Wednesday 26 September 2007

Youth charity Snow-Camp recently that it has successfully secured significant funding towards the running of Snow-Camp 2008. Plans to take 110 disadvantaged young people to Les 2 Alpes to learn to ski and snowboard are now well under way, with up to 20 youth groups across inner city London taking part in the project.

Snow-Camp Director, Dan Charlish, said ‘We are delighted with the confirmation of this funding which will enable us to significantly develop the Snow-Camp project. Its the start of a new phase for the charity, and we can build on this to ensure Snow-Camp reaches even more inner city young people in future.’

Snow-Camp 2008 will continue to bring together the successful ingredients of previous Snow-Camps, but on a larger scale. There will be the same focus on taking young people from urban estate environments to the fantastic scenery of the Alps, teaching them to ski or snowboard and working intensively with them to develop as individuals through the life-skills course.

The planned increase in numbers means a whole lot more ski and snowboard gear is required to kit out the young people on the slopes. To date, there has been an amazing response from the ski and snowboard sector to the project. Many companies have generously offered their support with essential donations of kit and equipment, and Snow-Camp staff are hoping for a similar response this year.

‘We strongly believe that this project makes a significant positive impact on the lives on young people’ said Liv Cheasty, Associate Director, ‘but Snow-Camp simply wouldn’t exist without the continuous support of the youth sector, the ski and snowboard sector, key magazines and media, our funders and the generosity of individual donors.We are grateful to all of them for their continued support’ · ·

From the participants:  

My best memory was going down the glacier without falling once. It was amazing. I learnt I can make friends easily, and I can go back to London feeling more confident about life’ Ishmael Anderson, 13 ·

‘I will never forget the first time we went to the top of the mountains. To see the view and be so high up was a once in a lifetime moment and I will never forget that feeling.’ Rotimi Skyers, 13 ·

‘I would love to come again because Snowboarding makes me feel good about myself’ Alan Lynch, 18 ·

‘Through learning to ski I learnt to never give up, and that I have to have the same attitude to achieve my goals’ Cameron Beech, 15

More support still needed! Snow-Camp is now looking for more support to develop the project. To get involved with kit provision or to make a donation please contact Dan Charlish on 07930 695384. Or if you want general information, photos and to watch the most recent Snow-Camp movie, check out thier website.