About Us
The YEG is an independent, nationally based, educational charity seeking to promote safe and responsible expeditions.
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The Young Explorers' Group (YEG) is a Specialist Sector Group within the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) that represents and champions the benefits and lifelong learning opportunities created by education, charitable, corporate and independent providers of youth expeditions or ventures.
The Young Explorers' Group has been developed to promote and encourage active, challenging, and safe expeditions involving young people. It aims to give young people the opportunity to widen their experience and education by taking part in exploration, discovery and challenging adventure which develops the personal qualities of service, self-sufficiency and leadership through an expedition — an extended residential peer group experience with a purpose.
What does it aim to do?
YEG works towards its aims by providing advice and support to expedition leaders and expedition providers from all sources, be they from a school, youth group, charity, voluntary, uniformed, or commercial body. This it will do through:
- lobbying and championing the cause of the expedition sector in other outdoor organisations by representation at as senior a level as possible
- counselling the needs of expedition providers and individuals to formulate policy, prepare statements on good practice and provide guidance and specialist comment
- mentoring those new to the experience of running an expedition
- evaluating providers as "another party" against self-declaration of conformity to BS 8848
- providing grants and awards to individuals and peer groups taking part in ventures
- focusing its work on developing platforms for discussion (fora), and contributing to IOL webinars and conferences at a national and regional level
- publishing information on current events, interest and concern in the expedition sector through a website, media channels and in print (Horizons)
- actively lobbying and advocating the value of youth expeditions to relevant parties including parents, education managers, media, and government