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Our Story
Giving young people positive opportunities can turn their lives around. Our #Switch180 campaign highlights that we must do more as a society to provide positive opportunities for our young people. At Snow-Camp, our programmes have been successfully changing the direction of young people's lives since 2003. Last year the young people we worked with transformed their lives:
Motivating young people to fully engage is the key to successful youth work and the young people we work with are traditionally hard to engage. We have found that snowsports are incredibly attractive to inner-city young people, despite being out-of-reach for many. The opportunity to participate in snowsports acts as the tool with which we can effectively engage young people and maintain a positive involvement with them. This is achieved through our Programme Journey, which takes place at artificial and indoor snowsports centres in the UK.
Our programmes run from July-June each year. All young people must start at the beginning on First Tracks and have no prior snowsports experience.
Introductory Training in Skiing and Snowboarding: This is an exciting time for the young people as they clip on or tie up their boots for their first experience of snowsports. On the programme they also participate in life-skills sessions focusing on independence, responsibility, confidence and self-esteem and, upon completion of the programme, young people gain an accredited Snow Life Award.
More InfoHigher Level Snowsports Training: This programme offers young people the opportunity to further develop their snowsport skills over 6 weekends. Young people attend life skills sessions focusing on vocational opportunities with presentations from industry representatives. Upon completion, students gain an ASDAN Level 1 qualification in Sport and Fitness.
More InfoAdvanced Snowsports Training: When a young person reaches the Excel Programme they are motivated and ready to pursue a career in the snowsports industry. Over 10 weeks young people train to become qualified level 1 instructors. They also experience their first trip to the mountains; broadening their horizons on a personal and on an educational level.
More InfoUp to 6 young graduates of Excel are provided with full time employment for 1 year at Snow-Camp, which incorporates placements with snowsports industry partners and qualifications. We also run a Business Admin Apprenticeship in East Sussex.
More InfoThe Snow-Camp Youth Forum (SCYF) in each city provides young people with volunteer opportunities to get more involved in our work. It enables young people to have their say on the development of Snow-Camp’s programmes, support Snow-Camp fundraising events, discuss any issues they face in their communities and 2 young people work alongside our Board of Trustees each year.
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We run programmes in London, Scotland, Bristol, Cardiff, the Midlands and the North West.
Snow-Camp boosted my confidence and taught me to never give up, to keep pushing and in the real world that's so relevant. I've learnt that with hard work life's opportunities are endless. I believe that as a London young person, we're all in this together and we can only improve our communities if we pull together.
Shayleigh Snow-Camp Young Person
If I hadn’t got involved with Snow-Camp I would be in a lot of trouble for doing the wrong things with the wrong people. Not because of who I am but because of the influence on the the estates. With no real direction or ambition it’s easy to get sucked into a lifestyle so many people around you are living. Snow-Camp has helped me to have a positive future and now I have a full time job.
Laquan Snow-Camp Young Person
Through Snow-Camp I have gained so many new skills. I have also made friends with people from different estates, people I would never normally talk to but we bond over snowsports. I now know that I have a positive future in front me and for that I can't thank Snow-Camp enough.
Hamza Snow-Camp Young Person
Snow-Camp is a fantastic charity helping those from deprived backgrounds do something positive. People say snowsports are for the elite, and rowing has that reputation too. Snow-Camp proves this is not necessarily the case.
Sir Steve Redgrave 5x Olympic Gold Medallist and Snow-Camp Ambassador
I love the way Snow-Camp uses my sport to support young people who wouldn't ever get the chance to get involved in snowsports – and beyond that, to enable them to get qualifications and access to employment in the snowsports industry. I’m so honoured to be on board as a patron, as I am committed to seeing positive opportunities for young people in snowsports across the country.
Jenny Jones Sochi 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist and Snow-Camp Patron
"I’m delighted to support the important work that Snow-Camp carries out, and I’m completely behind their goal to bring skiing to more young people and to make the sport more socially inclusive."
Graham Bell BBC Presenter and Snow-Camp Patron
“When you look inside Snow-Camp’s programmes, they train an individual to be able to control certain aspects of behaviour, to channel negative energy into positive energy and create the overall outcome of someone who could work in the same industry as me. That for me is one of the best reasons why I choose to support Snow-Camp.”
Warren Smith Professional Free Skier, Director of the Warren Smith Academy and Snow-Camp Patron
“For me, it’s sad when people have never seen proper snow before in London. It’s so accessible for us and for Snow-Camp to come along and bring this amazing sport to more people, it’s awesome. I just love that Snow-Camp brings winter sports to a whole new audience of kids who never thought that they would have the opportunity! I have always strived to make skiing available to all and Snow-Camp is really achieving that.”
Chemmy Alcott 4X British Olympic Skier and Snow-Camp Patron
“I've supported Snow-Camp for a number of years because they have had a real positive influence on young peoples' lives. The personal growth I have seen in the people going through the programme has been stunning. The positive impact of snowsports is incredibly powerful and Snow-Camp have harnessed it brilliantly.”
Dougie Crawford British Downhill Ski Champion and Snow-Camp Patron
