Step Away from the Screens and Get Active Outdoors as a Family

Escape from modern day life, switch off the screens and get active outdoors, as hundreds of venues across the UK offer free or low cost opportunities to try sailing and windsurfing this May.

The family friendly ‘RYA Push the Boat Out’ (PTBO) open days offer something for everyone, with a variety of both on-the-water and shore-side activities, as well as BBQs and entertainment for the kids.  And with more and more of us looking to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, this could be the new outdoor activity you’ve been looking for.   

As well as positively impacting physical and mental health, outdoor activities like sailing and windsurfing have also been shown to aid character development in young people.  The broader benefits include; independence, creativity, teamwork, determination, communication and confidence; providing youngsters with the attributes to help them succeed in life.

But is it for me?  PTBO events are your chance to find out!  Have a go in a welcoming, safe and low-pressure environment - no experience or equipment necessary -come along and give it a try!

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RYA Welcomes Recent Government Announcement Recognising Importance of Character-Building Activities

  

Education Secretary, Damian Hinds recently announced his vision to help children build character and resilience. Speaking at the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership conference on 07 February, Mr Hinds spoke of the importance of character-building activities in helping young people succeed in life and even improve academic outcomes.

The Department for Education (DfE) has pledged to work with schools and external organizations, including membership bodies, to enable children from all backgrounds to access activities to develop confidence and underpin success in education and work. For many years we have known that sport and physical activity have a beneficial effect on our physical health and wellbeing.  However, work done by the RYA and Professor Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning and Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester demonstrates a number of important additional benefits. The landmark project combined academic findings on the role character has to play in shaping young people’s life chances, with the life skills that can be developed through sailing.  With Prof. Lucas concluding that sailing nurtures six key strengths; creativity, confidence, teamwork, communication, determination, and independence.

He said: “I’m struck by how much of a child’s life in school, can be focused on exams and how much more needs to focus on the other things that help them to do really well in life, including resilience and learning to work with others. If you do those things better, exam results get better and people who have these attributes get on better in life. They are much happier and adaptable to embrace challenges.”

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