Summary:
Basic Canyoning course was conducted from 16th Nov to 20th Nov. The course was lead by Rich Carlson, founder of the American Canyoneering Association. He was supported by Jagan Nath Timilsina. The course aimed to introduce the students the foundations of Canyoning. The course was completed successfully with students canyoning a 60m waterfall. We are thankful to Pokhara Mountain Bike and Namaste Guest House for helping us with the necessary rations and Paddle Nepal for providing us with gears and volunteers during the course.
Background:
Freedom Social Foundation has so far completed two outdoor education project. The First was a pilot program in Begnas followed by a full week long project in Mardi Himal with exceptional results.
The First project was held close to of Begnas lake, to kick-off the outdoor education project gave us the opportunity to fix any teething problems understand and put to practice our idea of what the students would like and dislike. This would lead us to find the accurate length and tweak the content taught to the students as well. It was also important to get to know how outdoor education would be appreciated by the students and the school.
Following the success of the first 3 day pilot course. The school gained confidence in the project to proceed with a 7 day program. The school shared positive views about the course in the community. We were approached by local officials who wished for us to organize a similar course. In order to spread awareness of outdoor education to as many students as possible rather than focusing one many student from one school. We decided to bring in 2 students from 10 schools.
The next project will introduce the students the foundations of Canyoning. A group of 20 students from the previous courses who wish to progress further and expand their outdoor skills will be given the opportunity in the course. The aim of this course will not only be to equip the basic skills of canyoning but to also to bring awareness of canyoning as a potential career.
We are delighted to share with you that we have a visiting International instructor from The USA, a veteran international canyoning instructor. Rich Carlson is considered to be the most experienced professional canyoning guide and instructor in the United States. Founder of the American Canyoneering Association Rich is especially interested in volunteering his time to serve underprivileged youth and unemployed adults in Native American communities and in developing countries.
The Students:
Our students for this course were selected from our previous course along with youth that live on the outskirts of popular canyoning spots who hoped to eventually find work at their locality. This created a perfect mix of students with unique backgrounds approaching canyoning.
| S.N. | Photos | Name | Class | Gender | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Nikesh Gurung | 11 | Male | 18 |
| 2 |  |
Mandeep Gurung | 11 | Male | 18 |
| 3 |  |
Dipesh Tamang | 11 | Male | 17 |
| 4 |  |
Sunil Tamang | 8 | Male | 15 |
| 5 |  |
Chhiring Tamang | 11 | Male | 17 |
| 6 |  |
Manjil Acharya | 11 | Male | 16 |
| 7 |  |
Sabina Achaya | 12 | Female | 16 |
| 8 |  |
Madhu Baniya | 12 | Female | 17 |
| 9 |  |
Manu Gurung | 12 | Female | 18 |
| 10 |  |
Dil Maya BC | 12 | Female | 19 |
| 11 |  |
Asmita Giri | 12 | Female | 18 |
| 12 |  |
Dil Subba Gurung | 12 | Female | 15 |
| 13 |  |
Saurav Rai | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 14 |  |
Ganesh Kshetri | 8 | Male | 15 |
| 15 |  |
Dev Gurung | 8 | Male | 12 |
| 16 |  |
Nishan Gurung | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 17 |  |
Narendra Gurung | 10 | Male | 18 |
| 18 |  |
Bishnu Gurung | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 19 |  |
Dipsan Gurung | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 20 |  |
Nabin Shrestha | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 21 |  |
Nikesh Shrestha | 12 | Male | 19 |
| 22 |  |
Sumit Magar | 6 | Male | 11 |
Team:
Here is the list of people that volunteered for this project.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Rich Carlson | Lead Course Instrutor |
| Jagan Nath Timilsina | Program Co-ordinator |
| Abu Pariyar | Photographer |
| Irfan Khan | Videographer |
| Bishal Bastola | Administration Volunteer |
| Arun Pariyar | Administration Volunteer |
| Amanda Gregory | Site Volunteer |
| Bharat Rai | Teaching Volunteer |
| Bharat Gurung | Teaching Volunteer |
| Samjhana | Teaching Volunteer |
Expense Report:
| Amount spent by Freedom Social Foundation | ||
|---|---|---|
| S.N. | Particular | Amount |
| 1 | Food and Supplies | NPR 25,139 |
| 2 | Fuel and Supplies | NPR 6,600 |
| 3 | Equipment | NPR 14,730 |
| Total | NPR 46,469 |
We also want to thank the following donor:
- Rich Carlson, for leading the course along with providing us valuable gear for futher courses.
- Pokhara Mountain Bike for purchasing the necessary rations equivalent to Rs.30,000.
- Paddle Nepal for providing us 13 sets of gear that included a set of harness, helmet, carabiner and belay device.
- Namaste Guest House for sponsoring the last evening dinner equivalent to Rs.10,000.
Thank you for your support.
Outcome:
- We now have 22 students that want support the next basic canyoning course.
- We were able to receive instructor support from American Canyoneering Association.
- We had 3 Local business support the course.
Reviews & Reactions:
Apart from the positive response from the students and volunteers that joined the program. we also appreciated by the local news media Pokhara News.
Conclusion:
Organizing this course has taught us that a specialized course allows students to better appreciate and have a more insightful view of an outdoor activity. we were also able to see that bringing in students from different background can aid in students ability to work with diverse category of people.
We now hope to organize a specialized rafting/kayaking course for the students.
Gallery:
