Renfrewshire young people go on unique polar expedition

Nine determined Erskine pupils took a unique trip of a lifetime to the snowy wilds of East Greenland within the Arctic circle.

The Park Mains High School pupils are the first from the West of Scotland to take part in The Polar Academy since the charity started the initiative 11 years ago.

The Polar Academy work with young people aged 13 to 18 to improve their self-esteem, build confidence and their mental health. The programme helps pupils feel empowered, take control and find a voice they never knew they had.

In total, 11 pupils were part of the Erskine team—two in the leadership team and nine in the expedition. All of them took part in a year-long rigorous regime of physical and mental training led by founder of The Polar Academy, Craig Mathieson. This included high-intensity strength and endurance training, tyre hauling, navigation, and camping.

Pupils also took helicopter lessons to learn about flight safety and get short flight experience ahead of their trip.

Kyle Lyndsey, a fifth year (S5) pupil said: “The Polar Academy has completely changed my life over the past year, and the Greenland trip definitely solidified everything that we’ve all worked so hard for over the past year. My confidence has risen so much and I now look forward to the future without worrying about everything all the time and I know I have an amazing team around me that I can always rely on.”

Carys Campbell, also in fifth year, added: “The trip to Greenland was absolutely amazing and has changed me into a much more confident individual. My family and friends see a big change in my attitude towards school, and I am now more focused on my outcomes in life. Personally, I now feel like I can achieve many more incredible achievements and go on lots of exhilarating adventures. I look forward to travelling in the future and seeing lots of beautiful scenery. My top highlight of the expedition was the last day when the team skied 18 miles, up and down hills, pulling our 45kg sledges back to the village, as the weather was horrendous and we had to get back to the village safely.”

Kyle’s father, Graeme Lyndsey, explained how his son had continued to wear a mask at school following the pandemic. Since being selected for the trip, Kyle no longer wears one.

He said: “My son is academically strong but has anxiety and found it difficult to talk to people. His friend group was small and wearing the mask made it difficult to interact with others and made him a little reclusive. He only removed the mask in front of other people at the selection weekend.

“A big part of the Greenland experience has been not knowing what is going to happen until it happens. They can have their plan but there is no point worrying, they need to live in the moment.

“Craig’s leadership and mentorship skills help young people realise they can do this; they can step up and lead other people. The whole year in preparation is a journey that everyone goes on—both physically and mentally. From team building to having the mental resilience to go through the training and then going up to Aviemore without your family for a week—it exposes our young people to their worst fears and then they find a way to work through it.

“I almost didn’t realise my son needed this because he’s different at home than he is at school and it was heart-breaking to see him freeze up, but this programme has helped him open up and find that confidence.”

Councillor Emma Rodden, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board, congratulated the young people on their successful trip. She said: “Getting the chance to prepare for and go on this trip is an amazing experience that these young people will never forget. They have learned so much from it and have developed confidence, built self-esteem and developed friendships with peers. They should be proud of everything they have achieved.”

Head Teacher Alan Dick said: “We have been absolutely delighted to be part of The Polar Academy. We are extremely proud to be one of only two schools to be selected in Scotland. This has been an undoubtedly life changing experience for everyone who took part over the year and has also had a significantly positive impact for our wider school community.”

Natalie Still, pastoral care teacher for third year and Park Mains lead for the Polar Academy programme, said: “The Greenland trip was such a fantastic culmination of all the training and hard work for the pupils. They were tested to their limits and had the experience of a lifetime! On their toughest day, they skied 13 miles with 40kg sleds to beat a storm home. I am so impressed by the progress and personal development of the pupil. They are SUPERSTARS!”

Craig Mathieson, founder of The Polar Academy, said; “The Polar Academy is an outdoors educational and mental health charity based in Scotland. We can only work with two high schools per intake and therefore have a rigorous school selection programme to choose which schools to partner with each year. Having been unbelievable impressed by the staff leadership team at Park Mains High during our school interviews, we were convinced this would be an incredible team to partner with in 2024/25 as the teachers genuinely care about the wellbeing of their pupils.

“Pupils showed great commitment to increase their fitness levels to reach the necessary standard to undertake the 10-day arctic sledge hauling expedition in East Greenland. We have watched the young people, and their parents, quickly come together to support and encourage each other. They wholeheartedly made a great team.”

Janie O’Neill, Director of Children’s Services, added: “This has been an amazing experience for pupils, helping to build their self-confidence through a unique programme. It’s a fantastic educational opportunity that has built life skills and resilience that will positively impact on the lives of these young people and their future.”

Families and pupils raised £35,000 to help support the work of The Polar Academy and future groups of pupils from other schools to take part in this life-changing event.