Programme consists of three phases:
1. Pre-expedition phase
2. Expedition phase
3. Post-expedition phase
Over the course of their expedition programme, students will develop their knowledge, skills and
understanding initially through a series of meetings held at school and supported by online and offline
tasks available in this handbook, and accessed through My World Challenge.
The expedition programme gives enormous opportunity for the development of life and learning skills
that will help to equip the student for their future life in education, training or employment. The table on
page 10 gives an overview of how the expedition programme may work and how students may be able
to develop life and learning skills over the course of the expedition programme.
Learning Outside the Classroom
The Department for Education has worked in partnership with the Council
for Learning Outside the Classroom to develop the LOtC Quality Badge.
We are pleased to announce that World Challenge is an accredited
Quality Badge provider. We have shown that we have pledged to engage
in an ongoing process to sustain high quality learning outside
the classroom. www.lotc.org.uk
9
information for parents and teachers
Life and
Learning Skills
Focus
How World Challenge can help to meet
the focus
Individual
enquirers
Young people process and evaluate
information in their investigations,
planning what to do and how to go about
it. They take informed and well-reasoned
decisions, recognising that others have
different beliefs and attitudes.
Students research their destination
to establish cultural/geographical/
environmental similarities and
differences. On expedition they can
explore how the environment and/or
culture impacts on daily life.
Creative
thinkers
Young people think creatively by
generating and exploring ideas, making
original connections. They try different
ways to tackle a problem, working with
others to find imaginative solutions and
outcomes that are of value.
In taking an active leadership or team
role while on expedition, students can
adopt differing approaches to solving
practical issues relating to achieving
their daily and overall expedition aims.
Reflective
learners
Young people evaluate their strengths and
limitations, setting themselves realistic
goals with criteria for success. They
monitor their own performance and
progress, inviting feedback from others
and making changes to further their
learning.
The students will have regular reviewing
sessions throughout the expedition in
order to evaluate their achievements
and progress towards meeting their
individual and team objectives. A variety
of different reviewing techniques will be
employed.
Team workers
Young people work confidently with
others, adapting to different contexts
and taking responsibility for their own
part. They listen to and take account of
different views. They form collaborative
relationships, resolving issues to reach
agreed outcomes.
The students will collaborate with their
team in order to determine and then
work towards common goals. They will
adapt their behaviours to suit different
roles and situations, including leadership
roles. The Expedition Leader will rotate
different roles around the team.
Self-managers
Young people organise themselves,
showing personal responsibility,
initiative, creativity and enterprise with
a commitment to learning and selfimprovement. They actively embrace
change, responding positively to new
priorities, coping with challenges and
looking for opportunities.
The students will work towards team
and individual goals, showing initiative,
commitment and perseverance. They
will demonstrate flexibility when
priorities change. They will organise
time and resources, prioritising actions.
For example they may have to purchase
food for the team using unfamiliar
currency.
Young people actively engage with
issues that affect them and those around
them. They play a full part in the life of
their school, college, workplace or wider
community by taking responsible action to
bring improvements for others as well as
themselves.
Students will identify improvements
that would benefit others as well
as themselves. On return from
expedition they should be able to apply
organisational and leadership skills to
new situations.
Effective
participators
10
Evaluating impact
Having set their individual and team objectives, students will regularly evaluate their own progress and
the development of their knowledge, understanding and skills. Students will have the opportunity to reevaluate their objectives prior to departing on expedition and will regularly review and reflect under the
guidance of their Expedition Leader. On return to the UK, they will further evaluate their development
and will be able to set goals for their future.
At World Challenge we will also gather feedback and evaluate every expedition to ensure students are
getting the opportunity to meet their objectives and that schools can witness the development of their
students into successful participants, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
11
Information for parents and teachers
Safety & Back-up
An overseas expedition carries with it more
challenges than most school trips and as a
consequence may involve certain elements of
risk. It is not possible to eliminate these risks
completely; however certain steps are taken
during the planning process and throughout the
expedition itself to ensure that they are reduced to
a reasonable level.
Safety Compliance
There are no mandatory standards or regulations
relating to the provision of overseas expeditions,
but to show our commitment to safety and risk
management, World Challenge aims to surpass
suggested good practice provided in the British
Standard 8848 and the Learning Outside the
Classroom (LotC) Quality Badge. World Challenge
has been externally verified as compliant with
British Standard 8848 and we are proud to say that
we have never self-assessed. We have also been
externally assessed for the LOtC Quality Badge,
which is a more rigorous assessment and tailored
specifically to the provision of school expeditions.
Risk Assessment
World Challenge produces and regularly reviews
Generic, Country-specific and Activity-specific Risk
Assessments. When used in unison, these three
documents provide a robust risk management
resource for Leaders to use in safeguarding their
team. These Risk Assessments cover factors
such as weather, transport, terrain and health.
The process involves identifying hazards and
the impact they could have on the team; then
establishing control measures that can be put in
place to minimise the risk. The World Challenge
Expedition Leader will work alongside the School
Leaders to implement these control measures
as well as conduct ongoing risk assessments
throughout the expedition. Despite having
adult Leaders with them, the team will also be
encouraged to be aware of possible risks and
actively work to reduce them.
Challenger Training
All Challengers receive some form of face-toface training from World Challenge during the
build-up programme prior to departure. For longer
duration, more challenging trips this will be a twoday, outdoor-based training course where they will
learn about camp-craft, personal hygiene, group
security and also begin to develop their teamwork
12
and leadership skills. For shorter duration trips a
condensed training course will be delivered at the
school by World Challenge and will cover the same
objectives in a more condensed format.
World Challenge Expedition Leader
Selection and Training
Leaders are selected for their qualifications,
developing world travel experience and youthwork experience. World Challenge puts Leaders
through a rigorous four-day assessment process
to analyse their abilities. Expedition Leaders won’t
necessarily have been to the expedition destination
that they are leading before, but they will have
developed transferable knowledge and skills from
other destinations and experiences which they
can call on. They are trained to assess risk, take
appropriate precautions and deal with a variety of
problems that may occur on expedition. The aim
of selecting and training suitable leaders is
to prevent problems occurring and to ensure that
any issues that arise can be dealt with safely
and efficiently.
Operational Support
World Challenge’s expeditions take place in the
developing world where typically the infrastructure
and facilities within a country are not at the same
level as you would expect at home. Depending
on the team’s itinerary they may be travelling to
remote areas where evacuation to comprehensive
medical facilities may take an extended period of
time. This is the nature of going on an expedition;
we climb mountains, trek through jungles and visit
rural communities because it is both challenging
and rewarding.
If necessary, Expedition Leaders can call on the
support of World Challenge while in country.
The World Challenge safety and back-up system
has been developed and tested since 1987.
Operational Support is manned by experienced
staff and has the ability to deal with medical and
administrative problems overseas, 24-hours a day.
In the unlikely event that it is required, the
Operational Support team can help coordinate
evacuations and rescues with support from a
number of contacts such as In-Country Agents,
Embassies/High Commissions, air rescue
organisations and medical support services such
as FirstAssist. Parents should be aware that due
to the nature of the destinations World Challenge
travels to, it is unlikely that there will be air- or
land-based rescue services equivalent to those in
the UK and that evacuation times and methods
will be determined by a range of factors including
time of day, nature of the incident and availability
of resources.
Each team carries a satellite distress beacon which
allows emergency signals to be transmitted by
an expedition team to Operational Support, via
24-hour monitoring centres around the globe. The
majority of teams also carry a satellite telephone to
allow Leaders to communicate from remote areas.
Medical Assistance
World Challenge provides all teams with a
comprehensive medical kit and supporting medical
handbook created by our expedition doctor. Our
Operations Support team has access to medical
advice from doctors 24/7 via FirstAssist, who
also ensure that our participants receive the
appropriate care once they have been evacuated
to a medical facility, which may involve transfers
and repatriations.
World Challenge is advised on location of medical
facilities by our In-Country Agents and partners.
Comprehensive medical facilities tend to be
located in hub cities which may be a significant
distance from where the team are conducting
activities. The standard and provision of smaller,
local clinics may vary week to week but may be
utilised by our teams for both minor ailments
and if necessary to help stabilise someone before
transferring to a comprehensive facility.
In-Country Support
In addition to the In-Country Agent and trekking
and/or project contacts, World Challenge
maintains contact with the British, Irish and often
American and Australian High Commissions/
Embassies in each destination. They are provided
with details of each expedition and are on hand in
case of emergencies.
13
GETTING STARTED
Your personal details
Name
Date of Birth
Contact Phone
Email
School
Team
Destination
Dates of
Expedition
Teacher
My World Challenge
log-in details
User Name
Password
Now go to My World Challenge to check the following details: (Tick when done)
Medical details
Emergency contact details
Height and weight details
Passport details
We advise you to check My World Challenge every week for updates on Itinerary/Kit etc.
www.myworldchallenge.com
14
The World Challenge Expedition Programme
The World Challenge Expedition Programme runs
from when you sign up until long after you return
from your expedition. The programme is designed
to help you to get as much out of your expedition
as possible and to develop key skills that will
benefit you whether you are continuing at school,
going to university, heading into further training or
going directly into employment.
The programme is designed to both prepare you
for your expedition and equip you with key skills
such as communication, teamwork, leadership and
money management.
This handbook is designed to be used alongside
the World Challenge meetings that will be run
in your school and your My World Challenge
site. The meetings are there to support your own
development, they will be used to demonstrate
key skills and allow you to operate as a team in
preparation for your expedition.
Your programme meetings are summarised on
the next page, make sure you make a note of the
dates of these meetings and then tick to say that
you attended.
A key part of the programme is to give you the
information you need in order to both physically
and mentally prepare yourself for your time in
country. We will cover key aspects such as fitness,
health and hygiene plus cooking and camping
skills, in order to keep yourself and your teammates safe and healthy throughout the expedition.
15
LEADER Expedition Meetings
leader Expedition Meetings
School
Team
Destination
Dates of Expedition
Compulsory Meetings (insert date and tick when you’ve attended)
World Challenge will run meetings in your
school throughout the programme. These are
designed to help you get the most out of your
expedition. In addition to these meetings you
should arrange, as a team, to meet regularly to
keep everyone focused.
Parent Presentation
1 hour – in the evening
To give both students and parents more
information about the expedition programme,
from the content of the expedition to health
and safety.
Launch Meeting
2 hours – after school
To introduce students to the expedition
programme, My World Challenge and the
support available to them. The team will discuss
fundraising ideas, set the team objectives and
introduce the destination.
Fitness Tests
Being physically fit and prepared for your
expedition is important for both your safety and
enjoyment. You and your team will need
to take part in compulsory fitness testing prior
to departure.
16
Launch Meeting
Completed
Fitness Test 1
Completed
Itinerary Planning
Completed
Expedition Skills Meeting
Completed
Training Expedition
Completed
Itinerary Planning
3.5 hours – after school
To plan the itinerary and learn more about the
destination. The evening will also finish with an
update to parents from the World Challenge
representative regarding the next stages of
the programme.
Fitness Test 2
Completed
Fitness Test 3
Completed
Meet the Leader
Completed
Expedition Skills
2.5 hours – after school
To prepare the team for their training expedition
by introducing them to cooking equipment,
nutrition and menu planning.
Build-Up Day
Completed
Expedition Departure
Completed
Expedition Return
Completed
Training Expedition
2-3 days – various locations
To give the students some practical experience of
expedition life from budgeting to camping skills.
Additional Meetings/Events
Meet the Leader
3 hours – after school
A chance for you and your parents to meet your
World Challenge Expedition Leader.
Challenger Funraising Events
Completed
Project Meeting
Completed
Build-Up Day
1 day – at school during the day or overnight
To organise and prepare the team ready for
departure.
Additional Training
Completed
Other
Completed
17
The Expedition Programme & Your Development
Monitoring your Progress
To start your developmental journey, please give the following questions careful thought and answer as
fully as possible:
What do you want to achieve as an individual over the course of the programme?
What do you want to achieve on the expedition itself?
As a team, can you think of any objectives you want your team to achieve together?
What are you most looking forward to?
The World Challenge Expedition Programme is
designed with the following aims in mind:
• To Develop Confident Individuals
• To Enable Successful Participants
• To Promote Responsible Global Citizenship
In order to achieve these aims, the programme is
designed to equip you with a range
of skills:
• Skills needed as an individual to make a success
of the expedition
• Skills needed as a team member to make a
success of the expedition
Many of the skills required to make a success of
the expedition can also be described as general
and/or life skills that can be used when applying
for university, employment or training e.g.:
18
• Communication skills
• Team-working skills
• Leadership skills
• Enterprise, Money Management and
Budgeting skills
• Decision-Making skills
An important step in the development of these
skills is the process of reflecting and reviewing
progress made at each stage of the expedition
programme. The following pages are designed for
you to evaluate your level of development at
the start of your programme. You will be asked
to complete a similar evaluation following your
Training Expedition (where applicable), on
Build-Up Day and then on completion of
your expedition.
What are you most anxious about?
19
The Expedition Programme & Your Development
Monitoring your Progress
Self-Evaluation 1 – Starting the Programme
Use the following key to complete the self-evaluation of your current skill level, subject knowledge or
ability on the different aspects of undertaking a successful expedition, in the table below:
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
General skills or ‘Life’ skills
1 I don’t know anything about this, lots of development required
Listening to others and understanding
their point of view
2 I am not confident with this, some development required
3 I’m ok at this but could learn more
4 I’m quite good at this
5 I’m very good at this
Making yourself understood when
communicating with team members
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
Confidence in taking the lead when
faced with a new or difficult problem
Expedition skills 1 - the outdoors
Identifying and working with other
people’s strengths and areas for
development
Camping and selecting a campsite
Cooking on a stove or open fire
Resolving conflict between team
members
Budgeting skills
Personal level of self-motivation
First aid procedures
Working on own initiative
Emergency procedures
Working as part of a team
Dynamic Risk Assessments
1
Expedition skills 2 - World travel
Travelling in the developing world
Booking hostels and other
accommodation
20
2
3
4
5
Notes
Reflecting, reviewing and recording
your personal experiences
Time-keeping and punctuality
Being confident about dealing with
new people
Booking transport
Talking to, or presenting to a group of
people or your peers
Negotiating with locals i.e. guides/
suppliers
Money management skills (personal
finance)
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Leader Expeditions – Training Expedition
The Training Expedition forms a vital part of your
preparation; it is based outdoors which, depending
on the weather, can be fairly demanding. It’s a
chance for you to test your fitness and can also
be a great opportunity to learn a little more about
what equipment may be appropriate for you.
You’ll be camping out and cooking for yourselves.
Training Expedition Aims
1. T
o prepare all team members for life on an
expedition. Expedition skills included:
• World Challenge leadership system
• Packing a rucksack
• Health and hygiene
• Cooking dehydrated food/use of cookers
• Water purification and consumption
• Working together as a team
• Camp craft
• Safety and security
2. You will work together as a team under the
guidance of a World Challenge instructor. You will
spend the night in your tent, which will enable
you to practise camp craft and cooking the food
you will have on expedition. You will also have the
opportunity to practise taking some responsibility
by fulfilling a team ‘role’ such as leader, navigator
or accountant.
During the Training Expedition, Instructors will
observe your fitness levels and how well you cope
with the activities; any concerns will be discussed
individually so that you are given plenty of time to
work on fitness in preparation for the challenges
you face on expedition.
3. Each group will be led by an experienced and
fully qualified instructor. While this may not
necessarily be the leader for your expedition,
they will be happy and more than able to answer
any questions you have about expedition life.
Other members of World Challenge staff will also
be on hand throughout the Training Expedition
to help answer any questions with regards to
administration and specific country information.
Monitoring your Progress
Self-Evaluation 2 – Following your Training Expedition
Following your Training Expedition, please give the following questions careful thought and answer as
fully as possible, using the following key:
1 I don’t know anything about this, lots of development required
2 I am not confident with this, some development required
3 I’m ok at this but could learn more
4 I’m quite good at this
5 I’m very good at this
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
Expedition skills 1 - the outdoors
Camping and selecting a campsite
Cooking on a stove or open fire
Budgeting skills
Risk Assessment
Go to My World Challenge, download and read the Training Expedition Risk Assessment
First aid procedures
Additional Tasks (tick on completion)
Emergency procedures
Purchase or loan of items from the Training Expedition kit list on My World Challenge
Dynamic Risk Assessments
Completion of emergency contact instructions
Completion of medical details
Plan your menu and buy the food for the team. Go to My World Challenge and read more
about recommended foods (pdf), how to plan a menu (pdf). There is also a menu template
(pdf) to help you get started.
Review. Following your Training Expedition
Complete self-evaluation 2
Expedition skills 2 - World travel
Travelling in the developing world
Booking hostels and other
accommodation
Booking transport
Negotiating with locals i.e. guides/
suppliers
22
23
Monitoring your Progress
1
2
3
4
5
Notes
Leader Expeditions – Training Expedition
Action Plan: What are you going to do to make sure you get the most out of your expedition?
General skills or ‘Life’ skills
Listening to others and understanding
their point of view
Making yourself understood when
communicating with team members
Confidence in taking the lead when
faced with a new or difficult problem
Identifying and working with other
people’s strengths and areas for
development
Resolving conflict between team
members
Personal level of self-motivation
Working on own initiative
Working as part of a team
Reflecting, reviewing and recording
your personal experiences
Time-keeping and punctuality
Being confident about dealing with
new people
Talking to, or presenting to a group of
people or your peers
Money management skills (personal
finance)
24
Congratulations! You have finished the first stage of your on-going, self-development evaluation, which
will allow you to track your development over the course of the Leader Expedition Programme. It will also
allow you to focus your aims and objectives in preparing for a fantastic expedition. Please make sure that
you review and update your self-evaluation as you go through the programme and before you set out on
your expedition.
25
Section 1 – Destination Research
In preparation for your expedition you will need
to do some research to find out more about the
country you are going to. The earlier you start
researching your destination the better.
Below are some questions to help you begin
your country research.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started...
• How many people live in the capital?
• Buy a country map between the team and
highlight any interesting areas, including
National Parks, major cities, cultural sites,
transport links and possible trekking areas such
as mountain ranges or jungles.
• Other than the capital, what are the two
largest cities/towns?
• Buy a guidebook. The World Challenge
discount on Lonely Planet books is 25%.
The discount is available to all Challengers,
School Leaders, Expedition Leaders and
parents. To receive the discount buy online at:
www.lonelyplanet.com and get your code from
My World Challenge.
• Name the country’s highest mountain
(if applicable)?
1. Go to the ‘Your Expedition’ tab on My World Challenge
• What is the height (in metres) of the highest
mountain (if applicable)?
2. Click on the tab and read the information
• There is also plenty of country information on
our website: www.world-challenge.co.uk
• What is the country’s population?
• What is the capital?
• Which countries and/or seas border
your destination?
• What are the predominant religions?
• Can you list six key areas of interest in your
destination? (i.e. National Parks, mountains,
sites of cultural interest, trekking areas,
coastline and cities.)
• What means of transport could you use to get
around the country?
• What season will it be during your expedition?
• What will the average temperature be in the
capital city during the day and night, when you
are there?
• What is the average rainfall for that time
of year?
• What is the altitude of the highest point in the
country that you may visit?
26
My World Challenge Activities (tick when completed)
• Which city are you most likely to fly to?
• What level of fitness do you think is required
for your expedition?
3. Click on the Destination tab from the ‘Your Expedition’ menu and read all about the country
or countries you will be visiting
4. Download and read the ‘Top Tips’ document
5. Download and read the following documents when they become available:
a. Itinerary
b. Trek Form
c. Project Form
d. Rest and Relaxation Forms
e. Risk Assessment
f. Kit List
27
Section 2 – languages
Being able to speak a few words in the local language will add a whole new dimension to your
expedition. A few key phrases will prove very useful when dealing with locals, whether you are at your
project site or food shopping in the local markets.
There are plenty of online translation websites e.g. www.fodors.com/language and
www.freetranslation.com and even some useful Apps, but remember you won’t have those to hand
when you are miles from nowhere, so you might just have to learn a few words. Most guidebooks e.g.
Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or Footprint Guides, have handy phrase pages, but again, you might not
want to be fumbling for the guidebook when you are trying to pay for oranges at a market stall or
booking a bus to the next town.
So find out the local language(s) for your destination, translate the key phrases below, and then have a
go at learning them off by heart!
And finally … it is always a good idea to know your numbers and days of the week.
Language 1:
Language 2:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
PHRASE
Language 1:
Language 2:
Sunday
Hello
One
Goodbye
Two
Thank you
Please
My name is
Three
Four
Five
Six
What is your name?
Seven
I don’t understand
Eight
Do you speak English?
Nine
How are you?
I’m fine, thank you
Where is the toilet?
How much is it?
Ten
Try going to 20 and then 30,
40, 50 up to 100
Have a go at learning them. And don’t forget that actions can speak louder than words, so don’t be
shy to use your arms and hands… and try to avoid shouting slowly at people in English (it doesn’t
usually work!).
How do I get to...?
Where is the bus/train station?
What time does the
bus/train leave?
I would like (when in a
restaurant - usually followed
by pointing at the item on
the menu)
28
29
Section 3 – Fundraising & Money Management
The fundraising process
When you are raising money individually there
are lots of things that you need to take into
consideration. How much spare time can you
dedicate? What are your strengths or interests?
Can your parents help you out? We know that
raising the money can be time consuming and
hard to fit in with school work and exams. The
best way to deal with this is to think about how
much time you can realistically dedicate to your
fundraising even if this is just a couple of hours at
the weekend.
Setting targets
The idea of raising all the money for your
expedition can be daunting, so break it down into
more manageable targets. Remember the earlier
you start your fundraising the easier it will seem.
Don’t forget that your school work is important.
During your exam period you may not be able to
raise any money and will need to make up for this
during quieter periods such as school holidays.
30
How are you going to raise the money?
There are lots of things that you can do
individually to raise the money for your expedition.
Think of your strengths or hobbies when thinking
of things to do, if you involve these you are more
likely to enjoy yourself. For example, if you play an
instrument you could host a music concert or give
music lessons; if you like to cook, bake some cakes
and sell them or cook a meal for friends and family
and charge them to attend. Talk to friends and
family about your expedition, could they ask work
colleagues to sponsor you for Challenger Events or
even pay you to do some odd jobs such as ironing,
shovelling snow or mowing their lawn?
Getting a part-time job
The great thing about getting a regular job is that
you know how much money you will be receiving
and you can budget how much of this to put aside
for your expedition. Look out for signs in shop
windows advertising part-time job vacancies but
also be proactive and send your CV to places that
you think you might like to work for.
1. Go to My World Challenge, take a look at the sample CV and other documents that you can
adapt for yourself
2. Complete the My World Challenge Fundraising Calculator
3. Put the figures from the calculator onto the next page so you have a handy record of what
you need to raise
4. Read the Fundraising ‘How To’ guides to give yourself ideas for group and individual
fundraising
5. Register for a Challenger Fundraising Event – details are on My World Challenge
6. Check out the Events & Fundraising social media pages: follow us on Twitter
@WorldCh_Events, or like our Facebook page at World Challenge UK Events &
Fundraising or pin with us on Pinterest: worldchevents
7. Check out the Fundraising A-Z Guide for ideas on fundraising activities
And finally… Check out examples of fundraising events on the World Challenge UK Events &
Fundraising Facebook page, and make sure you tell us about yours!
31
Section 4 – Fundraising Calculator
Use the calculator below to see how much money you could raise before your expedition departs.
Earnings
How many weeks are there between now and your departure date?
How many of those weeks are term time?
How many weeks are holiday time?
What will your hourly rate of pay be?
How many hours can you work during a term time week?
How many hours can you work during a term time weekend?
How many hours can you work during a holiday week?
How many hours can you work during a holiday weekend?
Gifts
What is your family contribution?
Sponsorship
How much money can you raise from a major sponsored event?
Totals
Total term time earnings (£)
Total holiday earnings (£)
Total raised (£)
32
33
Section 5 – fundraising examples
Individual Fundraising
Why not combine your hobbies with fundraising?
• Sheena MacTaggart, Garnock Academy –
Completed the Challenger Abseil at the Titan
crane in Clydebank where she raised £525. She
also held a clairvoyant night where she raised
£800 towards her trip to India South in 2013.
Katie Shannon, Edgbaston High School for Girls,
Birmingham – Costa Rica & Nicaragua 2014
Swimming a half marathon.
• Patrick Mouchel, Anglo European School –
Arranged a concert in his local parish hall and
raised £900 toward his expedition to Bolivia in
the summer of 2013.
• Jack Allen – Jack hosted an afternoon tea, he
invited 35 people to his house and charged them
a small entry fee of £5, this included a glass of
fizz. During the course of the day they played
bingo, held a raffle, book stall and baking stall.
Overall he raised £1,200 towards his expedition.
Team Fundraising
• Gaby McDivitt, Cramlington Learning Village
– Gaby and her friends organised a ‘Boxing Day
dip’ at South Beach in Blyth. She raised £1,000
towards her trip to Ghana in 2014.
• Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School Team 1 –
Organised a day bag-packing at their local Tesco,
and raised £385 towards their trip to Ecuador
in 2015.
• St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School –
Organised a car wash on their inset day and
raised £105 towards their expedition to Ecuador.
Visit the Fundraising section on our website
www.world-challenge.co.uk for more
Fundraising Case studies and news and updates
on Fundraising Events.
34
I had a bit of time and wanted to do something
a bit different, so I organised a music festival.
It took me six months, and I raised £2,800. It was
a lot of hard work but definitely paid off and was a
great experience.
I spoke to two radio stations about it, one of
which kept advertising it for two weeks prior
to the event, and I had a number of articles in
newspapers and magazines. This was great
for promoting the event but it also brought a
couple of donations from people that weren’t
interested in the event at all, but wanted to
support the cause!
• Thomas Sard, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School
for Boys – Tom raised money by selling his
home-made jams and chutneys at his local fete.
He made £130 for his trip to Nepal in 2015.
• Katherine Webb, Melbourn Village College
– Taking part in the Challenger Run helped
Katherine raise £170 worth of sponsorship.
Katherine also held a cake sale at her local coffee
shop with a friend (who is also going on the
trip), they raised about £90 from this, most of
which came from donations.
Jordan Booth, Ripon Grammar School, North
Yorkshire – Cambodia & Thailand 2012
Music festival.
I learned to swim aged four years old at my
local swimming pool and have been a member
of swimming clubs since I was seven. Now I train
and compete for Orion Swimming Club, which
runs training sessions six days a week in the
Edgbaston area.
So when I was thinking of ideas for raising money,
it made perfect sense to do a sponsored swim.
But it had to be a real challenge – something
that would catch the headlines and make people
prepared to donate their hard-earned money. I
decided that swimming a half marathon would
be a huge achievement and a worthy target. My
coach, Carl Flynn, was very supportive in training
and I couldn’t wait to show him, and everyone
else, what I could achieve if I put my mind to it!
On Saturday 27th October 2012 I swam a halfmarathon – 13.1 miles – in my school swimming
pool. It took me 9 hours and 10 minutes, but I did
it – 923 lengths completed! I even featured in my
local newspaper, The Birmingham Mail.
I was overwhelmed by all the support that I
received from my friends and family. Everyone has
been so generous with their sponsorship, especially
my uncle’s company, RP Tooling Ltd, based in
Halesowen, who have backed me from the start.
A big ‘thank you’ goes to all of them!
Top tip: Notify your local media.
Why not think BIG when organising your
fundraising events?
I approached a local events company at a large
venue, Ripon Racecourse, and shared my ideas
with them; they guided me through legalities
and made sure that I wasn’t making mistakes or
missing things out. I contacted loads of businesses
to help with security, lighting, sound, putting
up stalls, printing etc. A lot of people weren’t
interested but others were amazing. One company
printed 1,000 flyers free of charge. In return I put
the logo of their company on the flyers.
When it came to the artists, I already knew a
couple of bands so I contacted them and they
spoke to all of their musician friends and the word
spread. We also had a couple of bigger names
such as Frances Wood – the finalist from the first
series of The Voice – I just found her on Facebook
and sent her a message.
I did all the organising and designed the
wristbands, posters and tickets myself. I even built
the event’s website, saving quite a bit of money.
I got in touch with a local youth centre and it
turned out they had a whole team interested in
these events, so they helped me out a lot – most
importantly providing staff to help out on the day.
I was amazed at the amount of people that were
willing to support me as I was doing something
completely out of the ordinary. Overall, it was a
great festival!
Top tip: Don’t be afraid to do something
completely different, and give yourself a bit of
lead-up time to prepare.
35
Section 6 – fitness
Becoming fit is a vital part of your preparation.
It is essential that you exercise and build up
your fitness in order to be able to cope with the
demands of expedition life. We have provided
your team with the World Challenge Fitness Pack
to help you prepare. This is also downloadable
from My World Challenge. This includes Exercise
Plans to provide guidance for those who are not
used to exercising regularly and may need to start
at a very basic level.
Fitness Testing
You will be required to take part in fitness tests
organised at school at certain points throughout
the build-up to your departure date. Your fitness
test results will be submitted to World Challenge
so that we can ensure that you have an adequate
level of fitness to participate safely.
What will I need?
The Fitness Pack provides step-by-step guidance
to accompany you throughout the plan, explaining
all you need to know about each exercise and
how to complete them, along with other useful
information about warming up, cooling down and
how and when to stretch. There are many other
types of exercise that are suitable for developing
aerobic fitness and strength, however in the
Fitness Pack we have suggested activities that
don’t require additional equipment or resources.
When should I exercise?
There are three sessions per week which gradually
36
Section 7 – personal safety & security
increase in intensity as the days and weeks go on.
For best results we recommend including exercise
into your daily routine e.g. if you get driven to
school why not try a brisk walk or maybe riding
your bike instead? Or you might find that you can
achieve a suggested day’s exercise as part of a
sports lesson at school.
If you are struggling to fit the Exercise Plan into
your regular school day we recommend you try
and choose three days/evenings with the least
amount of activity, giving you the best chance of
completing the plans fully. Remember if you are
already taking part in physical activities during the
week this can count towards your three times a
week. Try not to work out more than three times a
week so that your body can fully recover from the
previous work out.
Finding it too hard?
If you are not coping with any part of an Exercise
Plan then you need to go back a stage or two and
then build back up to the schedule.
Although serious incidents on expedition involving
personal security and safety are rare, there is a
risk in every country we visit just like there is a risk
at home. To keep you as safe as possible please
consider the following safety principles:
Getting Lost
• Make sure you take a business card or map
issued by your hostel so you can find your
way back.
• Do not access transport of any kind including
buses and taxis without a Leader.
• Ensure you abide by all the instructions
issued by Leaders concerning boundaries in town
and curfews.
• Note down the number of the team’s in-country
mobile so you can call if you get stuck.
Money and Valuables
• Carry your cash and passport on you at all times
in a money belt. Another method is to have the
cash you will be using for the day in a separate
wallet so you don’t have to show all your cash
when you make a purchase.
Please note that it is important to ensure that you
remain well hydrated before, during and after
exercise. The Exercise Plans are designed so that
they can be completed indoors (using a treadmill
for running exercises) or outdoors, depending on
the weather.
• When changing money make sure you count all
the cash before you walk away from the cashier.
To access all of the necessary fitness information
please refer to the Fitness Pack or go to My World
Challenge.
• Be aware of the people around you especially in
crowded places like markets where pickpockets
might be active.
• Make sure you are discreet about the amount of
cash and other valuables including cameras and
MP3 players you are carrying.
• Think about carrying your backpack in front of
you in crowded places.
• Be aware of motorcycle bandits who
might snatch your belongings if they are by
the roadside.
Personal Safety
• Make sure you visit public toilets as a group
rather than alone. If you are unsure take a
Leader with you.
• Make sure you are never out alone, always travel
in at least a group of four but consider that more
might be better at night or in certain areas. Your
Expedition Leader will advise you about this.
• If you are unsure about the level of safety in a
particular town consult your In-Country Agent
for advice.
• Don’t enter any place where there is not a clear
means of escape.
• Avoid places like bars, clubs and pool halls where
people might be drinking alcohol.
• Dress appropriately for the culture to ensure that
you don’t draw attention to yourself.
• Don’t go anywhere with local people that aren’t
known to the team.
• Do not find yourself one on one with any
local people.
37
Section 8 – nutrition & food hygiene
Food type
One of the top topics of conversation on your
expedition will probably be food. When are you
going to eat, what you are going to eat and who’s
going to shop, cook and clear up will probably be
discussed most days. Eating well on expedition is
very important, particularly to ensure you have
enough energy to do the activities planned in
your itinerary.
To help you think about your shopping and
cooking we have put together a few top tips.
Shopping
Before you go into a market or shop, spend some
time thinking about what you will need to buy.
Discuss within your team:
How many days/meals do you need to
provide for?
• Have a look at your itinerary and plan ahead to
work out the number of days you will need to
provide for. How long is your trek or when will
you be back in a town where you can
get provisions?
• Also check on your trekking information whether
food is provided on your trek or at your project
– some providers cater for teams as part of a
package arrangement.
What sort of food is suitable for the conditions
you’ll be experiencing?
• In hot, humid climates food like bread goes
mouldy very quickly and dried food may be
better, whereas in cold, dry climates food should
keep for longer.
What is the local staple food?
• East and Southern Africa: maize flour is the
38
staple (called mealie-pap, sedza, nshima or ugali,
depending on where you are) – to cook it you
add a small amount of water to the flour to
make a paste and then add the paste to a pan of
boiling water and stir it until it begins to look like
mashed potato.
• South America: quinoa is the staple grain in the
Andes (Peru, Chile, Brazil and Ecuador) and you
cook it much like rice.
• Central America and South America: beans are
widely eaten – you can buy them very cheaply in
their dried form, but be aware that you’ll need to
soak them before cooking.
• Central America and South America and Asia:
rice is the staple, and you will be able to find
it in lots of varieties. It’s a good idea to buy a
sieve so that you can rinse it in cold water before
cooking, and watch out for little bits of grit –
these can break a tooth!
Where is the best place to buy food?
• Supermarkets are very convenient and a good
place to buy imported goods (e.g. peanut butter
and hot chocolate), but many countries do not
have supermarkets in every town, and often you
will be able to find the same things at a fraction
of the price in markets.
How much food do you need?
• It’s important to think about the quantities of
food. One small bag of pasta probably won’t
go very far. The following table will give you an
idea of how much food to buy and cook (but be
aware that people have different appetites and
that you’ll need to tailor your quantities bearing
in mind how physically active the team are).
Quantity per person
Meal ideas
Rolled oats
30g (small handful)
Porridge is great for breakfast as it gets you ready for
the day ahead and gives you vital energy needed for a
morning’s trekking or busy day at your project. Try varying
it by adding dried fruit. Top tip: buy some powdered milk to
make the porridge with.
Pasta
100-150g (a cup)
Rice/other grains
50g (large handful)
Bread/crackers
1-4 slices, 3-4
crispbread style
crackers
Bread and crackers are good for lunches when you don’t
have time to stop and cook. Vary the spreads and sandwich
fillings. Ham, cheese spread, fish paste, peanut butter or
jam tend to be popular choices.
Hot drinks
1-3 per day
Teams usually enjoy a hot drink in the morning and
evenings, especially if it’s cold, so do add to your shopping
some tea bags, hot chocolate and biscuits!
Carbohydrates such as pasta and rice are great to give you
energy and fill you up. Try to buy local vegetables, meat
and spices to create healthy and appetising meals.
What is your food budget?
• Have a look at the budget sheet with your
accountant and work out how much you have to
spend on food for the days you are planning to
buy for. Keep this in mind when you are in the
shops and try to add up your shopping as you
go along.
What are the dietary requirements of the teams?
• Consider everyone in the team especially if they
have specific dietary requirements or allergies.
How can you work around this?
What phase of the expedition are you shopping
for? If you are shopping for food on your trek you
will need to think about:
• The weight of the food (e.g. not too many
heavy tins).
• What is easiest to carry and can it be split up
between the team to carry?
• What food will give you the most energy to help
you to trek?
• Trekking snacks (high energy dry food such as
dried fruit and nuts – not chocolate: it melts!).
What non-meal items can be bought within the
budget?
• ‘Store cupboard essentials’ such as salt, sugar,
spices and tea bags are easy to forget if you just
shop with a menu planner in hand.
• Don’t forget items such as cooking utensils and
cleaning supplies that you may need.
Top tip: buy large sandwich bags to put food into
to get rid of lots of unnecessary packaging and to
help divide the food between the team for fitting
into rucksacks.
Catering for Vegetarians
Beans are a good source of protein and can
be included in most dishes. Eggs are a good
vegetarian staple too. Vegetable curry is often a
popular choice that can be cooked on a trangia.
Buy fresh fruit and vegetables when you can. Tins
of tomatoes and pre-soaked beans and lentils are
also very useful as a base for sauces.
Food Hygiene
Problems with food hygiene that you might
encounter on expedition include:
• Lack of proper storage
• Inadequate facilities for cleaning and drying
dishes and trangias
• No control over the temperature at which food
is stored
• Personal hygiene is more difficult
• Preparation area is limited
• Cross-contamination can be harder to control
• Environmental factors (e.g. presence of rodents,
or more humid conditions leading to mould etc.).
39
Section 9 – expedition health
Health and Hygiene
It’s true that the most common illnesses on
expeditions are those related to poor quality
water supply and the result is often diarrhoea and
vomiting … commonly known as D & V. While
friends and family might scare you with terrible
tales of stomach problems and diarrhoea your
health can be managed very well if you follow
some simple rules covered in this section.
• Can you drink from the taps in the country you
are travelling to?
Name some preventative strategies to avoid heat
illness or injury.
• What are the alternative options if you do not
have access to an improved water source?
Washing Hands:
Hydration
You will be travelling to a country with a different
climate to your own. What will the weather be like
in the destination country when you travel?
Even if the climate is similar to the one you are
exposed to most of the year, you will be taking
part in strenuous physical activities that you are
It looks cute enough,
why not?
Heat-related Injury or Illness
When students are exposed to hot conditions, it
is vital that they take the necessary precautions
to avoid heat-related injury or illness. Most of the
time heat exposure is not serious and will only
cause minor discomfort, however greater amounts
of heat exposure can be serious.
• Besides tap water, what other sources may
contain contaminated water? Think about the
other food and drinks available in the country.
Don’t pat the monkey!
Identify symptoms of dehydration and note some
ways in which you can keep yourself hydrated
whilst on expedition.
Around 800 million people throughout the world
do not have access to clean drinking water. The
most affected are those people living in the
developing world. Since you will be travelling to a
developing country it is important to find out some
information about the water supply.
• What are the potential risks associated with
drinking unclean water in the country you are
travelling to?
40
not accustomed to. Each cell and every tissue and
organ within your body needs water to function
correctly. It is essential that you keep yourself wellhydrated throughout the expedition. Failure to do
so could lead to dehydration and illness.
Hand-washing may seem like one of the simplest
tasks you will have to carry out on expedition,
but it is also one of the most important. Washing
your hands is essential in your everyday life but is
even more vital when travelling in the developing
world. Washing your hands frequently, after going
to the bathroom, before food preparation and
throughout the day can significantly reduce the
chance of contracting diarrhoea, food poisoning,
flu and colds. Washing your hands should take
about 15 seconds, and both hands should be
lathered up with soap. If there is no water to hand,
hand sanitizers offer a good alternative.
Task:
Mosquito-borne Illness
You have been given the responsibility of
Hygiene Officer. Find a creative way to help
your team remember to wash their hands
thoroughly on a regular basis:
Mosquito-borne illnesses occur in over 100
countries in the world; these diseases affect
300-500 million people. Often these diseases
are more prevalent in the developing world.
Mosquito-borne diseases include Malaria,
Japanese encephalitis and Dengue fever.
Please list some strategies you can use to
reduce the possibility of being affected.
Hint: You could come up with a short jingle,
chant, joke or acronym.
41
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
Risk Assessments
You may well hear the term ‘risk assessment’ used a lot by your Leaders and by the end of the
expedition everyone in your team should be familiar with risk assessments: what they are, how to
conduct one and what they mean to you. The following is a short guide to explain what all the fuss
is about.
A simple example… A risk assessment for crossing a main road (we all do this naturally!)
Identify hazards
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment is simply a process designed to help people stay safe; it involves assessing the level of
risk involved with a particular activity and identifying whether or not you are able to put some sensible
safety measures in place to enable you to continue with the activity safely.
How do you conduct a risk assessment?
Consider how likely it is that
something may go wrong
1. Being hit by a passing vehicle
2. Tripping on or off the curb or other obstacles near the road
Low likelihood = It is quite unlikely to happen, although conceivable
Medium likelihood = There is a possibility that it might happen
High likelihood = It is quite likely to happen and it will not be
a surprise
If we don’t pay any attention or are careless, then the likelihood is
either Medium or High for our road crossing.
Identify hazards
Consider how likely it is that
something may go wrong
Consider how serious it would
be if it did go wrong
Low (Minor injury) = The consequence would be minor, i.e. a
minor injury
Medium (Serious injury) = The subsequent injury could possibly stop
the participant from continuing the activity
High (Major injury) = The consequence would be serious, i.e. a
serious injury that could be life-changing or fatal
Being hit by a passing vehicle could potentially be very serious and
so would be High.
Tripping on the curb is not likely to be as serious but could still
be Medium.
Consider how serious it would
be if it did go wrong
Come up with measures to
reduce the likelihood or
the severity
Come up with measures to
reduce the likelihood or
the severity
Put your control measures and
safety precautions into action
Some ideas…
1. Stop, look, listen and think… look both ways before crossing
2. Cross at a point where you can see clearly up the road in
both directions
3. Consider using a dedicated crossing point if there is one close by
4. Cross quickly once the road is clear but don’t rush or run
5. Look at where you are walking when you cross
Make sure you follow your safety measures when it actually comes
to crossing the road.
Put your control measures and
safety precautions into action
Basically, although this looks like a long-winded process, the principle of risk assessment is pretty simple
and once on expedition you will soon get used to ‘putting your risk assessment hat on’ and will soon be
seeing risks and control measures wherever you go on expedition.
42
Your Leaders will have copies of the written risk assessment documents conducted by World Challenge
which you can ask to see at any time.
43
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
campsite safety
If camping or putting up hammocks in a forested area there are some specific hazards associated with
camping under or near to large trees that the whole team should be aware of. A dynamic assessment
of the site should be made prior to the setting up of all camps, to include the following:
• Are the areas where you are likely planning to pitch your tents/hammocks directly under canopy or
is there clear sky above you?
• Is there any evidence of recent tree/branch fall in the area?
• Is there any apparent dead wood suspended in the canopy that may fall if there is an increase
in wind?
• Make a thorough structural check of trees in the vicinity that may have been damaged by wind,
lightning strikes, or storms (see diagram below):
You are likely to be spending at least part of your
expedition sleeping outdoors – either in tents or in
hammocks. Your Expedition Leader will be able
to give you more guidance and advice on setting
up your campsite, but the following is a list of
prompts and checks for you and your team to
consider before or while setting up a camp, either
in the wild or at a recognised site.
• Are you near any animal feeding areas or
nesting sites?
• Consider how best to arrange the tents, is it
better to have a semi-circle or surrounding a
central communal area? Where will the cooking
take place? It needs to be away from the tents,
also consider where the cooking fuel will be
stored. You might need permission to have a
campfire, if you do have a fire please make it as
far away from the tents as possible.
• Think about the water usage source and ensure
you don’t risk contaminating it with human
waste. Ensure that any pack animals that are
supporting the trek also do not contaminate
the water.
• Avoid camping on boggy ground or areas likely
to flood. If possible, try to camp a reasonable
distance from watercourses, in case water levels
rise during the night.
• How are you going to store the team food? All
food should be kept as cool and dry as possible
to prevent it from perishing, but some food may
need special consideration.
44
• Has a suitable food waste management plan
been implemented? If you leave food out this
can attract rodents and other pests and these in
turn may attract other dangerous wildlife.
- Trunk damage
- Large branches broken off
- Hanging branches
- Dead outer branches
- Deep slits in the bark
- Ground movement
THINNING CROWN
• What is your cooking system? E.g. camp kitchen
next to a wall or in a circle; cooking in tent
groups, or only using a couple of chefs etc. Think
about the hygiene aspects of working around
your camp kitchen. You’d never wave a muddy
walking boot over the food that you’re cooking
at home, so don’t step over the saucepans in
your camp kitchen!
• Are you and the rest of the team aware of all the
safety aspects of the camp kitchen? E.g. keeping
fuel away from the cooking area, not cooking
near flammable material, tents, clothing, etc.
• Can you take steps to minimise the group’s
impact on your campsite? Take out what you
bring in, move tents regularly, avoid camping on
previous or muddy sites.
• When the time comes to move on, rehabilitate
the site to its original state. Walk around the site
area (having everyone stand in a line and do a
‘sweep’ of the site is a good idea), clean up litter
and check for tent pegs that have been
left behind.
• If you find litter that another group have left,
don’t just leave it there – pick it up!
DEAD OUTER
BRANCHES
ACUTE-ANGLED
FORKING with splitting
HEAVY MISTLETOE
INFESTATION
WATER COLLECTING
IN FORK
HOLLOW BRANCH
FUNGAL
FRUITING BODY
EXUDED GUM
LIGHTNING SCAR
LARGE BRANCH
BROKEN OFF
DEEP SPLIT IN BARK
BORER HOLES
TERMITE NEST
BUTT DAMAGE
Cavity may be evident
ROOT
DAMAGE
In the event of a high winds or in a lightning storm the danger of a tree fall or damage is increased
and an ongoing risk assessment needs to be carried out. If in any doubt the team should evacuate to
safer ground.
45
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
The risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning
whilst travelling in the developing world is often
greater than at home.
World Challenge smoke alarms
All World Challenge teams are issued with batteryoperated smoke alarms. These smoke alarms must
be used overnight for all sleeping accommodation.
The smoke alarm should then be located as high
up as possible centrally within the accommodation
as this provides earlier detection.
Means of escape
You should consider which escape routes are
available from the building, including all the
alternative routes. You must read any fire
instructions provided by the hotel. Everyone
should be aware of an agreed assembly point,
so that a roll-call can be held in the event of fire.
Consider what you would do if trapped on an
upper floor of the building and were forced to
escape via one of the windows (checking that they
actually open).
fire safety
Carbon Monoxide poisoning – what is it?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colourless, tasteless
and odourless gas that is produced from the
incomplete burning of coal, gas and other fuels. It
is sometimes known as ‘the silent killer’ because
many victims succumb in their sleep after losing
consciousness unobserved by other people.
What does it do to the body?
Early symptoms are often described as ‘flu like’ and
can include headaches and nausea which can
then lead to coma and death.
How can the risk be reduced and what should you
do if it is suspected?
Ensure that you use the CO detector provided by
World Challenge in all accommodation. Anyone
displaying symptoms of poisoning should seek
medical attention urgently.
Sounding the alarm
Many of the premises that you stay at will not
have an automatic fire alarm or sprinkler system
installed to warn occupants throughout the
building. If not, find out whether there is a manual
fire alarm available and also consider what other
method(s) could be used to sound the alarm.
What to do in the event of a fire
The basic principle is that you should alert
everyone and get out; firstly from the room you
are in and then from the rest of the building
(closing all doors behind you). Then call the fire
brigade (where one is available) or alert any local
people for help.
46
47
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
camp craft
Gas Stoves
In some destinations where Trangia fuel is not
available, gas stoves may be used as an alternative.
Your Expedition Leader will show you how to set
up and use these stoves but the main things to
know about cooking on gas are as follows…
Ventilation – Gas stoves should only be used in
well ventilated areas. As with the Trangia, you
should never attempt to use these stoves inside or
in close proximity to a tent.
Leaks – There are lots of working parts to a gas
stove and unfortunately this means there is more
to go wrong! One of the more common issues is a
gas leak. It’s important to check that all seals are in
good condition before connecting a gas canister. If
you see that any of the seals are worn or in poor
condition then it is not safe to use the stove and
you should point out the issue to your Leader.
Cooking and open fires on expedition
On most expeditions a team will need to cook and
prepare food. This section provides an overview of
the key things to consider and remember when it
comes to cooking.
Trangia Cooker
The Trangia cooker is without doubt one of the
safest camp stoves; it’s easy to use and is pretty
hard wearing making it a good choice for use on
expedition.
Five Key Safety Points for Trangia use:
1. All cooking should take place at least 5m from
tents or other flammable materials. NEVER cook
inside your tent even in the porch.
2. Always transfer fuel bought locally into the
Trangia fuel-bottles provided by World Challenge
as they have a safety valve fitted and are less likely
to spill or leak.
48
3. When filling or refuelling a Trangia burner,
always take the burner away from the cooking
area to a designated fuel area. NEVER bring fuel
bottles into the cooking area.
4. Get into the habit of using the pan grips to
move pans and lids around the kitchen even when
they are cold. This is good practice and you’ll avoid
getting burnt fingers.
5. Always thoroughly clean the bits of your Trangia
as leftover food residue will harbour bacteria and
could make you ill.
Your Expedition Leader will provide additional
training on how to set up and safely use the
Trangia and will be on hand to assist; you should
make sure you ask your Leader for help if you
are unsure as misuse of the stove can be very
dangerous.
Open Fires
You may get an opportunity to have a campfire on
your expedition, but you should always consider
how necessary a fire is bearing in mind the
negative effects they have on the environment,
the land and the fact that firewood may be in
short supply and needed by local people to heat
their houses and cook their food.
removing an area of turf and surrounding the fire
area with rocks to keep it contained (the turf can
be replaced later when the fire has burnt out and
cooled down). You should only use dead wood
that you find on the floor to fuel your fire – please
do not damage living trees and vegetation. When
collecting firewood be aware of dangerous wildlife
that may be hiding in the undergrowth.
If you are having a fire though, it can be great for
team morale as well as a source of warmth and a
way to cook your food.
Managing the fire
Fires should be kept small and under control. If
cooking on a fire, just think about the size of the
flames you get on a gas stove at home (you don’t
need a big fire to cook!). Always have something
on hand that you can use to put the fire out
quickly if you need to, e.g. sand or lots of water.
If you mess around near a fire there is a good
chance you’ll get seriously hurt, so be sensible. It’s
important that you make sure your fire is never left
unattended and is extinguished before bed.
WARNING – Never use stove fuel, lighter fluid, or
any other accelerants when you are trying to light
a fire.
Preparing the fire
Where possible use an established fire-pit or
fire-ring. If this is not available then you should
protect the ground from scorching by, for example,
49
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
expedition equipment
DAYPACK with food and water, fleece,
waterproofs, camera and suncream.
Leave some space in your pack for the
team safety kit when trekking.
As well as sunglasses
(essentials) don’t forget to
wear your wide brimmed
hat to guard against the
sun - baseball caps and
bandanas are less effective
alternatives.
Basic watch with
alarm for those early
morning starts.
Buying your kit
World Challenge is partnered with Cotswold
Outdoor, as their recommended retailer for
outdoor clothing and equipment, to give you
access to some fantastic discounts for all your kit
requirements to support you in your expedition.
As a Challenger, you are entitled to 20%* discount
on kit at Cotswold Outdoor both in-store, online
and via mail order.
• You will have received a Cotswold discount card
with this handbook; if you have lost it you can
download another from My World Challenge.
You will need your card to claim your discount
• Please remember that your specific kit list
is located on the Kit List page on My
World Challenge
How to use your discount card
• Activate your card by registering online at
www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
• Fill out your customer code on the back of your
World Challenge discount card and sign the front
How do I purchase:
Concealed money belt
with passport and money
hidden away.
• In Store – present your completed discount
card at any of the Cotswold Outdoor
nationwide stores
Find your nearest store
www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/stores
• Online – enter the promotional code online at
the basket www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Long trousers with zip off legs
to turn trousers into shorts.
Walking poles are a
great support for long
ascents, descents and
for stream crossings.
• Mail Order – quote the code via mail order
0844 557 7755
*Not to be used in conjunction with any other
offer or discount. Only on production of your
World Challenge discount card. Please check the
expiry date on your card.
Comfortable boots
with good ankle support
and well worn in to help
prevent blisters.
• Once registered, your customer code will appear
on your ‘My Account’ page
• If you are already registered, simply log in to find
your customer code
50
51
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
Group Equipment
As a team you will be responsible for many items
of group kit (tents etc.). Please look after this kit as
if it were your own. Here are some pointers
to consider:
• You may like to nominate a ‘kit captain’
amongst the team who has responsibility
for checking the kit at the beginning of the
expedition and making sure that all kit is
accounted for at the end.
• The bigger items of kit can be split up between
a tent group (for example, a tent can be split up
into inner/outer/pegs and poles). If there are
very large or heavy items that need to be carried
(e.g. a rope) you may like to rotate these around
the team.
• Your kit will be issued in World Challenge
bags – don’t leave these behind as they may
be useful for storing excess kit while on trek.
For the journey home, the group kit should all
be returned to the kit bags so that it can easily
be handed over to World Challenge on return.
This will avoid wasting a lot of time on return
emptying everyone’s rucksacks and looking for
individual items. The kit bags are numbered, so
you may like to note on the kit list which item is
in which bag.
52
expedition equipment
our kit needs to be well cared for and properly
Y
maintained in order to survive the expedition:
• Please treat your tent zips carefully. The zipped
doors form a vital barrier between your sleeping
area and the outside world (including insects and
other wildlife) and rough handling can break the
zips and jeopardise the integrity of the tent.
• If you spot a hole or tear in any part of your
tent this will need to be carefully mended. Most
minor tears can be repaired with gaffer tape. Talk
to your Leaders about this.
• Make sure all Trangia pans are thoroughly
cleaned after each meal. If there is ‘cooked on’
food left on the pans it will become harder to get
off the longer you leave it there!
Tasks
1. Download your Expedition Kit List from My World Challenge
2. Ensure you have registered with Cotswold Outdoor via www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
3. Make sure you’ve got your Cotswold discount card
4. Speak to your teacher to organise a Cotswold kit evening at school or a visit to your
nearest store
53
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
Learning how to manage a budget is one of the
key life skills you will develop on expedition. This
will probably be the first time that you and your
team mates will have been responsible for such
large sums of money.
Managing the budget effectively
The in-country budget is put together by your
Expedition Planning Manager using information
from all of our contacts in country. We try to use
up-to-date exchange rates and prices but things
can change and fluctuate very quickly on the
ground so you may find the estimates are not
always 100% accurate.
Don’t worry – There are days you will overspend
and days you will find a saving; the idea is that
the amounts in the budget are guidelines and you
should be able to balance the budget at the end of
the expedition without overspending.
Personal spending money – It is a good idea to
record how much personal spending money each
team member has at the start of the expedition.
Everyone should keep their personal money
separate from their share of group funds – in a
separate money bag or a different compartment
within the money belt – so that the accounting is
kept clear.
Negotiating – Think about your negotiating skills.
While it is important for the team to negotiate
good deals, the budget will give a good guide to
the amount that should be paid but if taken to the
extreme, haggling can appear disrespectful and
result in local people being underpaid.
Fixed costs – Please note that some costs are
fixed and have been set beforehand with our local
contacts – these will be indicated on your budget
sheet. Any pre-bookings should be honoured even
if no pre-payment has been made as our contacts
may have already had to pay money to ensure an
activity can take place (e.g. hiring guides) and they
will have put plans in place. If you do not honour
a pre-booking, the team may have to pay these
costs anyway.
Allocating the role of accountant – There are
great advantages with rotating most expedition
roles; however some teams find it beneficial to
have a smaller number of Challengers managing
the budget for the duration of the expedition. You
may decide to nominate one person as accountant
54
budgeting skills
for the whole expedition, but having two or three
people responsible for the finances at any one
time is often better. This ensures that sums are
cross-checked, that accountants can support and
advise each other and it prevents any one person
or group from having too much control of the
finances.
Below are some top tips from experienced
Leaders about how the money can be managed
on a day-to-day basis.
Money bags – The total in-country budget for the
whole team can be split up into money bags, each
containing a certain amount (e.g. $100). Buy a roll
of sealable sandwich bags before you leave home.
Each team member is then given roughly the
same number of money bags to carry. Each team
member signs the accounts book to say that they
are holding x number of bags. As the accountant
requires money to pay for certain things they ask
team members to hand over and sign out bags as
required. The accountant is then responsible for
the daily float and small change. This is a good
simple way of keeping track of how much money
has been spent and how much is left at any
given point.
Equal division – Each team member receives
an equal portion of the in-country budget – i.e.
the in-country total per head figure, as on the
budget sheet. This system gives each person the
same amount from the outset and it mirrors the
way that the in-country budget is written on
the budget sheet. However, it does mean that
each person has to constantly get money out
– often small fiddly amounts – to pay for each
expenditure, each day of the expedition.
Splitting by days – Depending on how many
in your team, each person can carry the total
expenditure required for two or three days of
the expedition e.g. Jo can carry all of the money
required for days 2 and 3, Larry can carry all of
the money required for days 4 and 5 etc. The
accountant gradually spends their way through
each person’s cash allocation. This can work well,
however it does mean that team members may
be carrying very different amounts of money
and if there is an overspend on one day this will
necessitate dipping into the next day’s fund, which
could cause an accounting headache!
Splitting into sub accounts – This is a simple system that sees several people being carriers of the
‘transport’ subtotal, several others carrying the ‘food’ subtotal, several carrying the ‘accommodation’
subtotal etc. Each ‘account’ (transport, food, accommodation, etc.) can have an accountant in charge –
each reports in turn to the main Challenger accountant on their expenditure and savings. This is a good
way of getting more than one person involved in managing the budget.
55
Section 10 – Expedition Skills
budgeting skills
Task
Using the following format, try writing a budget for taking the team on an imaginary weekend away to a
local theme park. Think about all the costs involved including: transport, meals, entry fees and activities.
Then think about how as a team you would handle the budget for the weekend.
Sample budget sheet
This is an example of the printout you will get on expedition that breaks down how your budget has
been worked out and how much you should be looking to spend on each day of the itinerary.
Key principles:
• The budget is written as a per person amount
• The budget is written in a ‘base’ currency, often US dollars, which you may need to convert into local
currency or multiple currencies
• Costs are divided into four columns – accommodation, food, transport and other
• Sometimes we have paid money in advance, these are indicated in the ‘PP’ pre-payment
56
57
Section 11 – expedition top tips
Here are World Challenge’s top tips for life on the
road (or ferry/plane/camel/bamboo raft). These
include lots of things that previous Challengers
have recommended for different destinations.
• Be aware of scams run by taxi drivers who will
say that the hostel you want is full or closed and
will offer to take you to another one, where they
receive commission for bringing people.
If you think of other top tips while you are
on expedition, please note them down in your
post expedition questionnaires (you fill these in
when you return) and we can pass them on to
future Challengers.
• Always carry toilet paper – you never know
when you might get caught out! Use your
antibacterial hand gel as often as possible – it
can really help prevent getting ill.
• Carry your cash, passport and tickets on you at
all times in a secure money belt. If you’ve got a
photocopy of your passport don’t keep this in
the same place as your actual passport!
• Call or email ahead to arrange accommodation if
possible. Some hostels may offer a free pick-up
service, and some include free breakfast and
luggage storage. Ask about group discounts or if
your Leaders can stay for free.
• It’s a good idea to take a cheap wallet for small
notes and coins so you don’t have to open up
your money belt while shopping. If you can find
one, a small chain with a clip on the end is useful
for attaching your wallet to your pocket.
• Bring a good book for those train and bus
journeys (and the usual delays!). It’s a good
idea for the team to each arrange to bring a
different book so that you can rotate them
round the group.
• Try and speak some of the local language – it will
be much appreciated!
• Teams have arranged group or youth discounts
in the past for day trips, accommodation, meals
out, bus travel – so do try and bargain. But also
be aware of the sometimes insignificant amounts
you are bartering over. What amounts to 50p in
the local currency is really nothing to you, but
could well be a significant amount to the person
you’re haggling with.
• Carry a pen and notebook – for recording shop
opening times, bus departure times, hotel names,
phone numbers, drawing directions etc. –
always useful.
• Don’t forget to pack your penknife in your main
rucksack for the flight. You cannot carry this in
your hand luggage.
• Remain flexible – always have plans A, B and C
depending on circumstances.
• Make sure you always know where your head
torch is – especially before it gets dark!
• Call your project/trekking/other contacts
ahead of each phase to make or reconfirm
arrangements.
• Make sure you know the address and phone
number of the hostel you’re staying in so you
know where to go to if lost.
• Be careful of salads, ice cubes and ice-cream as
these are often washed with or made using tap
water, which can be a bit suspect.
• A useful item of group kit is a universal sink plug
so that you can wash and do laundry in the wash
basin. They are always missing in hostels.
• Do some research before you go, on the
history, cultural differences and politics – it’s
great to have a better understanding of the
country, and will mean that you can strike up
conversations with locals. However, do have
a think about what topics may be a bit too
sensitive to talk about.
• If you want to take gifts, school stationery is
always popular with local children and avoids the
ethical and health problems of giving money or
sweets, or why not buy something in country?
• When changing money, make sure you
carefully count the money you hand over and
the local currency you receive, in case they have
sticky fingers.
• And most importantly of all… Be brave – meet
new people, discover new things and places,
take those opportunities and enjoy every
moment – that’s why you’re here.
• Bring a sense of humour and an attitude to give
things a go and when they go wrong, take it in
your stride!
• Never leave kit outside your tent – you never
know what animals or humans might like
adopting your things.
• Champagne coloured pee? Perfect! Don’t
get dehydrated – keep drinking lots of water,
whether in hot or cold places, high altitude or
low, humid or not.
• Eat and stay at places that aren’t in the Lonely
Planet guide – they are normally cheaper and
much more authentic – go exploring!
• Why not ‘borrow’ the airplane sick bag, for those
long bus journeys, just in case…
• If your team has raised extra project money, try
to spend it with the community while you are
there, rather than simply handing over money.
58
• Make sure you have some cheap old clothes for
your project phase. You can then throw or barter
them away at the end of the trip and replace
them with souvenirs instead. If you don’t have
room to pack old clothes don’t worry – you can
buy old clothes cheaply at markets in country.
• Never go anywhere alone – always in groups of
four or more.
• On Build-Up Day you’ll be given a team list with
the names, dates of birth and passport details
of everyone in your team. Keep this to hand:
it helps with checking into hostels, arranging
transport etc.
59
Section 12 – leadership & teamwork
One of the greatest benefits of taking part in a
World Challenge expedition is that you will be
able to develop your teamwork and leadership
skills… skills that are transferable to many aspects
of your future.
This section is designed to give you some ideas
on effective team work and prepare you for when
you’re leading the team.
Contribution – every member of the team will
have skills and strengths that they can bring to
the table.
Building an effective team takes time and hard
work from all members, this section should give
you a good introduction but if it’s something that
really interests you there are plenty more resources
available online and at your local bookshop.
Take on the Leader role
At some stage of the expedition you will have
an opportunity to be the Team Leader – this can
be very challenging as with leadership comes
responsibility. It’s important to utilise all the
members of your team to help achieve your goals
and objectives such as booking accommodation.
Remember there are different types of leadership
and all styles have their place. What sort of
leadership style do you think you would employ if
safety is a concern or time is critical… A directive
approach, or a more consultative style?
Other roles… get involved!
Depending on the phase of your expedition there
will be a need to share out various roles and
responsibilities; typical team roles include:
• Accountant – someone to balance the books and
make sure you don’t blow all the money in the
first few days.
• Accommodation Officer – responsible for
sourcing suitable (and safe) accommodation
within budget.
• Environmental Officer – someone to ensure that
the team leave all areas they use in the same or
better condition than when they arrived.
• Deputy/Assistant Leader – someone to help and
support the Team Leader.
Dream Team!
Developing a good team takes time and all teams
go through their ups and downs. Some of the key
areas to work on and consider when working with
others are:
Effective communication – clear, concise. Speaking
AND listening.
Trust – you need to develop a good level of trust
so that you can rely on and support each other.
Sacrifice – understand that you can’t always
have your own way… you need to come up with
team decisions.
60
61
Section 13 – global awareness
(Did you know? Some of the best clothing to take
on expedition is light, baggy clothing that can be
used to cover up legs, shoulders and arms. Not
only does this help dress conservatively when
needed, but can also be useful protection against
insects in the evenings.)
PHOTOGRAPHS: When taking photographs,
have you asked people if it’s ok to take a photo
before you do? What does the local community
feel about having their photo taken? Have you
considered what would happen if they suddenly
ask for money in return for a photo?
Become a responsible traveller
One of the key principles behind responsible,
sustainable travel is to understand that you are a
guest in the destination and communities you are
travelling to. As such, you should start every day
by asking yourself the questions below as you go
through all phases of your expedition. You will
be able to assess how your actions impact the
communities and environment around you, and
very quickly it will become second nature.
1. Before you start any element of your expedition,
make sure you have thought about the following
and are happy that you are acting responsibly:
SUPPLIES: Are you purchasing any supplies and
materials you may need in a responsible manner?
Are you depriving a community of food or water
that they may have difficulty getting after you have
left? Have you paid a fair price for everything you
have purchased?
(TIP: In a lot of cultures it is expected that you
haggle for the best rates. Ask advice off your local
contact as to the best way to do this, and ensure
that you are always polite and culturally sensitive.
Remember that you will often be haggling over
amounts of money that will be very small to you,
and that people’s livelihoods often rely on what
they make in the sale.)
PEOPLE: Have you made clear arrangements and
expectations with local staff? Have you agreed on
the activity and any fees that are involved before
you start?
(TIP: Agreeing prices before you start will ensure
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that everyone knows what is expected, and will
avoid any arguments at the end. It also gives local
staff the opportunity to turn down any work that
will be detrimental to their livelihood.)
WILDLIFE: If you are taking part in an activity
involving tame wildlife, do the animals look
healthy and happy, or do they show clear signs of
maltreatment?
(TIP: Remember that in many countries of the
world, animals are considered tools rather than pets.
Do not be surprised if you see handlers shouting
or hitting their animals, however if you have any
concerns, please raise these with your Expedition
Leader first.)
WASTE: Do you have a way of removing or
disposing of any waste you create along the way?
(TIP: Ask local staff if there are any rules for
disposing of waste. If you are near shops, you may
want to purchase a roll of bin bags, as these are
cheap and light to carry around.)
2. As you continue throughout your expedition,
keep thinking about your impact on the
communities and environments you come across:
CLOTHING: Whenever you meet local
communities, is your clothing appropriate for
the area? Are the locals dressed in conservative
clothing? If so, have you tried to follow their
example? Could your clothing be making them
uncomfortable or angry? Have you checked if there
are any upcoming religious ceremonies that would
require more conservative clothing than normal?
(Did you know? In some cultures, people believe
that cameras can steal a person’s soul. In other
cultures, people believe that tourists will sell their
photos when they come home, making them
feel used.)
MEAL TIMES: Are you cooking and eating large
meals in front of people who have less money to
buy food? Is there a more discreet way of doing
this? How are you going to decide how much to
cook without being overly wasteful? Have you
engaged with the local community to explore new
recipes? How are you going to dispose of your
rubbish in an environmentally friendly manner?
(Did you know? A lot of the world survives on just
US$1 a day. For a lot of people, their main diet
consists of simple rice or corn-based dishes.)
ENVIRONMENT: How is your activity affecting the
local environment? Are you potentially destroying
local habitats for wildlife? Have you chosen your
route/campsite to have minimal impact on the
flora & fauna in the area? Have you checked
if you are allowed to use open fires? Are you
polluting local water sources unintentionally?
Have you ensured you are removing or disposing
of any waste in a safe manner? Have you bought
environmentally friendly travel detergents? Are
you following the rules set out by local staff or
national parks?
(Did you know? Some habitats take decades
to grow back and are particularly vulnerable to
damage by tourists. Ask your Expedition Leader
about best practice in walking and camping
in nature.)
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Section 13 – global awareness
Research: All great travel experiences start with
research. Spend 30 minutes each day for one week
researching your destination. Look at key areas
such as the language, the history, and the culture.
The more you do beforehand, the easier the
travelling will be.
3. F inally, when you’re finishing any element of
your expedition, or departing the destination
and returning home, ask yourselves the
following questions:
PEOPLE: Have you thanked your host community/
contacts appropriately? If you have made any local
friends on the expedition, are you making any
promises you won’t be able to keep?
(Tip: Your Expedition Leader and local staff will be
able to advise on the best way to do this.)
WASTE: Have you removed as much of your
waste as you can from the area? If you can’t
carry it out, have you disposed of it in a safe and
responsible manner?
(TIP: Your Expedition Leader and local staff will be
able to advise on the best way to do this.)
MONEY: If you have any leftover funds, what is
the best way to use this in-country, or should you
take it back home? Have you checked with your
In-Country Agent and Expedition Leader as to the
best way to donate this, if this is what you want to
do? Have you checked what the priority is for the
funds and that it is going to be used accordingly?
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Are you setting expectations that all tourists will
bring presents with them? Could your gift have a
negative impact on health or the environment?
(TIP: If you do want to leave gifts with people
you have met in-country, try to ensure these
reach out to the wider community or can be used
for group activities such as reading resources or
sporting equipment.)
SOUVENIRS: Are you taking anything out of the
country that you’re not supposed to, such as
endangered wildlife or plants?
(TIP: Most souvenirs that come from an animal
or plant are banned outside of that destination.
Be sure to ask the shop keeper if you can take
it outside of the country, or ask your Expedition
Leader if you are not sure.)
AT HOME: How are you going to describe your
expedition when you get home? Are you setting
a fair picture of the people and places you have
seen? How can you help raise awareness in your
home community? If you want to stay in touch
with local friends and contacts, what’s the best
way to do this?
(TIP: Arranging for a handover ceremony with the
community elders or council group will help ensure
that any funds or materials are not left directly
with one person who could use these selfishly.)
(TIP: Your views, experiences and descriptions
will shape people’s minds about how they see the
world. Help the world move towards a sustainable
future by promoting responsible travel to family
and friends.)
GIFTS: Are you leaving something that could cause
arguments or be used unfairly after you leave? Is
the gift bringing any benefits to the community?
TASKS: There are some great things you can do
before you leave for expedition to help get into
the responsible traveller mind set.
Current Affairs: Try accessing the local newspaper
or TV station online or at your local library.
Look at what is happening in your destination
regarding politics, weather and entertainment.
Find a topical story which is ongoing and tell your
family about it one evening. You could also run a
destination update meeting at your school, where
everyone brings one story into the classroom to
present. Very quickly you’ll have an idea of what
your host community is experiencing and will be
able to communicate with them in a sensitive,
knowledgeable manner.
$1/day challenge: Try living off US$1/day (about
60p). This might not be possible if you travel to
and from school, but limit your food budget to
just $1/day, or $7/week. Use your research from
above to buy foods you are likely to find incountry and try creating a local recipe.
Grow what you eat: The majority of local
communities grow a lot of their own food.
Buy a kit from your local supermarket or
gardening store and try growing something
simple like tomato plants or beans. Once you have
an idea of how long it will take, you will be able to
assess the impact your eating habits will have on a
local community.
Camping: Test your kit by going away for a
night or more and testing out your expedition kit.
Try using environmentally friendly detergents, and
learning about how much waste you create in
preparing a meal, and how best to dispose
of this. Visit your local outdoor clothing store
and ask them about the best equipment for
your expedition.
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Section 14 – community & charity projects
The project phase is often the highlight of an
expedition. It is as much about cultural interaction
and immersion with people from your host country
as about completing a given task, such as painting,
construction, refurbishment, teaching, tree planting
or conservation. If you approach the project phase
with enthusiasm and an open mind, it should be a
very rewarding experience.
The projects are set up by your Expedition Planning
Manager (EPM) and by our In-Country Agents
in conjunction with local charities or directly with
local communities. As far as possible, the project
ideas come from local communities themselves.
This means that the community has real ownership
of where your team’s labour and financial
contributions are going. Together you will work on
projects that are valuable and worthwhile. We do
our best to match our projects with your team’s
objectives and try to make sure the geographic
location of the project site fits in with your itinerary.
It is often difficult for a community to identify a
specific project task more than a couple of months
in advance as their needs can change quickly.
Communication can be challenging working with
remote communities in the developing world and
we face practical constraints e.g. project hosts may
only check emails once a month (if at all) and phone
lines can be unreliable. We strive to set realistic
expectations for both you and the host community.
Skills and roles on the project phase
Before you head to your project, you may like to
discuss the following with your team:
• What roles and skills will the project phase require
from the team?
• How are you going to allocate roles?
• Who in the team (including School Leader and
Expedition Leader) has which skills? For example:
- Painting and decorating
- Construction
- Gardening
- Conservation work
- Teaching/Teaching English as a second language
- Other languages
• How can these skills best be utilised on the
project phase?
• Can the skilled people brief and train the rest of
the team on their skill?
Project hazards
Like trekking and general travel, project work has
its own hazards that you need to be aware of. For
example, you may be working with tools and in a
culture that you will be unfamiliar with.
Before you head to your project, have a quick
brainstorm of the sorts of hazards you might
encounter on projects in general and on your
specific project.
• What do you think the likelihood is of
encountering these hazards?
• What can you do to combat them?
The Expedition Leader will have a risk assessment
for project work and on your project information
form there may be some other hazards that have
been identified. Have a look at these before your
project, so that everyone is best prepared for
staying safe on the project phase.
Cultural considerations
Your project phase is a great chance to meet
people from your host country. Try to do as much
research about their culture as possible and respect
their beliefs and wishes. Some people may not like
their photo taken – please respect this. Likewise
some people may ask you to send them copies
of the photos that you take. If you say you’re
going to do this please honour this promise on
your return home. Although the project may be a
relatively small part of the expedition and you may
forget about your project once you’re back home,
memories of your visit are likely to endure in the
community for a long time and they like to hear
from you and receive photos and letters once you
are home.
Finally, if you decide to raise extra money for your
project once you have returned home, please
contact World Challenge – we will be able to let
you know the most appropriate way to get this
money out to your project.
- Childcare
- Art/drama/dance/music/sports
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Section 15 – social networking & mobiles
Social Media
You can share ideas, photos and videos about
fundraising, buying kit, training expeditions and
any other aspect of your programme, through
our social media channels. You can also ask us
questions or follow our Destination of the Month
campaign on Facebook and Twitter to find out
more about our 44 destinations.
Once you’re back, post your pictures and videos
for your friends and family, as well as past, present
and future challengers to share and enjoy. You
can also enter our annual Challenger Photo
Competition with a chance to have your photo
appear in our official calendar.
•
facebook.com/worldchallenge
•
twitter.com/World_Ch
•
instagram.com/world_challenge
•
youtube.com/worldchallenge1
•
flickr.com/photos/world-challenge
UK Fundraising
By liking the World Challenge UK Events &
Fundraising Facebook Page and following us
on Twitter, you can receive support and advice
while fundraising for your expedition, as well as
share ideas with fellow Challengers by joining the
Facebook Fundraising Support Group.
•
f acebook.com/pages/World-ChallengeUK-Events-Fundraising
• Facebook Group World Challenge Fundraising Support
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•
twitter.com/WorldCh_Events
•
pinterest.com/worldchevents
We also have international sites for all our
global offices:
World Challenge Asia Pacific
facebook.com/WorldChallengeAsiaPacific
twitter.com/WorldCh_AU
World Challenge US
facebook.com/WorldChallengeNorthAmerica
twitter.com/WorldChallengeE
World Challenge Middle East
facebook.com/WorldchallengeME
World Challenge South Africa
facebook.com/worldchallengesa
World Challenge South East Asia
facebook.com/pages/World-ChallengeHong-Kong
Annual World Challenge Photo Competition
Use of mobile phones while on expedition
At World Challenge we understand and accept
that nowadays a mobile phone is more than just
that; phones now have great cameras and can also
be used to listen to music and read books. There
are pros and cons to taking a phone on expedition
and you should be aware of this in advance…
Each year in August World Challenge holds a
Photo Competition, giving Challengers the chance
to submit pictures they took on their expedition
for a chance to win £150. Each year the winning
photo and the 11 finalists make up the official
World Challenge Calendar, which is available for all
to purchase. This can be given as gifts, mementos
or used to fundraise – as prizes in a raffle, sold at
fairs or car boot sales or even purchased by friends
and family.
More details will be available on our website and
on our Facebook page in July.
Each team will be provided with a budget to
purchase a local mobile for use in-country
during the expedition to help organise travel and
accommodation and any other necessities, such as
calling the World Challenge In-County Agent or
the Operations Centre for advice and information.
For travel in more remote areas and emergencies,
every Expedition Leader is provided with a satellite
phone and/or a Satellite Distress Beacon.
In the majority of developing countries Wi-Fi is
unavailable and in most remote areas there is
very little or no reception for mobile phones. Data
usage in all areas outside of the EU is extremely
costly as is making calls and sending or receiving
text and picture messages.
It is fun to post pictures on social media, but we
believe it’s better to share these with your fellow
team members while on expedition and leave the
social networking to when you get back home.
You don’t want to post all your pictures while you
are away and have nothing to show anyone when
you’re back!
Because of the nature of a World Challenge
Expedition, there is a higher risk that your mobile
phone will be lost, damaged or even stolen.
Please be aware that mobile phones are not
covered under the World Challenge Insurance
and to that end will need to be covered under a
personal policy.
Your trip will go more quickly than you think and
there is always something to see and hear when
you are travelling. Make sure you don’t miss
something because you are looking at your phone
or checking messages. During the expedition you
will all be working as a team with different roles
and responsibilities. When it’s your turn to be in
charge of a task (such as finding accommodation
or organising travel), you owe it to your team to
be focused on the task to ensure you get the best
results for everyone. Distractions such as texts and
updates will take you away from the task in hand.
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16 – Reflection, Review & Self-Evaluation
17 – Using your Expedition Effectively
The World Challenge Expedition Programme is
designed to get the best out of you by:
When you return from expedition you’ll have a
huge bank of stories and experiences. You’ll be
able to use some of these as part of an application
for university, college, a job, or further training.
The important thing is to remember that the World
Challenge Expedition Programme is more than just
the expedition itself.
• Enabling you to develop skills to help you on
your expedition
• Giving you an opportunity to develop skills that
will help you work as a team on expedition
• Developing life skills that you can use when
applying for university, employment or training
such as:
- Communication skills
- Teamwork & Leadership
- Enterprise & Money Management
- Decision-making skills
• Giving you the opportunity to evaluate and
monitor your progress over the course of the
expedition programme.
• Using all of the above to build confidence and
self-esteem
In order to recognise the progress that you are
making, and to build and further develop your
skills, it’s important that you take time to reflect
on your current level of confidence and skills and
make a note of it. By regularly going back and
reviewing this, you can start to show how you
are progressing towards achieving your aims, and
also to highlight any areas you feel need further
development.
On expedition you’ll take part in individual
and team reviews with your Expedition Leader.
These will take a variety of forms and are
designed to help you focus on your achievements
and learn from any mistakes that may happen.
Don’t be worried about things going wrong on
expedition… it’s part of life and the important
thing is to learn from these mistakes and to
apply the learning the next time you encounter a
similar problem.
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Personal Development Evaluations
In this handbook, and later on expedition, you’ll
be asked to complete a Personal Development
Evaluation. These short questionnaires will give
you a record of your development throughout
your involvement with World Challenge, and help
you to focus your aims and objectives. They can
also be used by your Expedition Leader to identify
areas that you and your team would like to work
on in order to develop your skills and to achieve
your aims.
Try and give examples and evidence for each of
the following areas:
• What made you want to go on expedition?
What did you hope to achieve?
• How did you prepare for expedition? What skills
did you develop prior to going?
• What did you achieve while on your expedition?
Give brief details.
• Budgeting and managing your resources over an
extended period of time
And finally…
Please keep in touch with us here at World
Challenge. We love to hear from you and to find
out about where you’ve been and what you’ve
been doing following your expedition. If you
can offer good advice to future Challengers then
please post your useful tips on our Facebook page.
We know that Challengers gain confidence from
knowing that someone else has encountered the
same issues and difficulties and has gone on to
have a successful expedition.
Another good way to keep in touch is via our
LinkedIn site: World Challenge Expeditions Alumni
• Looking back on your expedition, what skills did
it give you?
• How can you apply those skills to your chosen
course or career?
The person reading your application will be as
impressed by the motivation and commitment
you have shown to going on expedition, to what
you actually did there. He or she will also want to
know how the expedition benefited you and how
you can apply your skills to the next stage of your
career. Don’t be afraid to talk about your increased
confidence, self-esteem and independence – but
also give examples that demonstrate how you
gained this – it’s not everyone that leads a team
of 12 or 13 people on an adventure through a
challenging environment, so use this to really stand
out from the crowd.
Remind yourself and let the person reading your
statement or application know what skills you have
gained and how you gained them.
• Leading and being part of a team
• Planning and organising – for example, booking
transport or cooking for the team
• Communicating effectively with your team and
with other people you encounter and work with
• People skills – understanding other people’s
motivations, skills and abilities. Overcoming
obstacles and issues
• Skills to assess and manage risk
So… thanks for taking part in a World Challenge
Expedition Programme, we are confident you’ll
have a fantastic time and return with new skills,
a wealth of experience and a desire to travel the
world. And of course you’ll have a lot of fun along
the way.
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