Jonny Kinross and his team at MY Adventure are training young people from deprived areas to become outdoor activities instructors
What is MY Adventure and what does it do?
MY Adventure is a social enterprise that was set up in 2011 by the Muirhouse Youth Development Group in north Edinburgh. We take school groups, charities, companies and other customers out to enjoy outdoor activities such as canoeing, climbing and mountain biking, and we also hire out equipment. Many of our instructors are deliberately drawn from Muirhouse in Edinburgh and are aged 16 to 25. We train them to deliver these adventure sports and outdoor activities, giving them skills and qualifications for life.
How many young people have you worked with so far?
We have 12 trainees this year. Half of them are paid a small salary, while the other half are volunteers, including students from outdoor education courses at Edinburgh College. We’ve helped more than 30 young people over the past three years.
What do the young people get out of it?
They gain industry-recognised qualifications to teach archery, canoeing, climbing, cycling, swimming – all sorts of sports. They also get qualifications in other areas too, such as food hygiene and first aid, and also transferable skills, like having the confidence to speak in front of groups.
How does the business help the local community?
Our instructors become brilliant role models for the younger people they are teaching. Marcus Glancy, one of our instructors, was shortlisted in the inspirational young adult category in the Edinburgh Evening News’s Pride of Edinburgh Awards. We work closely with Craigroyston Community High School – we’ll be taking all 100 of their fi rst years down to our bothy near Jedburgh in the Borders to help with team-building and problem-solving. We also created the Cyclone mountain bike track at Gypsy Brae in Muirhouse with 200 volunteers. Businesses like Scottish Gas and State Street have helped with the project and we’re also working with Lloyds TSB.
More information about MY Adventure is available at www.myadventure.org.uk
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