MFRS Prince's Trust Case study

Partnering up to help young people succeed

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's youth engagement department are a flagship provider of Prince's Trust 'Team' courses .

Over 200 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 take up this challenge each year, which has an outstanding record of helping people into employment and education. As part of this twelve week programme, the participants undertake a week long residential course, experiencing outdoor adventure and communal living.

In 2005, MFRS turned to Boulder Adventures to provide this week long adventure and has continued to do so in what has developed into a very successful partnership. With the Service, Boulder Adventures has created a programme of challenging outdoor activities and comfortable accommodation. Working with the Prince's Trust Team Leaders, our instructors tailor every course to meet the very individual needs of each team.

Running eighteen courses a year for the service has allowed us to develop a long term partnership with both the managers at MFRS and the Team Leaders who bring the groups to us which affords all involved the opportunity to create the best possible course. Choosing from our wide range of activities, we can promote the core Prince's Trust values of fun, practicality, self-belief, teamwork and community.

At the end of the twelve weeks, participants give a presentation to over 100 people on their achievements. They often invite their instructors along and we delight in attending. As well as seeing how our students have changed over the ten weeks since we have last seen them, they often speak of their outdoor residential as both the most challenging and best part of their time on the course.