Since Autumn 2021 we have being regularly getting out into the woods with the young people from Chadwick High.
Located in Lancaster, Chadwick High School is an alternative provision school supporting pupils who are struggling to engage with mainstream education. Chadwick has 2 different ‘intakes’ and we work with the young people from both the ‘behavioural unit’ and the ‘medical unit’.
Stomping Ground’s overall mission is to increase community participation and we recognise that depression, anxiety, and discrimination are all major barriers to this. We aim to increase participation by empowering individuals to take the actions they feel confident enough to and in Stomping Ground spaces people are free to choose what they wish to participate in and can lead their own learning.
We have had 4 different groups since 2021 and each group has brought a different side to the woods to life. They have been resilient against all climates and came out week after week even in an especially wet Autumn 2022. The young people have had the chance to connect to nature, or sew that first seed, in their own way and have enjoyed the freedom to choose how to spend their time and explore, create and hang out in their own way. We’ve witnessed the therapeutic capacity of the woods and transformative impact within our sessions and School staff have shared that, in some cases, the difference can be seen in school too.
Thanks to the Arnside and Silverdale AONB and the Areti Charitable Trust for supporting this project. Pupil Refferal Units nationwide are struggling with funding, so this transformational work is only possible because of you and your hard work.
Chadwick, let’s go Into The Woods!
