“I love the way my urban teenager happily abandons Facebook and foundation for the simple pleasures of games, singing, handicrafts and the great outdoors. Every year I worry she’ll have outgrown ATE, but every year she returns talking about booking up again the following summer. Great stuff!”
ATE Trust Superweeks Adventure
The ATE Trust runs residential holidays called Superweeks for children from all backgrounds across the UK. The Trust’s aim is to facilitate, engage and teach children through creativity and imagination. On an average ATE Superweek summer camp you will find singing, games, adventures, visits from strange characters, treasure hunts, den building and stories around the fire. More than ever, these holidays are having a life changing and positive impact on the children who attend.
Children growing up in the 21st Century face new challenges, both exciting and difficult. Technology advances create a vast amount of benefits and opportunities but they also come with their fair share of issues. Children now days have to learn to interact in a digital world that exists 24/7 on smart phones, social media, advertising and the internet. As a result children are less active and don’t spend as much time outdoors.
The ATE Trust are working to ensure that children have an opportunity to benefit from experiences that technology can’t give. The children live in a community, learn to interact and have fun using just their imaginations. They get to make new friends, memories and experiences away from the pressures of life back home. The result can be life changing. Parent feedback following the holidays have noted increased confidence, self-esteem and a better understanding of sharing and living with others (as well as occasional bursting into song!).
“Generally being treated like young adults even though it’s a ‘kids’ holiday was really cool.”
Providing an opportunity for children to experience traditional values seems more important than ever before. Although The ATE Trust has been running for over 50 years (formerly as Colony Holidays for School Children), it is a small organisation that relies on word of mouth and the hard work of its dedicated volunteers.
Sponsorship
The ATE Trust runs a sponsorship scheme designed to allow children from a wide range of backgrounds to be able to attend a Superweek.
ATE aims to raise sufficient funds to sponsor 80 children, aged 8 to 14, from UK schools to join the many other hundreds of children who benefit hugely from this experience every year.
The money donated to this scheme is carefully allocated and will only be used to allow children who would not otherwise be able to attend a Superweek to do so.
There are a variety of ATE Superweek residential camps available throughout the school holidays starting from £419. For more information you can visit their website at www.ate.org.uk or contact info@ate.org.uk
