Youth Leadership Programs
Our Youth Leadership Programs help develop both personal and
inter-personal skills in a unique and safe learning environment,
ensuring an experience that will both help broaden students’
educational base, and have an impact on them for many years to come.
Safety is our primary focus, and we ensure that we have quality
equipment. Each of our activities in preceded with safety briefings
from our trained staff. Our challenging activities are guaranteed to
build trust, promote leadership abilities and team skills. Students
will gain a better appreciation of Sri Lanka’s wildlife and
natural environments, and will gain valuable climbing, camping and
general outdoors skills.
Week Without Walls
Borderlands has been devising and running Week Without Walls programs
for International Schools who are part of the American Curriculum for
over 15 years. We embrace the philosophy that that these experiences
challenge students physically, emotionally, intellectually and
spiritually and helps them realise their potential. By offering
authentic, outside-the-classroom experiences, these programs take
students outside their usual comfort zones by exposing them to new
situations in a totally different cultural environment. Our Week
Without Walls can provide experiential learning at its best: it helps
students grow and develop team building and leadership skills, travel
to locations outside the school, experience unfamiliar cultures and
participate in activity based programs that include an important
community service with local schools. It’s impossible to
underestimate the impact that these service projects have on students
– both the overseas students and students from the local
schools – as they meet, interact and gain an appreciation and
better understanding of how others live their lives.
Youth Expeditions
Our Seethawaka River Adventure removes students from the relative
comfort of our tented camp at Kithulgala and onto the Seethawaka River,
located near Avisawella, between Colombo and Ratnapura. This expedition
is restricted to the lower section of the river which is a flat water
section of the river. Students participate in many team building
activities including abseiling, river crossings, rafting and kayaking
and workshops on river navigation.
Mahaweli River Expedition is a variant of our famous Mahaweli River
Expedition and is designed to build on the skills students may have
gained on the Seethawaka Expedition. The 335km long Mahaweli is Sri
Lanka’s longest river. This wilderness adventure, journeyed
by kayaks and canoes, is a 50km, 3 night and 4 day kayaking trip
through the gorgeous Wasgamuwa National Park, located in the heart of
Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. It begins 20km downstream from
the town of Mahiyangana and ends at Manampitiya.
Junior School Programs
Our Junior School Programs are designed for young students in school
groups. Borderlands provides a soft entry into the world of outdoor
living and adventure activities. For many students, this will be their
first time in a tent and often the first time away from their parents.
We take students out of their comfort zones in a safe, controlled
environment. Our challenging activities keep students busy and
encourage trust and mutual assistance, but at all times we ensure the
kids feel safe and secure being away from home.
