7 April 2025
Supporting young people to thrive: Adventure Centre for Education.
William Grant Foundation
Photograph: Mike Wilkinson
Key learnings:
- For some young people, conventional work environments don’t offer the support or space they need to grow.
- Outdoor learning and adventure-based activities can be powerful tools to unlock personal growth and build confidence.
- Focusing on wellbeing alongside work readiness supports young people to adapt and navigate uncertainty – essential skills in a fast-changing world.
- Long-term roots in a community can create the conditions for mutual support and stronger collaboration between third sector organisations.
For many young people in Scotland, the path to discovering their potential isn’t always straightforward. But in Girvan, The Adventure Centre for Education (ACE) is proving that adventure-based experiences and outdoor learning can be powerful tools for engagement, personal growth, and skills development.
“We find that the outdoors is a great space where young people really open up. It allows us to enter deeper conversations with them,” says Chris Saunders, Chief Executive at ACE.
ACE provides a wide range of outdoor adventure activities, including kayaking, snorkelling, coasteering, and bushcraft, to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds across South Ayrshire. ACE’s mission is to make access to the outdoors fun, educational and inspirational.
A good example is ACE’s ‘Finding the Spark’ initiative, which provides hands-on work experience and gently introduces young people to the realities of employment.
Building confidence through experience
Finding the Spark is about more than landing a job – it’s about helping young people who may find traditional workplaces difficult to build resilience and navigate life’s challenges.
Through the programme, two young people per year are employed in a 12-month paid placement with a dedicated training budget. The young people take part in educational work where they engage with children of all ages. As participants develop their foundational skills, they then become involved in adventure tourism work.
Finding the Spark encourages participants to step outside their comfort zones, engage in diverse social interactions, and prepare for whatever comes next – whether that’s employment in the outdoor sector, further education, or simply a clearer sense of their own strengths.
“It’s about experiencing teamwork, managing responsibility, and being around lots of different people. It helps young people handle all sorts of life situations better – whether that’s at work, in education, or just in their personal lives.”
Wellbeing as the foundation
ACE understands that a young person’s ability to thrive in work or education is closely linked to their overall wellbeing. Their holistic approach to working with the trainees integrates breathwork, movement, and discussions around diet and mental health alongside technical skills development.
“It’s not just about the outdoor activities – it’s the whole picture. We talk about coping strategies, psychology, and how to regulate yourself. Whether the young people go on to work in the outdoors or not, those are skills they can take anywhere.”
Embracing change and uncertainty
Over the past 20 years, ACE has learned that change is constant – both for young people and for the organisations that support them. Being adaptable is essential. This mindset is something ACE instils in the young people they work with, helping them develop the confidence to navigate uncertainty in the workplace and beyond.
“Everything is in constant flux,” Chris says. “What we try to teach young people is that it’s not about avoiding change – it’s about learning how to manage it.”
The freedom to adapt
We are pleased to support ACE with unrestricted funding through our Youth Opportunities strand. ACE’s experience with unrestricted funding highlights how flexibility often enables better impact.
This funding allows ACE to adapt their approach based on seasonal work patterns and individual readiness. For example, instead of taking on trainees during a quiet winter period, they invested in training a young person so they could take on a more active role in the busy summer months.
“When funding is too restrictive, you’re under pressure to deliver quickly,” Chris says. “Unrestricted funding lets us start programmes at the right time, focus on what young people actually need, and be adaptable.”
Strength in community and collaboration
One of the greatest benefits of ACE’s long-standing presence in Girvan is the deep connections they’ve built over time.
“We speak to parents who we had through as children, and before long, we’ll probably know their grandchildren, too.”
Beyond their direct work with young people, ACE also believes in the power of collaboration with their peers. They actively support emerging community organisations in Ayrshire and beyond, partnering on funding applications and projects until groups have the capacity to take the reins themselves. This generosity in sharing time and knowledge strengthens the wider sector, ensuring that more people benefit from well-supported initiatives.
Looking ahead
As young people prepare for their futures, ACE remains committed to helping them build confidence and a sense of possibility. By prioritising wellbeing alongside skills development, and by embracing change, they are supporting young people to thrive and be equipped for the challenges of an ever-evolving world.
