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With headmaster Richard Dunne, Because It's There designed and delivered a unique and immersive learning experience for Ashley CofE Primary School.
Over four days, twenty three 11 year old students travelled by train to the French Alps on a learning journey to explore the meaning of well being at an Individual, Team and Global level. The positive ripples of their experience will resonate far, wide and long.
Check out the words, pictures and videos of the future leaders of sustainable change on their blog at
http://chamonix.ashleyschool.org.uk/category/day-one/
Day One: Why we liked taking the train
• We had time to get to know our team leaders.
• We got to travel on a double-decker train.
• It’s a cleaner way to travel.
• It is a direct and quick way to get from A to B.
• We were able to see the beautiful French countryside, especially the mountains and waterfalls.
• There was lots of space.
• You can relax, read, play games, sleep, talk and move around.
• The train was cool, sleek and smooth.
• There was no traffic and the train keeps going.
• We all shared the treats our parents had packed for us!
Day Two: Lessons on Individual Well-Being
Based on Day One discussions, we asked the students "what does individual well-being mean for me":
• standing up for myself
• being proud of my achievements
• feeling free
• achieving something new
• being true to myself
• overcoming my fears
• praise and compliments helping me to go higher
• being in touch with nature
Day Two: Our lessons from rock climbing
This afternoon we had a rock climbing session. Through this exercise, we learnt to:
- Get the balance right when we abseil - feet apart!
- Don’t look down, keep looking up.
- Trust yourself and trust in others.
- Concentrate until the end.
- Rocks hurt!
- Be brave and have courage (courage comes from the French word “coeur”, which means heart).
- Dare to do it!
- Keep listening and learning.
- Develop new skills such as tying the Figure of 8 knot and belaying.
- Being encouraged is a good feeling.
We shared our learning in a circle, so that everyone could see each other, it felt secure and everyone found their voice. Everyone shared something in this and all circle sessions.
Day Three: Statement on Team Well-Being
Team well-being needs:
1- A clear identity/purpose
2- Good communication, including listening, sharing and encouraging.
3- Everyone to enjoy working together.
Day Four: Global Well-Being
The final day of Chamonix 2008 explored the issue of Global Well-Being and how we can address this at a local level.
From our refuge viewpoint up in the mountains, the children looked down over the Chamonix valley and identified five things they would do if they were Mayor of Chamonix to ensure its long term well-being.
Their thinking focused on the areas of
- waste
- energy
- water
- food
- transport
First individually, then as teams, the children came up with the following suggestions:
Waste
- Improved recycling bins and a drive to reduce the number of plastic bottles by encouraging bottles for life and clean water on tap around town.
Energy
- Grants for houses on the sunny south side of the valley to have solar panels, as well as discreetly positioned wind turbines, painted to look like trees.
Water
- Filtered mountain water to be available in all the homes and water-saving flushing mechanisms in all of the loos.
Food
- The development of local orchards in the valley and better biodegradable packaging.
Transport
- More pedestrianised areas in the town, more cycle routes and rent-a-bike facilities and a congestion charge for Chamonix!
These suggestions will be presented to the Mayor of Chamonix.
Finally, the children, in teams, planned three things they wanted to do back at school and at home in Walton–on–Thames to address Global Well-Being.
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