Climb every mountain
25 March 2010
Believing in yourself is not easy when all around say you won’t
succeed.
Neither is breaking the circle of behaviour that brought you to
the Challenger Centre, a pupil referral unit in Sittingbourne.
But deputy headteacher John Posnette does just that by running
inspirational trips to Snowdonia.
He said:
“The children come from a completely urban environment and can’t
truly picture what a mountain is. When we arrive, the awe on their
faces brings tears to my eyes as they are gobsmacked. They just
don’t believe what they are seeing.
“Climbing the mountain is about raising their self esteem. They
work together and rise to the challenge, so it is a very profound
experience for them. If you’ve not been successful and people from
all parts of your life tell you that you are rubbish, you tend to
believe it
“We work hard at the centre to turn that around. When they come
back from Wales they can see what they have achieved and the next
time something difficult comes up in their lives they say ‘I have
climbed that mountain and nothing will stop me’.”
The trip is made possible thanks to funding from the Kent Fund
for Children and the Red Hill Trust. The Challenger Centre helps
boys and girls between 11 and 14 years old. They work with pupils
from Sittingbourne, Faversham and the Isle of Sheppey, covering
eight secondary schools.
The Kent Fund for Children has been set up under the Charities
Aid Foundation and it is dedicated to making young people’s dreams
come true. The aim is to support children and young people
who have not had the same opportunities that most children enjoy,
because of personal or social circumstances.
It was set up by Kent County Council Social Services in 1992 and
funds are raised by Kent County Council staff.
Peter Gilroy, Chief Executive of Kent
County Council said:
“The Kent Fund for Children has a simple aim: to make life better
for children and young people wherever it can. Even a
relatively small amount of money can make a huge difference to a
young person’s life and I’m so proud that the fund has been able to
give out nearly £600,000 to Kent children since it was
launched.”
If you want to make a donation, or if you want to find out more
about the Kent Fund for Children please contact Mike Ballard on
01622 694845.