2023 Aberdeenshire Grant Awards

In response to our call for applications in 2023, we're pleased to announce that we have offered to support the following projects with £5,000 in grants in 2023 to facilitate their outdoor education plans:

Tyred n Cranky CIC, £1,000.00, this grant will help Tyred n Cranky to buy cycling equipment and use it in the Marr area to bring cycling skills to rural communities to help encourage the use of bicycles instead of relying on cars.

1st Kinellar Scout Group, £1,050: with an expanding troop, the scout group applied for a grant to fund more tents so more scouts can go camping. The grant covered tents as well as some Kelly Kettles.

1st Fraserburgh Scouts, £2,000: to help this scout group take a group of scouts on a significant expedition to the international centre in Kandersteg, Switzerland. From here they will undertake a wide range of hikes and adventurous activities which will be a physical and mental challenge including the sonw and ice challenge which includes a hike up to a mountain hut in the Swiss alps where they will spend the night before progressing onto the glacier, Fraserburgh is a historical fishing community with many over publicised social problems. The scout group's core goal is to give young people the opportunity and the tools to rise above this and succeed. This trip will give them the opportunity to be both physically, mentally and socially challenged and for many this will be their first trip out of Scotland.

Laurencekirk School, £850: Contribution towards developing a concrete patch into an outdoor space where their children can play, explore and learn together with kit such as a water wall, sand pit and much more.

Tall Ships Race, £100: Sophia Slessor won a scholarship to Gordonstoun and was selected over the summer to take part in the Tall Ships Race. She raised the money to take part herself and the Jo Walters Trust helped with a contribution towards this. Sophia has provided a report on her experience which you can read by clicking here

2023 Maths Grants

The School Mock Court Case Project SCIO, £500 to fund tutorials for students taking part. The Mock Court Project provides students with the opportunity to apply their arithmetic skills to a realistic context, deepening their understanding of why maths is important to society. Students must calculate what they are owed or owe, and why, and relate these calculations to the narrative of their case.
Aberdeen Science Centre Aberdeen Science Centre: £928 to refurbish their old maths exhibits to make them fit for purpose for engaging with a variety of audiences. They have provided a series of images of the new installations and puzzles to showcase here, and compiled a report, available by clicking here

Kinellar School: £1,000 to create 3 or 4 'outdoor maths boxes' for Early, First and Second level which a class can use to enhance outdoor learning in their outdoor spaces
Darnhall Nursery & Primary School: £871.59 to get adults and children excited about maths at home. Linked into their STEM knowledge with a focus on maths they aim to create engaging activities that families can use to promote interest in maths. Individuals, schools or even the local community can borrow the loan boxes for two weeks at a time. They will include activities and materials including dice, cards and puzzles.
Kinross-shire Youth Enterprise (KYTHE): £1,000 funding for heating / lighting to support the costs of our weekly Maths Study Group held in the Youth Hub, which gives struggling young people the extra help needed to build their confidence in maths.
The Gables Learning Centre: £500 for this children's home to buy giant targets, fillable signs for treasure hunts and hundred square boards for children who have been excluded from mainstream school to learn through football

2023 Outward Bound Trust Award

At the end of Feb 2023, the Jo Walters Trust helped to fund 64 young people, age 13 - 14, from Stewarton Academy in Ayrshire attended a 5 day residential course with the Outward Bound Trust at Loch Eil. The aim of the course was for the young people to build on their teamworking and communication skills, understanding that by doing this they can create opportunities for achievement and success.

The young people took on a range of adventures including sea kayaking, zip lining, and overnight expeditions where they hiked to and from their campsites. The group also enjoyed the immersion in nature, spending time looking at different floral and fauna and learning about local folklore.
The Outward Bound instructors wished to share what a fantastic and capable group of young people they were. They were keen to take on all the challenges and were very receptive to using their learning journals to understand how their experiences and the skills they learnt on their course could help them in the future.

There is a comprehensive report on the course available here, but some of the encouraging feedback we got was that 74% of young people reported that their confidence in meeting and working with new people had increased as a result of the trip.