Taking a big leap of faith

The faces were that of those involved in this year’s Wider Horizons Programme, which is a work scheme that takes a group of people, aged between 18 and 28 to Canada to work for two months.

The scheme is designed to provide participants with the personal and practical skills, experiences, and qualifications that will enable them to progress to mainstream training and/or employment.

The group boarded the bus and made their way to Raspberry Hill, in the picturesque foothills of the Sperrins. Picturesque indeed – prior to the arrival of 21 vague youths, preoccupied with their make-up or cigarettes, and distracted by the fact that they had no signal on their mobile phones. For some... it appeared to be nearing the end of the world. But the crowd had no idea that the lack of phone signal would not be their only difficulty over the next 36 hours.

Activities such as ‘The Leap of Faith’ and ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ had been scheduled to pack out the group’s day and to keep them all very busy. So after being shown where they would be sleeping later that night, the Raspberry Hill outdoor pursuits leaders had the young people outside for some “exercise”. Ice breakers separated the group instantly and showed some healthy competitiveness within the youths, while ‘The Leap of Faith’ saw them encourage and help each other out.

But of all the activities the group took part in, which also included archery, a blind folded night line and a game called ‘Over and Under’ (which to some, just seemed like a session of banging their heads off tree trunks), the ‘Wilderness Survival’ was exceptionally entertaining! The only thing there to survive was the muddy trek to the spot where we were to learn some important life saving skills, should any of us find ourselves deserted in the wilderness! The group was provided with what looked strangely similar to a rounded barbeque and everything we would need to start a safe fire to boil water for tea, coffee and even hot chocolate! The only issue that anyone had was that our toast took so long to toast over the fire and that toasted marshmallows are not as nice as we had expected!

Later that evening, despite that the leaders had been more than friendly, and as much as the group were more than appreciative, everyone had the same questions in mind... “When are we getting fed again?” and thinking... “A ZIP LINER? I just want a shower”. And by the end of the evening, the food had been great, and the showers, much needed, but the fun within the group was the highlight, as there was finally time to talk and get to know each other a little better.

The next morning there were more activities, then only just time for lunch and a picture for the newspaper, then it was back on the minibus, friends made, fears conquered and ready to go home and relax in front of our TVs with full mobile phone signal!

Most members of the group didn’t know each other before this programme started, but by the end of our short, but worthwhile trip, it was easy to see that our two months in Montreal, Canada would be an enjoyable breeze together.