OUR IMPACT

British Exploring Society is an authority on transformational youth development through expeditions to remote locations.

Read our latest Annual Report Read our Sustainability and Inclusion Report

OUR PROGRAMMES

On expedition – everyone is out of their comfort zone, and that’s a great leveller.

Young people’s expectations of themselves and others are challenged. Experiences are shared and futures are shaped.

Our Young Explorers come from a wide variety of backgrounds; from communities facing high levels of economic and social deprivation and from those where expectations of personal and professional success are high. Often, these people would never cross paths in any other way. With us, they rub shoulders and exchange ideas in tents and canoes, up mountains and in the jungle.

Our work is transformational for everyone who participates. Wider society also benefits from the adventurous, resilient, adaptable team players we help to create.

Read on to learn more about our impact in 2023, as well as our longer term impact from over 92 years of unlocking self-belief.

Our impact in 2023

We believe that young people need the right skills, behaviours, and confidence to tackle contemporary challenges and opportunities. In assessing impact, we consider our success in supporting young people to acquire these skills, behaviours, and confidence through our programmes.

700

Young people took part in one or more activities with us.

41%

Of Young Explorers who joined an expedition have a total household income of less than £23,000 a year or they are a looked after child.

17%

of Young Explorers identify as coming from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic backgrounds

23%

of Young Explorers declared they had a disability or long term health condition.

Young Explorer stories Read our latest Annual Report

What do we measure and why?

We are interested in the development of knowledge and character attributes as well as the acquisition of skills. In our impact assessment, we do not place emphasis on capturing evidence of knowledge acquired as this is such an individual experience – except where it affects behaviours.

We have a strong intrapersonal focus in our work. We use an introspective tool, ‘My Compass’, which focuses on self-efficacy. It is our version of a well-established impact measurement tool, the outcomes star (originally funded by the Big Lottery), adapted for our programmes since 2017.

My Compass allows each Young Explorer to set goals and self-evaluate their progress during their journey with us. It is also used by Leaders a reflective conversation tool, encouraging Young Explorers to think about their aspirations and set goals for themselves. This reflective practice while on expedition helps our Young Explorers to develop their independence and self-governance. We believe these attributes are essential for wellbeing and living a healthy balanced and fulfilling life.

A YOUNG EXPLORER'S JOURNEY

There are several important steps to a Young Explorer’s journey with us. Throughout, we are always available to support them. From beginning to end each step helps them to develop responsibility, confidence, problem-solving initiative, and communication skills.

Watch this short video to find out more.

Our impact over 92 years

In addition to assessing the impact of our present work, we also engage with our long-standing community of Members (former programme participants) to better understand the longer-term impact of our programmes going all the way back to 1932.

Starting in 2023 we now run an annual questionnaire to Members (previous expedition participants) using themes from My Compass and questions originally devised by Penn State University for their doctorate research paper ‘The perceived long-term influence of youth expeditions on participants’ lives’ by Maria Jose Ramirez Canas in December 2019.

The results of our questionnaire are fascinating. The average overall positive impact reported by Members does not significantly change, irrespective of the decade of their birth.

research

Penn State University researchers interviewed Explorers who went on expedition with us over 20 years ago to see what impact this experience has had on their adult lives. “This study provides evidence that these long-term influences of expedition experiences can be long-lasting and significant in participants’ lives.” (Ramírez Cañas, 2019)

Studies have found that our expeditions produce profound emotional responses. A period of post-expedition adjustment indicated by all participants showed “changes or examination of values during the expedition experience.” (Allison et al., 2011)

A study on our Greenland 2003 expedition showed significant changes in positive behaviours such as setting priorities, achieving goals, and solving problems efficiently. These behaviours remain core desired outcomes for us. (Stott & Hall, 2003)

“Leadership appeared to increase through the expedition and then remain stable, and the application of coping strategies appeared to keep increasing over time.” (Allison et al., 2018)

“Overall it is reasonable to conclude from the evidence that the expedition experiences offered by British Exploring Society are consistent – it does not matter which year you go and where you go – the benefits reported are consistent.” (Allison et al., 2015)

“Expedition participants frequently talked about using their experience on the expedition to direct their lives as they adapted to post-expedition life. This often translated into important decisions about future careers and education.” (Allison, Davis-Berman & Berman, 2015)

Penn State University research