Guyana 2000 Expedition - Expedition Training

Expedition
Training Weekends

In order to ensure that everyone is prepared for the expedition experience, we will be running 3 Training Weekends over the next 18 months. Each weekend is designed to address the critical skills required to maximise the learning experience that expeditions provide.

Welcome Weekend (4 - 5 September 1999)
This weekend will be the first opportunity to meet everyone who is going on the expedition. It will provide an opportunity for everyone to ask questions and to learn a little more about the country, its people and its history. The weekend will focus on getting to know everyone. A great social occasion and an opportunity to work together with project members in the outdoors. Lots of team building tasks and fun!

Words of Welcome

Jill Mitchell reports.

100 words to sum up the Welcome Weekend

Exciting; exhilarating; satisfying; challenging; scary; rewarding; friendly; welcoming; heat; humidity; seven curry; underpants; encouraging; enabling; sharing; understanding; horizontal; empowering; boots; wide brims; constipation; cassava; crushing; arsenic; spittle; warm; comfortable; rivers; Amerindians; iodine; yuk; hammock; diarrhoea; football; Rioja; scorpions; lost; blowpipes; millipedes; purple; tee-shirts; feedback; trust; bungee; skis; wet; grass; projects; tasks; appropriate; uncertain; serious; safe; involving; inclusive; 'casevac'; unpredictable; flexibility; Kaieteur; change; adaptable; resourceful; contributing; need; communication; preparation; thorough; consultation; sustainable; resource; with; adventurous; partnership; sensitive; constructive; sweat; respect; profound; synergy; balance; emotion; interaction; reflection; invigorating; drama; team; relationships; long-drops; implementation;; motivating; ownership; responsibility; spicy; benches; honesty; passion; commitment; success; when?

Not much else to say, really!

Thanks to Sean Palmer for the illustrations

The Welcome Weekend an Alternative View
(36 kb 2 Pages)

Welcome Weekend 2 (4-6 Feb 2000 Optional)
A social weekend arranged at Perth-y-Pia, Ty-Mawr Farm, Llanbedr, Crickhowell, Powys. Click below for a full report.

The 2nd Welcome Weekend Full Report by Jill Mitchell
(16 kb 3 Pages)

A prize for the best captions! email: chadders

Thanks to Jill Mitchell for the photos

Weekend 2 (8 - 9 April 2000)
A weekend focused around the traditional expedition skills of Camp Craft, First Aid, Communications and Personal Kit. A very practical weekend where everyone can learn more about their specific roles and the use of specialist equipment.

Weekend 3 (12 - 13 August)
A final weekend before the expedition leaves the UK. This is an ideal opportunity to make any last minute adjustments and to ensure that everyone is fully briefed about their role. Another great opportunity to ask questions and to have a great party!

Post Expedition Reunion - Date to be arranged
Following the expedition a reunion is held to say thank you to all those in the UK that helped make the expedition a success. This is often an emotional time for all those from the expedition as people review the experience. Not to be missed.

Planning Team Training Events

Members of the planning team will be attending a series of training events throughout the 18 month period to help prepare them for their roles.

Familiarisation Weekend (30-31 January 1999)

Graham Johnson Reports

The first meeting of the Project Management team took place on the 30th and 31st January 1999 at Reaseheath College Nantwich. As the newest recruit and the only one not to have visited Guyana before I entered the College with some apprehension. In retrospect one wonders why I felt this way. The group of people who knew each other so well, welcomed me with such warmth and genuine interest that I felt accepted from the beginning. The agenda was full and the early stages of team building were a huge success. I have experienced many team's in my career and I have no doubt that this will be one of the most successful and enjoyable teams I have had the privilege to be a part of.

Team Building Weekend (22-23 May 1999)
The planning team get together for a familiarisation weekend. A chance to get to know one another better and to establish the ground rules for working together.

First Aid Training Weekend (24-25 July 1999)

Claire Lewis Reports

The objective of the weekend was for us all to complete, and successfully pass the Health and Safety at Work First Aid course, in order to become confident first aiders, in preparation for the expedition.

On Saturday morning there was a certain level of apprehension, our first aid experience as a team varied greatly and we were to face an assessment the following morning. Sue, from the East Cheshire NHS Trust soon began to build our confidence as we began to work our way through the required syllabus. Understanding how to manage an incident is key and it is all to do with common sense. We were able to build up a plan of action, for any incident we faced, and through a series of role-plays, and the assistance of 'Resusi Annie', this sequence of actions became deeply ingrained on our minds. By the end of the day on Saturday, we were all able to take steps to preserve the life of an unconscious or conscious casualty, which left us Sunday to look in more detail at dressings, bleeding and wounds, fractures and burns and scalds.

Despite the nerves and sudden lapses of confidence on Sunday afternoon, we all passed the assessment with flying colours! It turned out to be a very rewarding and fun-filled weekend for everyone!

Last Updated
Sun, Apr 2, 2000