Six students from Aureus School participated in the World Challenges Trip, which saw them involved in activities which ranged from a three-day community road-building project in Goulmima to trekking in the Atlas Mountains, exploring the Souks of Marrakech, watching the sunset from a clifftop, and even sleeping on a roof.
As well as Aureus staff, they were joined by seven students from Highdown High School, a World Challenge Leader, and three members of staff from the GLF Schools multi-academy trust of which Aureus is part.
Eva from Year 10 at Aureus was among those on the trip.
For three days we worked on a community project helping to build a road for a local primary school, she explained.
The work was hard and tiring, especially in the heat, but it felt really good knowing that we were doing something that would help the local community.
One evening we went to a clifftop to watch the sunset. After a busy day of work, it was amazing to stop and look at the scenery.
One of the funniest things about staying in Goulmima is that many of us decided to sleep on the roof. We could lie under the stars and enjoy the warm evenings. It was definitely different from sleeping at home!
From Goulmima, the group travelled to Oukaimeden for the start of a demanding trek through the Atlas Mountains to Oughlad.
Eva continued:
The trekking definitely tested us. There were times when our legs were tired and we just wanted to reach the end of the day, but everyone kept going and encouraged each other.
Simon Wilkinson is Operations Manager at Aureus, and led the 14-day trip alongside the schoolβs Science Technician and Teaching Assistant Nichola Poulton.
This sort of trip encourages independence and allows the students to explore themselves in a way that no other trip can, he said.Β
Spending time building a road and trekking through the Atlas Mountains is an experience that many will never have.
Eva added:
The World Challenge Trip was much more than just travelling to Morocco. We helped a local community, experienced a completely different culture, and challenged ourselves both physically and mentally.
Iβll always remember building the road, sleeping on the roof, the amazing food, watching the sunset, climbing Oukaimeden, and trekking through the mountains.
Morocco was a challenge, but it was also an incredible adventure that I will never forget.
