Go Ape – DofE Youth Ambassadors days out!

This probably won’t come as a surprise, but here at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, we LOVE the outdoors – and nothing screams ‘outdoors’ more than channelling your inner Tarzan high up in the trees!

In the spirit of getting outdoors, we sent our DofE Youth Ambassadors to Go Ape for an action-packed day of climbing, ziplining, and making long lasting memories! Our DofE Youth Ambassadors are a brilliant team of young people who are passionate about the DofE and help to inspire others through their own experiences. We spoke with Ash, our Youth Engagement Project Manager here at the DofE about their days out at Go Ape!

“Across October half term, the DofE UK Youth Ambassadors were given the opportunity to visit several Go Ape sites for teambuilding days, packed full of adventure, challenge and laughter! We visited three sites across the UK: Rivington, Coventry and Cockfosters. Each was unique in its own way, but all provided the perfect opportunity for the Ambassadors to start building rapport face to face, as until this point, most of their communication had been done online!

The Go Ape staff team-built trust and rapport with ease, ensuring they were engaging and suited a range of learning styles. Once out on the activities, the Ambassadors had a blast! A great way to let off some steam after a busy few months!

My favourite activity was definitely ‘The Plummet’ at the Coventry site, where we essentially jumped off a tower into thin air from about 20 metres (it feels so much higher when you are up there)! It was nerve-wracking but such an achievement once you have done it! A huge thanks to all of the Go Ape team!”

We also spoke to our DofE Youth Ambassadors about what the DofE means to them, as well as the importance of getting outdoors – here’s what they thought:

Why did you apply to become a DofE Youth Ambassador?

Amelia – “I had a really good time with my DofE group, I spent years with them growing up and they’ve changed me as a person, and I wanted to give back to the group and make sure that all young people have the opportunities that I had.”

Dipesh – “The Award meant so much to me in helping me become the person I am today, and I really want to help inspire that change in other people.”

Sunny – “I know all of the awesome things that DofE can do for young people like increase their confidence and give them an opportunity to show all the cool things that they can do. I wasn’t always able to access it myself, so now as a youth ambassador for this year, I want to make sure that as many young people as possible can access it.”

Why are outdoor experiences such as Go Ape so important?

Dipesh – “It’s important for people to go out and experience things like Go Ape because not only does it build physical strength and fitness, but it also really improves your mental health being out in nature.”

Sunny – “I think it’s really important for young people to be able to get outside and do really cool things like hanging out in the trees! It gives you a different challenge to what you might usually face in your everyday life. Also, the chance to start exploring your own limits and challenges and it’s great to have a team to do that with!”

Amelia – “It’s important for young people to get outside and do adventures like Go Ape because it gives them independence, it gives them a challenge and shows them how to overcome problems on their own.”

All in all, on behalf of the DofE, we want to thank Go Ape for a spectacular day out and for allowing our DofE Youth Ambassadors to come together! The DofE is passionate about inspiring young people to reach their full potential, try things that they’ve never done before and make long lasting memories through exciting experiences. That’s why we’re offering our DofE network the opportunity to experience award-winning outdoor adventures at a discounted rate!

If you’re looking to get outdoors, connect with nature and push yourself out of your comfort zone, look no further than the UK’s Number 1 outdoor adventure – Go Ape! With over 30 locations around the UK, Go Ape has been offering award-winning days out for over 20 years. In the fast-paced world we live in, we could all do with getting outdoors more, and what better way to do so other than Go Ape!

Go Ape offers a wide range of activities such as high rope obstacles, Tarzan swings, zip wires, segway adventures and so much more! If you’re interested in booking your own treetop adventure, don’t miss our exclusive offer – 15% off ALL activities with Go Ape!

For more information, click here.