I assume that you've found this already?

http://www.world-challenge.co.uk/home.asp

They seem to have all the right accreditation but it is expensive. There's lots of comment on TripAdvisor pointing out how expensive their trips are compared to package holidays to similar destinations but I think that is to miss the point. Has your child's school decided to offer one of these trips to pupils? Or are you a teacher who is thinking about organising one? If you have posted here you presumably have some concerns? A bit more background information might help others provide specific information.

My knowledge of them is from the perspective of being a University admissions tutor and doing something like this (but not only World Challenge - there are other comparable organisations that are 'not-for-profit') tells me a number of important things about an applicant.

1) They can cope with challenging experiences.

2) They can work as part of a team.

3) As long as they have done their own fundraising (and not had all their costs paid for by the Bank of Mum and Dad!) that they have entreprenuerial

Sorry I managed to send before completing my post!

3a) That they have entrepreneurial skills.

4) They will impress me if they can talk articulately about the experience and what they learnt about themselves and the skills they acquired as a result of participating.

5) They are mature enough to want to do something that is unlikely to be an easy ride instead of spending their summer holiday in Malia or Ag Nik drinking to excess - and I say that only partly in jest!

But as I said before - there are lots of other ways that they can provide evidence of exactly the same nature.

SM

SMa
thanks for your reply .
I do have some concerns over a number of things and having looked through their website and speaking on TA , my concerns havent gone away .

One of the things they kept hammering home was that if your child was applying for a uni place then they would gain 70 UCAs points , however some reviews suggest otherwise

World Challenge do appear to be accredited by ASDAN and certain ASDAN course do carry up to 70 UCAS. credit points, that is the equivalent of an A at AS level. But you would need to check the level and and credit rating of the award that the particular World Challenge event that the school is encouraging your child to go on carries. If you check out both the ASDAN and UCAS websites you'll get a better idea of the sort of questions you need to be asking.

But you would also be well advised to check with the admissions tutors for the particular courses and Universities that your child is thinking of applying for. Some are more prescriptive than others about what qualifications they will and won't accept for entry onto a particular course. For example if they want to apply to Medical School, then most will be looking for for 3 straights A* at A Level in Science subjects - end of story. Whereas, for the course that I am admissions tutor for we would probably accept an ASDAN award in charity and volunteering studies as part of a suite of qualifications because the subject would be of relevance to this particular professional degree.

Also bear in mind that I work in a Scottish University and we are used to most of our applicants doing Highers rather than A Levels and hence applying after having followed a broader curriculum than A Levels with most doing a minimum of 4 but often 5 or more subjects for their Higher exams which are usually taken after one year of study. So ASDAN qualifications are probably a smoother fit with Highers which do encourage students to follow a more diversified 5th and 6th year at school (our equivalent of Upper and Lower 6th because they move from Primary to Secondary school a year later up here).

SM