World Challenge

[higgle]

DS2 is in year 11, and will be doing GCSEs very shortly. This week the school arranged a presentation by World Challenge to promote a 4 week trip after A levels in 2 year's time.

The "expedition" is to Ecquador and the Galapagos Islands and sounds really exciting in many respects. The cost is £4,200 and those going are expected t raise this themselves, though I expect a lot of those who go will be heavily subsidised. DS2 really would like to go, and quite a few of his friends are saying they will be signing up.

I'm not sure this is a good idea at all. They said you would "go a boy, and return a man" but teachers are going too and it is all comprehensively risk assessed. I think that at 18 and having finished school I'd rather my son was thinking about some independent work and travel, rather than this rather sanitised version, and he would get a lot more of that for his money.

My second misgiving is the cost, and the fgact that we really cannot afford to subsidise this apart from possibly a very token amount. DS2 is talking about getting a job, and fund raising but he needs a job to save up a bit of a buffer for when he goes to university, and I can't see him saving much more than the cost of the challenge ovewr the next two years.

Part of me wants to say "Yes" he would undoubtedly have a great time, and it would be a good experience for him, but I would prefer him not to have the worry of fundraising when he is doing his A level course, and planning an Oxford application.

Of course he does spend loads of time on facebook and texting and dossing about anyway and it would be a good thing to have him engaged in getting ready for this project in his unproductive hours.

Does anyone else on here have any experience of World Challenge or have children who have decided to go their own way instead of joining in something like this? All views gratefully received!

I think a lot of these school trips are very expensive because they are actually planned and organised by specialist tour companies who take a cut, and also insurance costs are high.
Also just because you can get an easyjet flight from your local airport to a bargain price it doesn't necessarily follow the an entire school group can be booked into a budget airline flight !

My son signed up for Costa Zrica world challenge two years ago. Initially very enthusiastic. One by one his mates dropped out and he was put into a group where he didn't know the other participants.
He did no fundraising on his own and school wouldn't let the kids fundraise at school at all. Being under 16 when he signed up he found it very difficult to get any sort of paid work to help earn money for the trip.
Detecting a lack of interest I suggested he pull out and he agreed. We lost £400 deposit but that was better than shelling out £4K and then finding he didn't want to go.

I agree the trips are totally overpriced.

DD 16 was very enthusiastic for trip to India with WC and I was happy to go along with it as I am all for my DC gaining independance and getting out into the big wide world. It would have been around £4500. But once she realised that whilst I would support her - for example, let her bake cakes for selling, use my car for boot sale etc - I would most definately not be funding it. Plus, it was 18 months in the future and I said all her money would have to go towards this - there would be very little left over from birthdays etc for treats, make up, nights out etc. The last straw was when our very middle class school arranged for them to do bag packing in a supermarket in one of the poorest areas around us - effectively asking some very socioeconomically deprived people to fund the well off kids jolly to the Himalayas!! DD was aghast at the thought of it and that made the final decision for her. This was a while back and her peers are actually due to go next month and she is so happy she is not going as she would miss too many birthday parties!! Some friends who are still going have had most of it paid through "sponsorship" from friends and family and very little from fundraising.

Having seen how world challenge operates for many years there is never any conasing of students on where they want to go or what countries add the most to the development of the students but it is more a bucket list for the teachers that wish to travel. The recruiting of teachers is therefore very easy.

Secondly they only deal with largely affluent schools who can afford there price tag which calls into question the morality of such and organisation who are destined to have a 60% profit margin on all their business activities.

The majority of leaders have never travelled to the destinations and whilst they may have travelled extensively this does not make them experts and they rely heavily on the in country agents and experts in the country.

Why do school teachers who wish to do such a trip organise it themselves using the in country contacts that are so readily available on the internet.

If 15 students wanted to go the 60k would easily pay for a good level of in country support. British mountaineering council insurance. And even be able to recruit an expedition leader from a freelance pool to look after things all though a better thing would just be to travel.

All the countries visited by world challlenge are geared for tourists and trekking.

£5000 for 4 weeks in Tanzania. 1 week camping at a project. (Free except for food on a stove) 8 days on Kili. Fully guided £1600. Flights £800. Travel in country and hotels. £350. Rest and relaxation. (Students have to pay for). Food In Country £300. Profit per student £1950.

Of course you have to pay for a teacher that wants to go and a leader who may have never been there.

Go a boy arrive a man as long as you can afford it. How patronising can you get. Save yourself some money. Plan it with your sons and daughters. Teach them the value of money and how to book it themselves. That is where the true value is. Not in these essential package tours where there are very few decisions to be made that are restricted to what bus to catch, how to paint a school, which hostel can we stay in for £5 per night and leaving them with why did we pay so much and get so little

I realise this is a very old thread but was wondering if anyone had any more up-to-date information or experience of the World Challenge tours? My son’s school are offering a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia after A-levels and he’s keen to go - though I take the points about cost etc. It’s for 21 days at an eye-watering 4.3K; at about the same time the Scouts are going to South Korea for the jamboree and this would have cost 3.5K for 11 days or so. Any thoughts appreciated; thank you.

I am also reading old threads for info. My son's school offering them a 2 week trip to Borneo for £4000. They talked a lot in the presentation about how they want them to 'earn their place' and raise the money themselves but how can a 14 year old do this? Its a mammoth task.
The fundraising angle is tricky - you are basically asking people to pay for a holiday for you.
I think it would probably be a great experience but I don't know if we can find that much money and I am really worried about how disappointed my son will be.

In my experience the whole ethos used to be about development but the trios are sanitised with off the shelf itineraries. Very little development and £4000 for two weeks is ridiculous. The profit margins on these trips are 60%. Perhaps advise the school to do something themselves instead

I would suggest to any student that arranging their own trip to a country like Morocco. Arranging their own project and then trekking in the atlas with in country guides and perhaps a parent going with them. The guides in Morocco are great. They will be able to evidence full planning aspect. Arranging the full trip and getting a great experience. Insurance from the BMC would cover this and offer security. Also there are Uk freelancers (expedition leaders) who would support such a trip. The cost per student excluding flights would be around £600 for 3 weeks. Much more realistic. And they can cater the trip for the students budget. Schools should do this in house. As I say world challenges profit margin is 60%. So don’t waste your money. Do dofe. Evidence longevity and commitment and then arrange your own trip. We have the internet so why use a company that simply does the same with only development being where to buy food on a pathetic budget