Rosie's Story

Rosie lives in an area of Leeds in the top 7% of income deprivation in the UK. Her mum is a single parent with health issues, and Rosie has very limited access to opportunities outside of school to have fun and learn new skills. When we first met Rosie, she couldn’t make eye contact with staff and spoke too quietly for us to hear, often only answering with ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

On Basecamp adventures however, Rosie started to come alive. It started with wide grins and a slightly louder voice. As time went on, we started to see a completely new side to Rosie. She was so excited by the environment around her and was up for every single challenge. Across the year as Rosie scrambled up waterfalls and kayaked across lakes, she came out of her shell so much, and we started to have long chats with her about school and home. Rosie started to make new friends too. By the final trip, she had a lovely group of six friends, who were constantly seen laughing and joking together. Rosie set up a WhatsApp group for them all to chat between trips and they even met up over the summer holidays, despite living at opposite ends of Leeds.

What Rosie Told Us:

“I would say that Basecamp has been a completely life changing experience for me. Before, I was so quiet and didn’t even choose to do things I really enjoyed, but Basecamp taught me that I can do anything if I just believe in myself. The more time I spent with Basecamp, the more I felt strong and the more confident I became.

I've learnt so much about myself and my own inner strength. Since Basecamp I have had to pick my GCSE options and I picked Drama because Basecamp taught me how important it is to do something every day that scares you. Now I’m always looking for little ways to push myself out of my comfort zone. I’ve also signed up for the Basecamp Young Leaders Programme, which last year I wouldn’t have even believed I would do.”