Opportunity and experience is what really develops our character

"When I was in Year 10 (aged 15) my school in a regional town of South Australia sent the whole class on a two-week residential. This was called The Murray Venture – City Challenge. One week was a residential in the city, the other week was a residential in the wild.

The Murray Venture – City Challenge was a tradition at the school. Some even called it a rite of passage – the younger students looked nervously forward to it and the older students revelled in the knowledge and confidence the experience of it brought.

At the time, I remember asking our Head of Year why are we doing this? His answer short and sweet: “character building”. At the time, I didn’t really understand what character was or why it needed building, but I guess it didn’t matter to me – I was going anyway!

Personal development and emotional experiences

The city part of the residential was described to us as ‘work experience’. But in reality, it was more about developing empathy, a sense of service, independence and gratitude. In our groups, we talked about our emotions - fear, nerves, courage, confusion and support.

Creating character opportunities

So why am I telling you all this? Well as I reflect on my residential experiences as a 15-year old, I now understand what my Head of Year actually meant by ‘character building’. This two-week school trip alone didn’t make my character, but it helped develop it and that was the intention. It wasn’t an isolated activity - it added to all the other experiences that were shaping my character at the time: my parents, teachers, sport, community and travel.

Fast forward and I now work for The Outward Bound Trust. I still think about my Year 10 experience and how it shaped my character. I’ve even used the 'character building' line when talking to teachers, parents and pupils in my role working with schools.

And like my own residential experience, an Outward Bound course does not propose to teach character. Instead, it creates the immersive experience where character traits can be explored.

Character and the education agenda

The Education Secretary Damian Hinds, the Department for Education and Ofsted have put ‘character’ back on the education agenda. It probably never really went away but as an educational charity committed to helping young people defy their limitations, we’re very supportive of this discussion.

We’re actively involved too - and not just in the conversation but with the research. The Education Endowment Foundation has commissioned us, along with programme partner Commando Joe’s and evaluator Sheffield Hallam University, to run a ground-breaking study on the impact of Adventure Learning on the development of character and attainment.

So, when I look back at my 15-year-old self struggling to put up that tent or trying not to get lost whilst hiking around the Murray River, I’m incredibly grateful for this experience that my school provided for me as it’s helped shape me into the person I am today.