The countryside is a wonderful classroom with the benefit of huge amounts of space. This means that students can be given a longer leash to get out and explore and test themselves in a relatively safe environment.

The upper section of the farm is over 400 acres of mixed farmland and woodland surrounded by a secure fence. This makes for an ideal space in which to learn skills of orienteering, and really test these skills with night time navigation excercises.

Allowing small groups of students to go out “on their own” reinforces the fact that freedom comes with responsibility. Rules and laws are there for protection, and most teenagers have an imprint in their developing DNA to flaunt these safeguarding measures. Giving them controlled space to go discover what they can an can’t do is am important part of their development.

As trust between staff and students is honed to more professional levels, then expeditions can be organized into true wilderness tests in the forests of Mount Koibatek where getting lost is a very real risk. When students believe they are ready to be handed their freedom, they should be given a more challenging environment in which their learning curve will meet new chalenges and risks. Managing those risks, and coping with not knowing what is going to happen next are extremely important life skills.

Whether it is coping with being away from home for the first time, having a scouting weekend in the woods or helping plan and execute a DofE gold expedition, Kembu is the place to base yourselves.