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PRESENTATION:
WHY DOES PROJECT K USE THE WILDERNESS
AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROGRAMME?
A presentation of the underlying concepts
and objectives
by Graeme Dingle
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"My experiences as a mountaineer showed me that
quite ordinary people could develop into extraordinary individuals
through the dramatic environment and circumstances that they were
exposed to while climbing mountains.
When I began to guide and instruct young people in the
great outdoors I noticed that amazing outcomes could be achieved after
a few days in terms of group dynamics, growth of self confidence,
understanding goal setting and many other things. 
Over the years I observed thousands of people after
an outdoor pursuits experience glowing with pride and well-being.
The challenge, it seemed to me, was to make the major lessons
learned and the qualities developed through the wilderness experience
last and to become part of the individual's psyche.
High
on Mt Ruapehu
Photo courtesy of Project K
Through piloting the Project K process we found
that this could only be achieved with a relatively long (at least
20 days) and dramatic wilderness experience. And that the major outcomes
or big life lessons such as team and individual dynamics, goal setting
and achievement, need to be spelled out at the beginning and also
need to be revisited regularly during the course. After the wilderness
the students are shown how to benefit from these lessons in the context
of the community that they live in.
2.
WHAT TYPES OF STUDENTS DO WE SELECT FOR PROJECT K
When we first started Project K our primary and secondary research
showed us a number of important things. These included:
1. That everyone is effected by natural fluctuations
in self-esteem, particularly during the schooling years.
2. That there is a dramatic decline in almost every
persons self-esteem during the onset of puberty.
3. That there were no scientific strategies in
place in schools to identify those young people who were in danger
of becoming casualties if there was no intervention in their lives.
4. That there were few, if any, effective strategies
to intervene in the lives of those young people who were identified
as at-risk.
Based on the above the Project K Trust embarked on
an ambitious programme to:
1. Scientifically identify 14 year olds who were
of concern by a survey and triangulation process
2. Involve these young people in a 14 month process
aimed at maximising their potential
3. Roll the programme out to communities throughout
New Zealand 
3.
HOW DO STUDENTS RELATE TO THE WILDERNESS ADVENTURE?
This seems to depend to a certain extent on which community the students
come from. In other words the culture of the students will effect
the way they relate to the wilderness, the extent that they miss home
and the dynamics in a particular group.
There is no doubt however that this phase of
the course is the most popular and sets a challenging benchmark for
the excitement and stimulation levels of the other parts of the course."
Photo
courtesy of Project K
