Raising money for a youth adventure grant... by going on an adventure!

The Now on Earth Youth Adventure Grant is a new grant for which we are currently fundraising with a fastpacking challenge - an expedition to the western Hajar Mountains of Oman.

I’m Chloe, a mum from Sussex planning, along with my adventure partner-in-crime Alice, to hike/scramble/run our way roughly 200km across the western Hajar Mountains of Oman. Self-supported, travelling as light as possible, sending food ahead for collection en-route, we’ll be wild camping some nights, interspersed with village BnB / small hotel stays, for approx 2 weeks, later this year. The route is relatively new, created by John Edwards after years of exploring the ancient paths which criss-cross the mountains, and explained in detail in his excellent book ‘Wilderness Trekking Oman’ (available via his website www.hajarhiking.com). The book was published and the first full traverse completed in 2020, but due to Covid restrictions very few have had the opportunity since. We hope to be the first female team to fastpack the traverse! I’m new to fastpacking… and feeling very excited, if a little scared, as one should, embarking on an adventure. Fastpacking is a mixture of trail running and backpacking and involves hiking the ups, jogging the flats, and, where possible, running the downs - although many descents on this trail will be too steep for running. We’ll be on the trail for 5-10hrs per day, with some sections requiring scrambling. Some days will end in villages where accommodation will be available, but we’ll carry simple sleep systems for nights wild camping under the stars. The tracks we’re following vary between donkey caravan routes, unladen donkey tracks and narrow ‘man tracks’, requiring careful navigation. There are a couple of Via Ferrata style ladders to ascend rock faces. We'll pass over 2 mountain summits on the route, including Jebel Shams, the highest peak in the Hajar. Some of these tracks haven’t been in use for generations, and most of the route requires GPS navigation. It’s an exciting and intimidating prospect.

The grant we are raising money for is aimed at supporting young adults aged 18-24 undertaking their first adventurous expedition. Details at https://www.nowonearth.com/youth-adventure-grant. We believe that adventure can have a hugely positive and long-term impact on self-confidence, resilience and fulfilment. We hope to give some young people the opportunity to challenge themselves on their first adventure, by offering some financial support for their endeavours. Money should not, after all, be a barrier to attempting what could be a transformational life experience! By offering small grants we hope to make these adventures more accessible to more young people.

We’re facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that adventure and challenge are essential to our wellbeing. In westernised society in particular, the adventurous elements once commonplace in our children’s upbringing have been gradually stripped away by health and safety measures in schools and wider society, the drifting apart of larger, close-knit family groups and communities (which would once have collectively kept an eye on the children, giving them more freedom to explore within safe boundaries), and the risk-averse approach to parenting, often born of fears exaggerated by the constant bombardment, through our 'always-on' technology, of negative media stories.

This is an imbalance which urgently needs to be addressed. We’re advocates of the #adventurerevolution. By giving young people the opportunity to challenge themselves, adventure can lead them to uncover new perspectives, develop stronger social connections, lessen anxiety, increase self-belief, and access deeper levels of resilience. For further reading on this subject, we recommend Belinda Kirk's 'Adventure Revolution'.

We'd be thrilled and hugely grateful if you'd like to support us, and help raise funds for the Youth Adventure Grant, which we hope in turn will support future adventurers and change-makers!