Senior Club member, Erin, has been training with Snow Camp since last year.
Snow Camp is a national snow sports youth charity working with young people across the UK. In 2019, 93% of their young people who completed their programmes moved on to either employment, education or further training. 92% gained 1 or more new qualifications and 87% said that they now feel more confident and able to take on new challenges.
We caught up with Erin who, since beginning her training with Snow Camp, qualified at First Tracks, completed the Graduate Course in October 2022, and has recently completed the Excel Youth Instructor course.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Erin, I’m 17 and I’ve been a member at HideOut since September 2020.
Why did you join HideOut?
I joined HideOut because growing up in Gorton there were never any opportunities or good youth provisions. So, when I saw HideOut being built and found out what it was about, I wanted to stay safe off the streets and better my future.
Tell us a bit about the Snow Camp project?
Snow Camp is a youth charity that is based at the Chill Factore (near the Trafford Centre) and it gives you the opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding to become an instructor. It is spread over three different courses, one being the beginner’s course (First Tracks), which is two days long and you learn the basics of skiing and snowboarding. Then you progress to move onto the graduate course where you continue to learn more developed skills. This then takes you onto the Excell course where you learn the final stages such as how to have a professional manner when teaching. You also get a qualification in first aid and mental health in the workplace. This then leads you onto the final step which is the residential and you get to ski in the real mountains!
What made you sign up for the project?
I signed up to Snow Camp mainly to learn new skills, meet new friends which is something I probably wouldn’t do on a daily basis, and of course you get to go and ski in a different country!
What was the highlight of your trip?
One highlight of my trip to Andorra was getting to meet new people that had been on the same journey as myself and knowing that we all came from different backgrounds. Also, the views in Andorra were unreal and something I never expected to see as I didn’t think I would even get to go on residential.
What have you learned about yourself?
I have learned that I lacked confidence and self-esteem. I didn’t think I could conquer anything. However, doing all 3 levels of Snow Camp and going to Andorra helped me to manage my negativity and showed me whatever I put my mind to I can achieve some form of success, even if it wasn’t the initial goal. It taught me to look at the positives instead.
What advice would you give to other young people considering getting involved in projects?
One thing I would say to other young people that are considering doing Snow Camp is to take any opportunity you are given. Nothing is impossible and don’t think one instructor can ruin it all for you because everyone learns in different ways.
I am very grateful to be one of the few young people that were selected as I have learnt so much from there and it has shaped me to be the most confident Erin you see today.
Senior Club member, Erin.
