A team of Sixth Form students, calling themselves 'Gourmet Gurus Go Glamping', who have been taking part in The Key+ Challenge, have used their funding to organise an overnight glamping experience.

As 'Gourmet Gurus' in Stage 1, the team have already received £250 from The Key to organise an Italian restaurant meal for their Media Studies class; however, their Stage 2 project was much more complex. The team received £500 to plan an overnight activity for themselves and two members of staff, thus challenging them to plan food and transport, stay within a strict budget, make positive decisions for others and assess risks; this offered an insight into independent living.

As part of the experience, students went grocery shopping and prepared breakfast, lunch and an evening meal for five people, plus snacks and drinks. They also organised a programme of activities, which included a trip to Witton Castle Country Park, a visit to Witton Castle Cafe and Chip Shop, board games back at the glamping pods, and a movie night complete with popcorn. They also gathered footage which was edited into a short film back at King James.

Team member, Codey A in Year 12 said, “When I started The Key+ Challenge I had very little confidence in myself and my ability to make decisions, solve problems, negotiate and deal with disagreements; but taking part in The Key has helped me to believe in myself and now I’ve successfully completed Stages 1 and 2, I can’t wait to get started on Stage 3.”

The team are now developing an ambitious proposal for Stage 3 to launch an in-school charity which will support students from low income households at King James. The GO! Project will create a pot of money through enterprise and fundraising events, which can be used to subsidise school trips for those who need it most; this will make sure that all students have equal opportunities. The team plans to encourage students from all year groups to get on board with the project, therefore generating funds throughout the year; they also hope to establish a strong student leadership team to ensure the project continues when they leave King James next year.