NottinghamLIFE: 30 NOTTS CHILDREN TACKLE CAMPING, RETAIL AND TEAMWORK

 

FROM hiking through the wilderness to monitoring CCTV in shopping centres, 30 pupils from Nottingham Academy were put through their paces with support from the intu team this summer.

Nottingham’s annual trip to Outward Bound– which is now in its fifth year – works to help children from the city step out of their comfort zones through a week-long outdoor learning experience with support from willing volunteers from intu Victoria Centre and intu Broadmarsh.

The group overcame a number of challenges together during last month’s Outward Bound trip, and to help integrate students with their mentors – intu held a special behind the scenes tour of the shopping centres for pupils.

During the behind the scenes tours of both intu Victoria Centre and intu Broadmarsh, the participating Nottingham Academy pupils were given an insight into their intu mentors’ day-to-day activities – from security to car parks, customer services to management.

Nigel Wheatley, general manager for intu in Nottingham, said: “Having pupils from the Academy visit our centres is a really important part of the Outward Bound experience, as mentors are given the opportunity to showcase their own careers and how intu works as a business.

“We were delighted with the visit, especially following such a special Outward Bound trip and we cannot wait to have all of the pupils join us later this month for an exclusive celebration evening.”

Since it began in 2012, more than 200 students over the last five years have participated in the residential trip which is designed to help them develop core skills, such as teamwork and communication, as well as make new friends and offer the opportunity to try their hand at new activities including abseiling, orienteering and an overnight outdoor camping trip.

Nicky Brown, assistant headteacher at Nottingham Academy, said: “We really enjoy working with intu as we believe working closely with local businesses brings fantastic opportunities for our young people. 

“This visit to the centres enabled our pupils to spend time in the workplace engaging with adults who have a wealth of knowledge and experience and gain an understanding of how the retail sector works.”