Mull By Nick Galloway

My first proper experience of leading a group of young people in the outdoors came when i was asked to go up to mull with my boss to help lead outdoor activities with a group from Knox Academy. 

The age of the group ranged from 14 to 17 and there were 8 kids in the group plus 2 teachers. The activities we done were: gorge walking, coasteering, rock climbing, orienteering and other small activities around the grounds of the house.

As it was my first proper leadership experience I was very nervous to meet the group and doing the activities with them but as I went to Knox Academy I had lots of things to speak to the kids about and lots of questions about my old teachers which was very cool and relaxed me a lot more.

Day 1: We went for a walk around the hills just to see a bit more of where we would be staying for the next week. We seen some amazing views and got told some amazing stories.

Day 2: We went rock climbing with the group. All the kids were very excited about climbing and some were a little scared seen as the had a fear of heights. They all done super amazing, even the ones who were scared of heights, and had a load of fun. It was all new for me as i had to keep an eye on the kids for safety reasons and encourage all of them plus help out with the belaying. 

After all the activities the kids had some cool down time before bed time and this is when i got to speak to them and get to know them all a little better. I also got to see how Demi (there youth worker) handled and spoke to the kids and the kinds of things she done with them weather it was group tasks or review sessions or games. Which was really good to see that side of the youth work as well as the outdoor stuff so it helped me even more.

Day 3: The next 2 days were what the kids were most excited about and which went for me as well. We went gorge walking which involves walking through a gorge with plunge pools, waterfalls, rocks and fast currents so Stevie, Andy and myself were all on high alert for the kids safety. They all managed to do it very well even when some were scared of the water! And they were all on a super high after it which was good. 

As the week went on i had been paying attention to the way Stevie and Andy acted in the water and out the water and during other activities with the kids and how they were double checking everything and keeping the risk assessments going throughout the day. So i was learning all the time from much more experienced people which was helping me progress and an outdoor leader and still does help me.

Day 4: We went coasteering. Coasteering is when you go into the sea with wetsuits, helmets and  buoyancy aids to swim long distances and to scramble or traverse across or around rocks and islands and also to jump into the sea. The jumps can range from small to massive it would just depend on your own ability on what jumps you would do. For Stevie, Andy and myself it was the same as gorge walking if not more for being on alert with the kids because the sea is so unpredictable and the jumps were large. They got shown how to be safe in the sea which they all paid attention to. All the kids completed the coasteering as much as they could or wanted to which was fantastic and everyone of them said they loved it and wanted to do it again which is a massive plus. For me it was a great experience with knowing where to be in the water for the kids doing the jumps and for just swimming about and also scrambling across the rocks.

Day 5: Day 5 consisted of a few wee activities around the house and just chilling out until we were ready to go home.

All and all the trip was amazing. It was so good to work with the kids and do the activities we done. I learned a lot about youth work and myself. it also really opened my eyes to what i want my career to be and that is to work in the outdoors with young people doing these extreme sports.