One Step Further

Gold Adventurous Journey information for participants

Ivan Sorkin — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 10:41:08 +0000

This newsletter is also shared with your parents

Adventure is just around the corner!

The aim of the Practice Journey is to put into practice what you learned in class so that you will be ready for the Qualifying Journey that will follow.

The aim of the Qualifying Journey is to challenge you by creating a spirit of adventure. You will be asked to find your way with your team into the forest with the use of a map and a compass and complete a hike carrying your rucksacks. As soon as you reach your destination, you will cook your own food and set up your tents to sleep. You will wake up the next day, pack and continue your journey. The following Journeys will take place and your team leader has already booked to participate in a Journey. If not, then please hurry. We need to know so that we will proceed and make things happen.

Gold journeys upcoming dates:

(participants are aware of the dates booked for their team)

A. Departure: 17/3 Friday

(practice journey)

Return: 19/3 Sunday

Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School

and 14:50 from the Senior School

Expected return 19:00 at the Senior School

B. Departure: 24/3 Friday

(practice journey)

Return: 26/3 Sunday

Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School

and 14:50 from the Senior School

Expected return 19:00 at the Senior School

C. Departure: 11/4 Tuesday

(qualifying journey/ to be confirmed)

Return: 14/4 Friday

Bus departs at 10:00am from Senior School

Expected return 19:00 at the Senior School

Useful information

All Gold practice journeys will take place in the wider area of Madari forest. Gold qualifying journeys normally start from Platania and finish in Troodos mountains, Paphos side unless otherwise specified.
Bus departure:
- On Fridays all buses depart from the parking lot of your school: 14:15 from GC school and 14:50 from the Senior school
- On Saturdays all buses depart only from the Senior School (map location here: https://goo.gl/maps/BxmwfKMtoBE39w15A)
Bus arrival:
- All buses arrive only at the Senior School.
Expected return: sometimes there is a delay caused by late arrival of a team at the finish. To avoid parents waiting for you, you should call them as soon as you board the bus to confirm the exact time of your return.
Prerequisites for participating in Adventurous Journeys:

1. A participant can join a Practice Journey only after the completion of the training at school.
2. A participant can join a Qualifying Journey only after completing a Practice Journey.
3. Your parent/guardian must complete the online Medical & Consent Form (click here) before your first journey.
4. You must be properly equipped according to Award guidelines. To read and/or print the equipment list please click here. More information regarding TEAM and PERSONAL EQUIPMENT:

Tents: According to the tents arrangement of every team you can borrow a tent per three or four persons from us on the spot. We will collect the tents as soon as you finish. The tents we use are of high quality and cost at least €300 each. We expect from you to use them with care. In case a team will cause any kind of damage to a tent, tent mates must cover the cost of repair or replacement.
Stoves, cooking set, gas canister and compasses: Stoves and compasses are provided by us, but you MUST purchase the specific cooking set and gas canister you will use from us, for your safety and for cleaning reasons because you will be trained with these. The additional cost will be €10 per person (no matter how many members in a team so that will be fair for everybody) and can be paid on the spot by every team leader after they will collect the money from their team members. Please have €10 with you and hand this amount to your team leader.
Personal equipment: We will check the specifications of the following for your safety: hiking boots, sleeping bag, waterproofs (jacket & over-pants) and rucksack. We recommend you purchase our proposed Value Pack that includes all products that are extremely important for your safety (marked with VP in the Equipment Kit List for the AJ). For the ones that did not pre-order the Value Pack it will be available for purchase from our shop until stock lasts. More details about the Value Pack were shared in a previous newsletter that you can access if you click here. Although the proposed Value Pack IS NOT MANDATORY, we kindly ask you to trust us on this matter. This equipment will accompany you for almost 4 years on long hikes in adverse weather conditions. If you don’t select your gear wisely you might face several issues (lack of quality and reliability) for the next 4 years that could force you to buy the right things again, which is unnecessary. In total, you will walk 16 days and sleep 10 nights until you finish Gold. In addition to the technical specifications, price is an indication of quality. To be within specifications expect to pay around €150-200 for the boots, €100-150 for the sleeping bag, €40-60 for the waterproof breathable jacket with hood and €25-35 for the waterproof breathable packable pants. We encourage you to purchase your equipment from our Get Out store (Arsinois 18A Acropolis, tel: 22311012). We have the equipment recommended by the Award at the suggested EU retail prices. In addition, we offer you a 15% discount. If you choose Get Out for your purchases, you will be certain that you have chosen the right equipment at the right price and you will avoid buying products that either do not meet the recommended specifications or are not worth the money.
Please prepare your gear according to the equipment list and do it yourself. We prefer you come unprepared than prepared by your parents 😊
Food: Eat lunch before departure. Organize your meals in groups (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as we described during our meetings. In addition, bring some cookies, an energy bar per day, a fruit like banana or apple and some nuts & dried fruit to eat between meals. Options for cooking for your dinner could be pasta, rice, vegetables like zucchini & broccoli, sausages etc. Options for breakfast can be porridge (oat & hot water), cereal, tahini pie, bread etc

Some more useful information

We are always happy supporting you directly. We are available at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and on 22254612 office hours, daily from 9am to 5pm. Do not bother your parents and do not ask from them to communicate on your behalf. This is your Award, not your parents’ Award. Be responsible, you can. Of course, your parents can call us for other issues.
During the excursions you will not be able to contact your parents. According to Award regulations, we will collect your mobile phones. You will have one mobile phone per team, turned off and sealed to be opened in case of an emergency.
Please bring a camera to take pictures and videos.
Please ask from your parents not to contact us during journeys just to ask if you are okay. If something unexpected happens, we will let them know. No news is good news. If your parents need to contact us for an emergency, they can call me personally at 99359214 (Marios).
Do not ask from your parents to wait for you at the expected return time. You will call them as soon as you get on the bus to inform them about the exact time of your arrival. There is always a possibility for delay due to late arrival of a team at the finish.
Sometimes we upload some general photos on social media. Please follow our page @onestepfurthercy on Instagram and Facebook to see the photos.
Weather conditions: In general, we do not postpone excursions due to weather conditions unless a red warning is issued by the Meteorological Service. When there is an orange warning we assess the seriousness of the situation and decide accordingly. In case of a yellow warning, we take the necessary safety measures in organizing outdoor activities so that everything goes well. Part of the importance we attach to the issue of equipment, which we have made extensive references to. In the language of mountaineering, we say that “There is no bad weather. There is bad equipment.”

We wish you enjoy your journeys in the best possible way!

On behalf of the Award Team

Marios Hadjipetris
Award Coordinator

The post Gold Adventurous Journey information for participants appeared first on One Step Further.

Silver Adventurous Journey information for participants

Ivan Sorkin — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:57:09 +0000

This newsletter is also shared with your parents

Adventure is just around the corner!

The aim of the Practice Journey is to put into practice what you learned in class so that you will be ready for the Qualifying Journey that will follow.

Silver journeys upcoming dates:	(participants are aware of the dates booked for their team)
A. Departure: 17/3 Friday Return: 19/3 Sunday	Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School and 14:50 from the Senior School Expected return 19:00 at the Senior School
B. Departure: 24/3 Friday Return: 26/3 Sunday	Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School and 14:50 from the Senior School Expected return 19:00 at the Senior School

Useful information

All Silver practice excursions will take place in the wider area of Macheras Forest, Nicosia district. Silver qualifying journeys normally take place in the Akamas peninsula unless otherwise specified.
Bus departure:
- On Fridays all buses depart from the parking lot of your school: 14:15 from GC school and 14:50 from the Senior school
- On Saturdays all buses depart only from the Senior School (map location here: https://goo.gl/maps/BxmwfKMtoBE39w15A)
Bus arrival:
- All buses arrive only at the Senior School.
Expected return: sometimes there is a delay caused by late arrival of a team at the finish. To avoid parents waiting for you, you should call them as soon as you board the bus to confirm the exact time of your return.
Prerequisites for participating in Adventurous Journeys:

1. A participant can join a Practice Journey only after the completion of the training at school.
2. A participant can join a Qualifying Journey only after completing a Practice Journey.
3. Your parent/guardian must complete the online Medical & Consent Form (click here) before your first journey.
4. You must be properly equipped according to Award guidelines. To read and/or print the equipment list please click here. More information regarding TEAM and PERSONAL EQUIPMENT:

Tents: According to the tents arrangement of every team you can borrow a tent per three or four persons from us on the spot. We will collect the tents as soon as you finish. The tents we use are of high quality and cost at least €300 each. We expect from you to use them with care. In case a team will cause any kind of damage to a tent, tent mates must cover the cost of repair or replacement.
Stoves, cooking set, gas canister and compasses: Stoves and compasses are provided by us, but you MUST purchase the specific cooking set and gas canister you will use from us, for your safety and for cleaning reasons because you will be trained with these. The additional cost will be €10 per person (no matter how many members in a team so that will be fair for everybody) and can be paid on the spot by every team leader after they will collect the money from their team members. Please have €10 with you and hand this amount to your team leader.
Personal equipment: We will check the specifications of the following for your safety: hiking boots, sleeping bag, waterproofs (jacket & over-pants) and rucksack. We recommend you purchase our proposed Value Pack that includes all products that are extremely important for your safety (marked with VP in the Equipment Kit List for the AJ). For the ones that did not pre-order the Value Pack it will be available for purchase from our shop until stock lasts. More details about the Value Pack were shared in a previous newsletter that you can access if you click here. Although the proposed Value Pack IS NOT MANDATORY, we kindly ask you to trust us on this matter. This equipment will accompany you for almost 4 years on long hikes in adverse weather conditions. If you don’t select your gear wisely you might face several issues (lack of quality and reliability) for the next 4 years that could force you to buy the right things again, which is unnecessary. In total, you will walk 16 days and sleep 10 nights until you finish Gold. In addition to the technical specifications, price is an indication of quality. To be within specifications expect to pay around €150-200 for the boots, €100-150 for the sleeping bag, €40-60 for the waterproof breathable jacket with hood and €25-35 for the waterproof breathable packable pants. We encourage you to purchase your equipment from our Get Out store (Arsinois 18A Acropolis, tel: 22311012). We have the equipment recommended by the Award at the suggested EU retail prices. In addition, we offer you a 15% discount. If you choose Get Out for your purchases, you will be certain that you have chosen the right equipment at the right price and you will avoid buying products that either do not meet the recommended specifications or are not worth the money.
Please prepare your gear according to the equipment list and do it yourself. We prefer you come unprepared than prepared by your parents 😊
Food: Eat lunch before departure. Organize your meals in groups (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as we described during our meetings. In addition, bring some cookies, an energy bar per day, a fruit like banana or apple and some nuts & dried fruit to eat between meals. Options for cooking for your dinner could be pasta, rice, vegetables like zucchini & broccoli, sausages etc. Options for breakfast can be porridge (oat & hot water), cereal, tahini pie, bread etc

Some more useful information

We are always happy supporting you directly. We are available at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and on 22254612 office hours, daily from 9am to 5pm. Do not bother your parents and do not ask from them to communicate on your behalf. This is your Award, not your parents’ Award. Be responsible, you can. Of course, your parents can call us for other issues.
During the excursions you will not be able to contact your parents. According to Award regulations, we will collect your mobile phones. You will have one mobile phone per team, turned off and sealed to be opened in case of an emergency.
Please bring a camera to take pictures and videos.
Please ask from your parents not to contact us during journeys just to ask if you are okay. If something unexpected happens, we will let them know. No news is good news. If your parents need to contact us for an emergency, they can call me personally at 99359214 (Marios).
Do not ask from your parents to wait for you at the expected return time. You will call them as soon as you get on the bus to inform them about the exact time of your arrival. There is always a possibility for delay due to late arrival of a team at the finish.
Sometimes we upload some general photos on social media. Please follow our page @onestepfurthercy on Instagram and Facebook to see the photos.
Weather conditions: In general, we do not postpone excursions due to weather conditions unless a red warning is issued by the Meteorological Service. When there is an orange warning we assess the seriousness of the situation and decide accordingly. In case of a yellow warning, we take the necessary safety measures in organizing outdoor activities so that everything goes well. Part of the importance we attach to the issue of equipment, which we have made extensive references to. In the language of mountaineering, we say that “There is no bad weather. There is bad equipment.”

We wish you enjoy your journeys in the best possible way!

On behalf of the Award Team

Marios Hadjipetris
Award Coordinator

The post Silver Adventurous Journey information for participants appeared first on One Step Further.

ORB Records for Bronze Adventurous Journey!

Ivan Sorkin — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 10:15:04 +0000

Congratulations on completing your Adventurous Journey! Here are the steps you should take next to ensure that your journey is properly recorded and recognized:

Make sure you are registered on the Online Records Book. This is where you will record and document your journey, so it is important to make sure you are properly registered.
Check if you are fully authorized to add activities to your Online Records Book. If you are not sure, you may need to speak to your supervisor or a representative of your organization to gain full access.
Check for any notifications in the top right corner of your screen. There may be an icon of a bell 🔔 indicating that you have received a notification. Be sure to check these notifications regularly, as they may contain critical updates or requests related to your Adventurous Journey and other International Award activities.
Open the Adventurous Journey section in your Online Records Book and go to your past journey. This is where you will be able to add notes and images related to your journey, confirming your participation.
Once you have added all relevant information and materials to your Online Records Book, submit your evidence for supervisor approval.
Once you have received the assessment, you will be able to click button “Completed” it will ensure that your journey is properly recognized and recorded.

By following these steps, you can help ensure that your Adventurous Journey is properly documented and recognized by your organization.

Below is the video showing steps 4 and 5 😁 Feel free pausing or changing playback speed of the video.

The post ORB Records for Bronze Adventurous Journey! appeared first on One Step Further.

Online Record Book (ORB) Registration Process

Ivan Sorkin — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 17:31:11 +0000

You are welcome to restart, pause and replay below video as you go through ORB registration process.

The post Online Record Book (ORB) Registration Process appeared first on One Step Further.

Bronze Adventurous Journey information for participants

Ivan Sorkin — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 17:15:28 +0000

This newsletter is also shared with your parents

Adventure is just around the corner!

The aim of the Practice Journey is to put into practice what you learned in class so that you will be ready for the Qualifying Journey that will follow.

Bronze journeys upcoming dates:

(participants are aware of the dates booked for their team)

A. Departure: 17/2 Friday

(already happened)

Return: 18/2 Saturday

Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School

and 14:50 from the Senior School

Expected return 17:00 at the Senior School

B. Departure: 3/3 Friday

(already happened)

Return: 4/3 Sunday

Bus departs at 14:15 from GC School

and 14:50 from the Senior School

Expected return 17:00 at the Senior School

C. Departure: 4/3 Saturday

(already happened)

Return: 5/3 Sunday

Bus departs at 13:00 from GC School

and 14:50 from the Senior School

Expected return 17:00 at the Senior School

D. Departure 11/3 Saturday

Return: 12/3 Sunday

Bus departs at 13:30 from the Senior School

Expected return 17:00 at the Senior School

Useful information

All Bronze excursions will take place in the wider area of Macheras Forest, Nicosia district.
Bus departure:
- On Fridays all buses depart from the parking lot of your school: 14:15 from GC school and 14:50 from the Senior school
- On Saturdays all buses depart only from the Senior School (map location here: https://goo.gl/maps/BxmwfKMtoBE39w15A)
Bus arrival:
- All buses arrive only at the Senior School.
Expected return: sometimes there is a delay caused by late arrival of a team at the finish. To avoid parents waiting for you, you should call them as soon as you board the bus to confirm the exact time of your return.
Prerequisites for participating in Adventurous Journeys:

1. A participant can join a Practice Journey only after the completion of the training at school.
2. A participant can join a Qualifying Journey only after completing a Practice Journey.
3. Your parent/guardian must complete the online Medical & Consent Form (click here) before your first journey.
4. You must be properly equipped according to Award guidelines. To read and/or print the equipment list please click here. More information regarding TEAM and PERSONAL EQUIPMENT:

Tents: According to the tents arrangement of every team you can borrow a tent per three or four persons from us on the spot. We will collect the tents as soon as you finish. The tents we use are of high quality and cost at least €300 each. We expect from you to use them with care. In case a team will cause any kind of damage to a tent, tent mates must cover the cost of repair or replacement.
Stoves, cooking set, gas canister and compasses: Stoves and compasses are provided by us, but you MUST purchase the specific cooking set and gas canister you will use from us, for your safety and for cleaning reasons because you will be trained with these. The additional cost will be €10 per person (no matter how many members in a team so that will be fair for everybody) and can be paid on the spot by every team leader after they will collect the money from their team members. Please have €10 with you and hand this amount to your team leader.
Personal equipment: We will check the specifications of the following for your safety: hiking boots, sleeping bag, waterproofs (jacket & over-pants) and rucksack. We recommend you purchase our proposed Value Pack that includes all products that are extremely important for your safety (marked with VP in the Equipment Kit List for the AJ). For the ones that did not pre-order the Value Pack it will be available for purchase from our shop until stock lasts. More details about the Value Pack were shared in a previous newsletter that you can access if you click here. Although the proposed Value Pack IS NOT MANDATORY, we kindly ask you to trust us on this matter. This equipment will accompany you for almost 4 years on long hikes in adverse weather conditions. If you don’t select your gear wisely you might face several issues (lack of quality and reliability) for the next 4 years that could force you to buy the right things again, which is unnecessary. In total, you will walk 16 days and sleep 10 nights until you finish Gold. In addition to the technical specifications, price is an indication of quality. To be within specifications expect to pay around €150-200 for the boots, €100-150 for the sleeping bag, €40-60 for the waterproof breathable jacket with hood and €25-35 for the waterproof breathable packable pants. We encourage you to purchase your equipment from our Get Out store (Arsinois 18A Acropolis, tel: 22311012). We have the equipment recommended by the Award at the suggested EU retail prices. In addition, we offer you a 15% discount. If you choose Get Out for your purchases, you will be certain that you have chosen the right equipment at the right price and you will avoid buying products that either do not meet the recommended specifications or are not worth the money.
Please prepare your gear according to the equipment list and do it yourself. We prefer you come unprepared than prepared by your parents 😊
Food: Eat lunch before departure. Organize your meals in groups (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as we described during our meetings. In addition, bring some cookies, an energy bar per day, a fruit like banana or apple and some nuts & dried fruit to eat between meals. Options for cooking for your dinner could be pasta, rice, vegetables like zucchini & broccoli, sausages etc. Options for breakfast can be porridge (oat & hot water), cereal, tahini pie, bread etc

Some more useful information

We are always happy supporting you directly. We are available at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and on 22254612 office hours, daily from 9am to 5pm. Do not bother your parents and do not ask from them to communicate on your behalf. This is your Award, not your parents’ Award. Be responsible, you can. Of course, your parents can call us for other issues.
During the excursions you will not be able to contact your parents. According to Award regulations, we will collect your mobile phones. You will have one mobile phone per team, turned off and sealed to be opened in case of an emergency.
Please bring a camera to take pictures and videos.
Please ask from your parents not to contact us during journeys just to ask if you are okay. If something unexpected happens, we will let them know. No news is good news. If your parents need to contact us for an emergency, they can call me personally at 99359214 (Marios).
Do not ask from your parents to wait for you at the expected return time. You will call them as soon as you get on the bus to inform them about the exact time of your arrival. There is always a possibility for delay due to late arrival of a team at the finish.
Sometimes we upload some general photos on social media. Please follow our page @onestepfurthercy on Instagram and Facebook to see the photos.
Weather conditions: In general, we do not postpone excursions due to weather conditions unless a red warning is issued by the Meteorological Service. When there is an orange warning we assess the seriousness of the situation and decide accordingly. In case of a yellow warning, we take the necessary safety measures in organizing outdoor activities so that everything goes well. Part of the importance we attach to the issue of equipment, which we have made extensive references to. In the language of mountaineering, we say that “There is no bad weather. There is bad equipment.”

We wish you enjoy your journeys in the best possible way!

On behalf of the Award Team

Marios Hadjipetris
Award Coordinator

The post Bronze Adventurous Journey information for participants appeared first on One Step Further.

Welcome to the DofE Award with One Step Further Gold

Ivan Sorkin — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 16:29:23 +0000

Dear participant,

Congratulations for your successful enrollment to the Award with One Step Further!

To learn more about the Award:

Download the Guidebook for Gold Level participants and read it carefully. Save this file for future reference.
Watch this video and other videos from the Award Foundation YouTube channel

To do your Award:

Create an ORB (Online Record Book) account by following the detailed ORB registration guide created by one of our Award Leaders, Mr Ivan Sorkin and get started. ORB is an excellent user-friendly online tool by which the Award tracks participants’ progress, uses collected information to evaluate participants’ effort and issues a certificate on the successful completion of the Award level.
Join our weekly meetings at school. Your attendance is compulsory as these meetings are part of your required training for the Adventurous Journey.
Contact us in person during our weekly meetings and directly at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and/or 22254612 for any Award-related issues. We expect from you to contact us directly and not via your parents or school as this will be your first step of being responsible and independent.

We are looking forward to guiding you achieve your goals and earn your Award. Let the adventure begin!

Best regards,
On behalf of One Step Further
Marios Hadjipetris
Award Coordinator

The post Welcome to the DofE Award with One Step Further Gold appeared first on One Step Further.

Welcome to the DofE Award with One Step Further Silver

Ivan Sorkin — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 16:28:53 +0000

Dear participant,

Congratulations for your successful enrollment to the Award with One Step Further!

To learn more about the Award:

Download the Guidebook for Silver Level participants and read it carefully. Save this file for future reference.
Watch this video and other videos from the Award Foundation YouTube channel

To do your Award:

Create an ORB (Online Record Book) account by following the detailed ORB registration guide created by one of our Award Leaders, Mr Ivan Sorkin and get started. ORB is an excellent user-friendly online tool by which the Award tracks participants’ progress, uses collected information to evaluate participants’ effort and issues a certificate on the successful completion of the Award level.
Join our weekly meetings at school. Your attendance is compulsory as these meetings are part of your required training for the Adventurous Journey.
Contact us in person during our weekly meetings and directly at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and/or 22254612 for any Award-related issues. We expect from you to contact us directly and not via your parents or school as this will be your first step of being responsible and independent.

We are looking forward to guiding you achieve your goals and earn your Award. Let the adventure begin!

Best regards,
On behalf of One Step Further
Marios Hadjipetris
Award Coordinator

The post Welcome to the DofE Award with One Step Further Silver appeared first on One Step Further.

Equipment for the Adventurous Journey & Value Pack 2022

Ivan Sorkin — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 11:40:40 +0000

Dear parents,

We hope you are well. Your children will participate in at least two Adventurous Journeys (AJ) as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award starting from the end of November. They will walk in a mountainous area with their team using a map and compass carrying a rucksack with all their equipment with them. They will cook their food, set up their tents and will make the necessary decisions to achieve their goal. Participants must be properly equipped for all weather conditions according to Award guidelines so that their AJ will be safe and enjoyable. For the next three and a half years, at least six AJs will happen, two for Bronze, two for Silver and two for Gold (total 16 days and 10 nights).Participants have been informed regarding recommended personal and group equipment and their specifications during their training. Here is an overview of what they will need:

Clothing & personal KIT marked with VP in the equipment list:

Quality hiking boots with good grip and ankle protection
Recommended model: LA SPORTIVA Ultra Raptor Mid II GTX €199
Description: Lightweight, Gore-Tex® waterproof hiking boots with sufficient ankle protection, rich cushioning and superb grip. The most important piece of gear will ensure safety of participants when hiking.
Waterproof breathable packable jacket with hood, sealed seams & covered zips
Recommended model: Mac in a Sac Origin waterproof pack-away jacket €49
Description: Highly waterproof and highly breathable, the new Origin packable jacket is a necessity for cold, rainy days in the mountains.
Waterproof breathable packable overtrousers with sealed seams
Recommended model: Mac in a Sac Origin pack-away over-trousers €29
Description: Highly waterproof and breathable, the Origin packable overtrousers protect the hiker from rain and wind.
Hiking rucksack with anatomic back
Recommended model: VANGO Contour 60:70L Rucksack €137
Description: Robust and comfortable hiking rucksack that distributes the weight evenly when walking protecting the spine of the hiker.
Sleeping bag, rated ≤2 °C COMFORT according to EN13537
Recommended model: Vango Microlite 300 €130
Description: Perfect for youth group expeditions and beyond; Latitude punches well above its weight with a host of features, using lighter fabrics creating a small pack size. Extremely important for the safety of participants as it will keep them warm during cold nights.
Sleeping mat
Recommended model: VANGO Thermatrek Foam Mat €42
Description: A lightweight, versatile and packable closed cell foam sleeping mat for 4-season hiking, trekking and expedition use. Important for a comfortable sleep without the feeling of uneven ground and rocks.

Taking into consideration the recommended specifications of the products, the cost, the limited available time of parents and to avoid purchase of products that don’t meet the required specifications, we offer you the opportunity to purchase a VALUE PACK (VP) that includes all products that are extremely important for the safety of participants and their teams (mentioned above and marked with VP in the Equipment Kit List for the AJ) at a wholesale price.

Value Pack is available for pre-order at the price of €410 from ~~€586~~ (you save €176).

To pre-order the Value Pack please proceed and pay a deposit of €110 with your card in the following link: https://pay.vivawallet.com/getout before Saturday, November 12th so that we will make sure we will have everything available before end November that our journeys will start. During payment, at the Description field please mention: Name and surname of participant, their size and their shoes size (i.e. Maria Georgiou, Small, 39). The remaining amount can be settled upon receipt of goods from Get Out outdoor store, 18A Arsinoes, 2006 Acropolis-Strovolos (Tel: 22311012 and Location pin click here). If you prefer you can visit Get Out with your child before you pre-order to have a look at the recommended products and try them on. You can also pay the deposit at the shop with your card.

Those participants that already have part of the required equipment marked with VP must bring their gear for inspection at our pre-practice meeting that will happen in the school as these items affect the safety of participants and their teams. Please avoid buying any product if you are not sure it fulfills the recommended specs, bring for inspection only gear you already have to make sure it is OK. All participants regardless of whether they purchased the VP or not, can get their gear with 15% discount from GET OUT outdoor store that stocks all recommended kit. The discount can also be used by the whole family for other products from the brands we import! When you visit Get Out please mention your name at the desk. If you prefer to buy online from getout.cy you can use coupon code AWARD15 during check out. Group KIT: Please note that we will provide participants with the required quality tents without additional charges. Participants must buy the following Group equipment from us because they should use these specific mentioned models for safety reasons as training was done with these:

One PRIMUS Essential cooking stove set with a compatible gas canister, a Stable safe outdoor stove with pots and pan.
Two SILVA Field compasses for navigation per team.
Accurate compass for efficient navigation with a map.
Expenses of the above will be shared. The additional cost will be €20 per person (no matter how many members in a team so that will be fair for everybody) and can be paid upon receipt of these items by the team leader of each team.

To download and print the Equipment Kit List CLICK HERE.

Remember to complete the electronic medical and consent form HERE.

This announcement is also shared with participants.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

For more details / clarifications please contact us at award@onestepfurther.com.cy and/or 22254612.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the Award Team

Marios Hadjipetris

Award Coordinator

The post Equipment for the Adventurous Journey & Value Pack 2022 appeared first on One Step Further.

Goals and Assessors

Ivan Sorkin — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:19:55 +0000

Assessors

Assessors check on a participant’s progress and sign off the completion of a section of their program.

They must have experience and/or qualifications in the activity chosen by the Award participant. They must be suitably skilled to assess a Participant’s activity, write a report at the completion of that activity, and sign off the Participant’s records to verify that the Participant has achieved the requirements of The Award. An Assessor should not be an immediate family member. An Assessor cannot be a Close friend of the participant. A participant cannot be an assessor to himself/herself or to other participants.

Assessor can be:
Physical recreation: Coach, Trainer, Teacher, Instructor, Mentor
Skill: Teacher, Instructor, Mentor
Service: Teacher, Instructor, Mentor, Manager, Supervisor, Director of organization

In the Adventurous Journey section, qualifying expeditions must be assessed by a competent adult who is approved by the Award office in Cyprus. Your Adventurous Journey Assessor is usually Marios Hadjipetris and Journey Supervisor is Ivan Sorkin. This could be switched depending on the situation, as both Ivan and Marios have necessary qualifications for Assessment and Supervision of Adventurous Journey.

All your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.:

Specific: Which service you would like to do? What exactly are you going to do in this chosen challenging activity?
Measurable: How often can/would you attend the chosen service? How will you measure this activity to know if you have achieved your goal?
Achievable: Is there somewhere you know about where you could do this activity? Is it a goal that can actually be achieved? It is great to be ambitious, but there is no point to set yourself a goal that may not be achievable in 3/6/12/18 months, due to external circumstances or time.
Relevant/Realistic: Could you commit to what is required for the whole time needed? Are there any barriers/reasons that can stop you from achieving this goal? If these barriers/reasons completely prevent you from achieving the chosen activity, then the activity needs to be changed.

Examples of types of barriers/reasons why your goal may not be realistic:

I have no access to a tutor who can teach me this skill and be my assessor
The nearest tutor is too far from where I live, and I cannot travel that far.
I am not feeling motivated enough to do this activity/the activity is not challenging enough
It is not safe at all to carry out my chosen activity
I want to achieve this goal, but I am scared of doing it
Time‐bound: Will this be completed in required timescale? What timescale/dates are you giving yourself to achieve the goal?

Answer these questions and most likely your goal will be SMART:

Where are you now / how much experience do you have?
Where do you aim to be in 13 / 26 weeks /52 weeks- realistically?
How do you intend to get there—what do you intend to do to get there?
When and how often will you do it?
Where will you do it?
Who will assess you?

Examples of SMART goals:

Skill

Glass painting: I am a beginner at glass painting. I will produce one glass painting every two-three sessions after practice and challenge myself by doing harder levels each time (harder designs). There are beginners, middle and intermediate. I will upload pictures of each painting and will be able to complete this challenge by going once a week for 3 months to the Glass painting in school.
Piano: I am currently pursuing my Grade 8 Piano exam. My goal is to pass it with a distinction. I have already completed Grades 1‐7 and am now preparing for the final one. I have passed most of them with a distinction and the others with a merit. Furthermore, I have been playing the piano for 10 years and I hope to attain my goal. Additionally, learning the piano will enable me to excel in my GCSE Music course, which will help me obtain the highest grades possible.
Language: Over the course of the 26 weeks, I aim to improve my ability in German. I, with the use of the internet, aim to go from having no knowledge of German at all to being able to read and write a small amount of German that a native German speaker can understand. I aim to be able to produce a short essay about myself, in German, that can be understood by my assessor, who is a native German speaker.
MUN: I will attend debate club for the next 13 weeks. By week 3 I want to have an understanding of the debate club meeting procedures. By week 6 I would like to have an understanding of all basic documents-position papers, resolution papers, etc.- and be able to write them. By week 13 I want to be able to talk confidently and competently to a crowd with a prepared speech in hand, and be able to have a moderate improvisation.
Online training: I will improve my skills in creating animations and short films on Adobe after effects and Premiere. This will be done through online courses on udemy.com. I will spend at least one hour per week for the next 26 weeks and my assessor (an I.T. teacher in our school) will review my progress on a regular basis. If I complete the course in less than 26 weeks, then I will start a follow-up course in consultation with my Award leader and Assessor.
Guitar: I would like to continue playing guitar, and achieve a high distinction in my grade 4 exam, which is in May I also need to be confident in playing the C minor chord which is common in one of my chosen songs, as well as in my theory work.

Physical

Netball: To be selected for the ‘Long List’ for the U17 European Championships and to be able to pass over 100 chest passes in one minute. I will be attending my weekly Wednesday’s netball trainings.
Swimming: I have been swimming since I was eight years old, but I only started to swim competitively and seriously when I was eleven. My aim is to (1) improve my time for backstroke (50 m) from 75 seconds to 60 seconds, (2) improve time for butterfly stroke (50 m) from 80 seconds to 65 seconds. This will happen at Nicosia Olympic Swimming Pool during my 1 hour session each week.
Running: Over the course of 26 weeks, I aim to improve my running ability through practice and through the use of the internet. I aim to be able to run 7.5km in one hour by the end of the 26 week time period.
Yoga: To learn at least 15 asanas (poses) and to be able to do 35 surya namaskars (sun salutations) at the end of 6 months. I will set a time once a week to practice yoga, for at least 1 hour a week.
Football: My aim is to improve my own footballing ability, especially my attacking play including my passing and shooting ability, and also become fitter in the process, and I aim to achieve this by April. In order to achieve this I will partake football training once every week.
Badminton: I will attend the school’s badminton club once a week for the next 26 weeks. I am a beginner and have no knowledge or sills in this sport. At first I want to learn the basic rules of badminton and as I gain skills I want to learn how to serve (short and long serve) and also how to smash and how to drop a shot. I will provide video evidence of me doing these 3 moves by the end of this course.

Service

Tutoring/ help to others: I am going to be helping out in the primary by listening to year 5 students read and helping them develop their higher reading skills. I have received training on this. I now know that I need to ask at least 5 specific questions and giving them tips to make sure they understand what they are reading and improve their reading in general. I’ll be able to achieve my goal by going to an hour a week (3 or 4 times a week to complete an hour ). I will know I achieved this goal when I see the teacher is satisfied by the progress the children and I made and indicates this on the assessor’s report.
Mentoring/ Coaching: My aim is to help the under‐8’s improve their footballing ability, including teamwork, attacking and defending and to build relationships with the young children playing at the club by March. In order to do this I will attend the club and work with the kids once every week.
Environmental/ Working a Cleanup Campaign: To noticeably reduce the littering in our school by spreading awareness, to promote environmental education and by keeping an eye out for those who do litter. I aim to set up a website, bring influential people to speak at our school, film interviews and hold an environmental booth at our school’s Charity days. I will attend the environmental club 4 breaks per week and work on my other initiatives as and when needed.
Food bank/ soup kitchen: My goal is to help at the soup kitchen in my town, to volunteer my time to help those less fortunate than myself. To start with I’ll help to prepare the food in the kitchen, but by the end of three months I would like to have grown in confidence in working in the soup kitchen to progress to serving the food and interacting with the vulnerable people.
School Yearbook: To assist in the managing, planning & publishing of the school’s Yearbook. This will include page design, content planning as well as weekly meetings and the gathering of information & photographs with a team of journalists to set tasks for the week ahead. Our aim is to publish the Yearbook by April next year. Throughout the process I will upload examples of the pages that I will be designing.
School Magazine: The Print: I will help with the publishing of the school’s magazine (published once a month). I will provide thoughtful articles which I will do in my free time, free lessons and breaks. The editorial team will meet once a week to plan the next issue and to distribute tasks. I will also help with the photography and video footage of interviews and events. I will provide the photos, articles and videos as evidence of my commitment and service.

Adventurous Journey

The Adventurous Journey objective should give the journey a purpose – such as studying the impact of humans on the environment or noting types of fauna and flora, rather than just completing it as a team, using map reading skills, cooking etc.

Example 1: We aim to explore the flora and fauna in the Akamas mountains of Cyprus. Also, we would like to investigate the level of pollution by people in the area.
Example 2: Our aim is to visit Macheras Monastery to collect information about the historical events that happened in the area and to document this in our presentation
Example 3: To investigate the impact of humans on the environment in Troodos over 3 days and 2 nights by foot for 6 hours each day. This will allow us to learn how the hunting taking place in Troodos and how it is affecting the surrounding environment and create possible future improvements.
Example 4: To understand and interpret the human impact in the Akamas mountains of Cyprus and how much humans have affected the wildlife, flora and the man‐made monuments. Also to work well within our team and efficiently cover the required distance while taking appropriate and necessary pictures and notes for our project over 3 days.

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