Snowdonia to Uganda
On Wednesday 30th May, a group of young people from our EBNS (East Birmingham North Solihull) Branch hit the heights by scaling mount Snowdon, raising money towards a trip to Uganda in 2019.
Our “WeCan” Youth Social action group have been taking part in numerous community action projects over the last 18 months such as litter picks, transforming green spaces and fundraising events, all focused on making the world a better place. In 2019, we’re planning a trip with a group of our amazing young people to visit a project we have partnered with to Kisoro, Uganda. We know that, when young people get the opportunity to experience a completely different culture, it inspires them and opens their eyes to the possibilities of life in a whole new way. It's also a great opportunity to serve and bless people in community other than their own.
To help us get there, they took on their most recent project - going to climb Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales. We set them the challenge to fundraise as much as they could before the time came to put one foot in front of the other and climb that mountain. The group helped to organise the whole trip from kit lists to planning routes.
The day was soon upon us and we set off from our Community Hub in Birmingham at 7am - excited, expectant and a little bit nervous at what lay ahead. We arrived in glorious sunshine, got kitted up and did a kit check. With the weather looking clear, and our rucksacks loaded with enough sugar to run a bakery, we set off up the Llanberis path.
It was at this point that it became clear that, having only walked the Malverns previously, most of our young people hadn't fully grasped what was ahead of them! Within about 45 minutes of walking, some our group were already emotionally digging deep and having to wrestle with the emotions of struggling up a mountain when they couldn't see when the end would come. It was great to see how the group helped each other out and people took on various leadership roles where previously they hadn’t stepped up. Some offered to carry the bags of those who were struggling, or just walked alongside to offer encouragement and support, to keep the group moving onwards and upwards.
Soon enough, the summit came into view and this put a renewed spring in everyone’s step. It was so great to see them all reach the top and especially to do so as a team, not just as a group of individuals. A short break at the top taking in the views and scoffing some more chocolate and we were soon descending back to the mini-bus.
“Having climbed mountains before, I’ve had first-hand experience of how challenging and rewarding it can be. The journey can teach you so much about yourself and how you deal with difficulty. I really wanted to be a part of that journey with the young people we took, using my experience to help them persevere. Even just the top of Snowdon was an eye-opening experience for them and I can’t wait to see how Uganda will change their lives.”
Stewart Boyle, Youth Worker
As a group, they have raised close to £1000 towards their trip to Uganda by climbing Snowdon. Some of the group now want to attempt the Three Peaks Challenge in the future, while others probably never want to see another mountain again!
Climbing Snowdon is just another rung on the ladder to get this group to Uganda, but it was such a rewarding and significant part of that journey for them as a group and as individuals, as well as for us youth workers.
If you would like to support the group, you can make a donation by clicking here
Congratulations to all those involved!
