FSC wishes to work with Asian families, to understand what barriers there are which prevent young Asian’s from attending residential education experiences. From FSC’s experience of running the government funded London Challenge New Views Programme, which recognises the value of residential education for 11 – 14 year old children, many Asian children are excluded from attending these experiences by their parents. Concerns over food and accommodation are frequently raised and reassurances given but still the proportion of Asian children who attend the residential courses is much lower than the proportion of Asian children in the school as a whole. Over the last 4 years FSC has welcomed over 33,000 11-14 year olds through the London Challenge programme. We have worked closely with education experts from the Institute of Education in evaluating this programme, through talking directly to the children, their teachers and also their parents. From this feedback we know that the young people have benefited personally and educationally and for many their experiences have been inspirational. But we know that the numbers of Asian children attending is lower than school averages suggest it should be. We want to understand how we can better support Asian families and give them the reassurance they need to allow their children to take part in educational residential experiences. We believe that if we can work directly with the parents and families of the Asian children we will gain a better understanding of the cultural issues affecting the families decision to allow their children to attend residentials. By working directly with families we also hope to find individuals from the Asian communities who will act as ‘ambassadors’ and share their understanding of residential education provision. From teachers workshops we have run we know that when children attend outdoor residentials it brings a greater understanding of each other’s cultures and values. It also helps teachers build relationships with all students. The project will: • Work with 5 targeted secondary schools in London and through workshops and outreach into families we will identify and understand what the barriers are which prevent Asian children attendance. • Work with skilled consultants from Institute of Education to lead workshops with both parents and young people • Take Asian parents and families on a weekend residential course to our Field Centre in Surrey so they can be reassured in a practical way of the opportunities on offer • Develop resources as needed to support parents – written, web and DVD material. Ensure translation into different languages as needed. • Disseminate and share best practice guidelines amongst secondary schools in London and residential providers beyond FSC. Amount £60,000