One of the best things about working at Outlook is receiving feedback from the participants who have been away. It's great to know that all the hard work and organisation from everyone at head office, our leaders, Link Teachers, in country providers and of course the participants themselves has been worth it and teams have had truly amazing and life changing experiences.
I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some of it with you. If you're thinking about going on an expedition or are on the journey towards your expedition and need that extra bit of motivation, or if you're a parent and need some reassurance, hopefully you will enjoy reading the following and it will help!
Dear Megan (EPC) and Mark (Planner)
It's back to school now and I thought an email of thanks was well overdue!
The month away was fantastic, a real once in a lifetime opportunity that I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to take part in. The trek in Longido was a great warm up and Kilimanjaro was absolutely breathtaking.
Zanzibar is one of the best places I've ever visited and our partnership is going from strength to strength thanks to our joint project.
Seeing some of the students back in school it is clear that this has been a life changing experience for them and I am glad to have been part of it.
From start to finish I was impressed by the way Outlook organised everything from the introductory sessions, our visit to Snowdon, Marks visit to check out Zanzibar and the staff development weekend. I think you have a really good team of people there.
Kevin Fear was also an excellent leader easy to get on with and genuinely interested in our students development.
Thank you very much
Link Teacher, Shenley Brook End School
Hi Paul (EPC),
Many thanks for your email. Receiving it has reminded me that I have never emailed to thank your team for the wonderful experience the group had. Those I have spoken to have raved about it - it genuinely was a life-changing and most maturing experience.
A big thank you to all concerned and in particular the 2 leaders, Lucy and Dave, who were fabulous.
Link Teacher, Park Mains School
Hi Paul (EPC),
Can I just say a huge thank you for everything that you have done for us throughout the whole process, helping with organisation and absolutely everything else.
I may have made the comment on not being able to describe the experience in words, and I stand with that 100%. I am looking forward to telling people about it all when we go back to college however, it will be difficult.
One thing that I think is very important to mention is how our team really came together. To begin with, there were a few groups formed within the group itself as we didn't know everyone, didn't know our similarites for example. Through the process of fundraising, we got to know each other a lot more but I believe we still found it difficult to "gel" together. I thought this would make the expedition a bit harder than what I anticipated. However, the minute we got onto the bus for the journey to Gatwick and beyond, friendships were formed immediately. The challenges of the expedition tested us all and we found out how each other worked and what we were all striving for. This allowed us to really bond and we came together as an extremely efficient TEAM. High praise from our leader, James Dyer, proved that we had made a massive transformation. This I find absolutely amazing and I have, for sure, made friends for life with those of whom I found quite distant before.
Sorry for the lengthy story there but I thought it necessary to mention.
Thank you once again,
Aarun Palmer (Participant) Helston Community College
Hi, to you all
I just wanted to say thank you for giving my son Robbie such a fantastic experience in Borneo. He just arrived back yesterday and he is absolutely overwhelmed by the whole trip. I would also like to thank you for looking after him as Robbie has a nut allergy and everything went perfectly with that as well. Thanks to Jim for giving Robbie loads of facts about Borneo which he has soaked up.
Thank you all again!
Shirley Young (Parent)
Just a note to thank you both very much for all you have done in making Sions' expedition such a memorable and fantastic experience.
He has come home full of life and stories of their adventure. It has been a truely wonderful experience for them all and one they will never forget.
Once again, we cannot thank you enough.
Kind Regards
Hugh & Gillian Parry
Dear Richard (EPC),
This is a belated thank you from my daughter Francesca and myself for all the effort in organising this trip. She had an absolutely fantastic time and I think the leader of her group (Ben Proudlove) proved excellent in many ways . As an example,my impression is that he allowed the group the right amount of freedom to enable my daughter (at least) to grow in independence, self-reliance and maturity - in particular by treating them as nearly adults (which they are) rather than as children as well as helping ensure that they were challenged and stretched. Very good job.
Thank you very much indeed for providing such an opportunity and experience for her.
Ingrid Molossi (Parent)
Dear Gary (Expedition Leader)
I wanted to write to you and thank you for all that you did for Lauren on the trip. She came home so full of everything, that at times she could simply not talk fast enough.
Lauren suffered terribly from altitude sickness, and especially thank you for the care you took of her, both up and down the mountain. One of her best memories is of seeing you burst in after making it down the mountain in record time, just to check on her. She just felt so special. She needed to climb every metre that her body would let her, and thank you for making this possible for her in a secure and well thought out manner. She told me about the discussions and how decisions were made. You take a great responsibility with our most precious possessions and it would be so easy to just leave anyone sick in Base Camp - but this would not create better people - then it would be just a trip to Africa.
Stories of killing chickens, cooking chickens to inedible states have had us in laughter for days around our kitchen table. It would be easy for you to say - boil it you fools - but they wanted fried chicken! with chips! in an African camp - but I bet they only asked once.
Treasurer - Lauren had so much fun being treasurer and again your leadership and praise let her make decisions and keep going when those around were not so supportive.
I especially thank you for the guidance you gave the girls in making decisions about what they should do when Annabelle became ill. It is when things don't go right that you really learn about travel and yourselves.
I think you made the trip for Lauren, and you certainly ensured that she came home having learnt lots about herself and her skills. The trip "did what it said on the tin".
I hope loads of other Outlook groups get to enjoy your leadership.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart
Kath Hutchinson
