WPCA Info & News
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Westport North School
William launching the WPCA: Westport News
Loburn School
Track Loburn School students doing the WPCA: Loburn School
WPCA PDF info pack
Contact William to discuss how the WPCA could work best at your school/organisation
Download the: William Pike Challenge Award Info Pack
Videos to watch on the WPCA:
1) Hilltop School students climbing Mt. Ruapehu
2) WPCA Complete 2010
Below: William with WPCA
participants
William Pike Challenge Award
Schools doing the William Pike Challenge Award in 2012:
* Alfriston School in Auckland
* Westport North School in Westport
* Loburn School in Rangiora
Westport North School activities for 2012 in brief:
1. Survival skills day – river crossing, basic first aid and shelters
2. Rock climbing and ropes day excursion
3. Day expedition up the Whareatea River to the Denniston Plateau – a great walk up a spectacular stream bed, with a water fall that has to be climbed in the middle.
4. Mountain biking – The four mile road / tiropahi tram track circuit. A good day’s outing through some challenging terrain and spectacular scenery.
5. Night Tramp over the Croesus Track. Aim to leave the coast side around 5pm, so that much of the walk is done in the dark. Short sleep at the hut before walking a couple of hours out the next day.
6. Rafting – home made rafts down the Mokihinui River. Students will build rafts at school the day before, then test them out on the river. A few small rapids on this to make things fun.
7. Mountain biking – 2 day trip. Approx 25km each way.
8. Denniston Orienteering Day – a 6 hr rogaine around the Denniston Plateau on foot. Competition between teams.
9. Mt Euclid / Mt Fleming – one of the few tracks onto the Paparoas, this will be a good overnight challenge to round out the year. Mt Fleming is visible from Westport, so good to have a reminder of where they have been whenever the mountains are clear.
10. Final Journey – an overnight journey taking in all of the skills learnt during the year. Aim to have a prizegiving with parents and William present at the finish line of this journey.
** All students will participate in community service and develop a new sport or hobby over the school year.
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Loburn School activities for 2012 in brief:
1. High Ropes, team building day, Rolleston Ropes Course
2. Caving experience - Cave Stream, Castle Hill.
3. 3 day, 2 night tramp Hawdon Hutt, Mt White, (about 24km return tramp)
4. Climb Mt Richardson
5. Kayaking experience - day trip
6. Mountain Biking - day trip
7. Sailing - day trip
8. 10km challenge
9. 20 hours community service
10. Lean new skill, hobby / join a club
** Activities to be confirmed.
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Hilltop School activities for 2012 in brief:
1. Summiting the 3 Volcanoes; Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro
2. White Water Rafting – Poutu Canal to Tongariro Trout Centre (Grade 3 River)
3. 2 night camp
4. 20 hours community service (SPCA, IHC, Council, Food Bank, Taupo Ironman etc)
5. Develop a new skill, activity or sport
6. Kayaking (Waikato River and Lake Taupo)
7. Outdoor Pursuit Centre Ropes and Confidence Course Mid-winter lake swim
8. Mid-winter swim challenge
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What is the William Pike Challenge Award (WPCA)?
The William Pike Challenge Award was created in 2009 as a result of an idea by from Hilltop School in Taupo.
The WPCA is an outdoor-focused activity based programme, which has been successfully piloted with Year 7 and 8 students at Hilltop School in Taupo. While the award has begun with school groups William and Paul are keen to further extend it to a wider range of groups beyond school age and will be working on extending the reach of the programme during 2011.
The WPCA includes a pre-determined set of outdoor challenge activities that are ideally completed within one school year (or calendar year for other groups). These activities will be based in the groups local environment, making the most of the natural landscape, and are designed to be of a 'challenging' nature. The tasks will be created and designed by local outdoor educators and William.
The WPCA is designed to showcase that the outdoors is a powerful tool for building confidence, building life skills and for the development of personality and character within an individual. It also encourages the goals of keeping fit, making friends, developing a hobby and having fun.
One of the major aims of the WPCA is to introduce more young people to the outdoors and particularly encourage them to take advantage of the wonderful environments they have in their 'backyards’. It doesn’t matter where you are in NZ, we all have a fantastic outdoor environment within a short walk or drive. The outdoors is a powerful tool for building confidence, building life skills and for the development of personality and character within an individual. Keeping fit, making friends, developing a hobby and having fun are all part of the outdoors, and importantly what the WPCA aims to offer students around New Zealand.
A unique component of the WPCA is to have the program available at no cost to students/participants. This has been achieved in the past with lottery grants, sponsorship and prioritising school funds. Some schools and organisations see the funding aspect of the WPCA as a barrier. But with the right attitude, guidance and support - funding can be easily achievable.
First and foremost, having a motivated team of staff and students is the key to making the WPCA a huge success in your school or organization. Utilizing the immediate outdoor environment close to your school or group is a must. The WPCA places an emphasis on giving students an awareness for their immediate outdoor environment. This helps participants develop knowledge and understanding of their local outdoor environments’. It would be unrealistic for a Northland School to be traveling to the Tongariro National Park when they have world class maritime parks at their back door step, as well as beautiful Northland forest to set foot in. With that in mind, each school / organisation will need to design their own set of challenge activities, that will be unique to their immediate outdoor environment. In some cases, schools and organizations will be able to incorporate the WPCA into existing outdoor education programs. Paul and William are very happy to help and provide direction for anything WPCA related.
William's role in the WPCA is to:
- liase with schools
- provide ideas and guidance
- provide motivation for an outdoor challenge program for students
- act as a role model
- seek advice from outdoor professionals to design safe, challenging and suitable activites for students
- ultimately guide schools and organisations to set up their own WPCA in which they are self-sufficient in implementing year after year
- William is not responsible for the safety of students and teachers. There is an expectation from schools and organisations to follow their own safety plans and/or seek professional guidance/support. William can suggest organisations to help implement safety plans and/or activity leadership.
Contact William for more information, or for a chat about the WPCA.