Teaching the young to explore life’s hurdles

Children swinging from trees, climbing rocks and jumping across pits; the occasional tumble greeted with hoots of laughter, as sweat, grime and aching muscles are ignored in favour of simply having fun in the great outdoors. It’s something very few kids have the time for anymore, but it’s exactly what Sunil Peiris, the man behind the Kapuwella Adventure Resort, hopes to entice them back to.

“I’ve always wanted to do something for children,” says Mr. Peiris, who will be launching his Adventure Based Challenge (ABC) programme next month. As a young boy, his idea of fun involved getting out of the house and out into the warm sunshine. He remembers fishing in the culverts around his house, day-long cycling expeditions, climbing trees and invigorating days spent hiking. Not surprisingly, it still amazes him that many a youngster’s idea of fun today is watching other people have fun on television or in a movie.

Children, he believes, could use a little more real play time. And simply getting them out there and in contact with nature boasts more than one benefit, he adds. “I look back with great nostalgia and value the simple pleasures of life that entertained us, moulded us and developed an adventurous spirit within us,” he says – an experience he longs to share with the present generation.

ABC will be open to young people from the ages of 16 – 22, and Mr. Peiris is hoping to take groups ranging in size from 25 – 40 to his 150 acre rubber estate in Avissawella. His charge of Rs.2,500 includes transport to and from the estate, plus a simple lunch prepared in a nearby village. The grounds have been fitted out with several ‘obstacles’ that he prefers to call ‘implements for learning’. A high brick wall and a maze of tunnels are only two among several challenges that he intends to place before the young participants, and he’s counting on them to enjoy it…not least because none of his obstacles are pushovers even though they have comforting names like Happy Hopper, Step by Step and Mud Cake Walk.

For Mr. Peiris, more than half the fun and most of the lessons lie in allowing the children to explore their own methods of overcoming each obstacle. For instance, he imagines different children tackling the problem of surmounting the six-foot brick wall in different ways – “some will take 25 steps back and try to take a running jump,” he says smiling, “others will get a grip and try to climb over, some will simply sit at the bottom and think for a bit…but here you mustn’t only think, you must use both your body and your mind.”

As in most cases, there is an established way of overcoming each obstacle and the participants will be taught what may be the most effective method at the end. But in allowing them to try for themselves, Mr. Peiris believes he will be encouraging some of the qualities he values most - confidence, courage, initiative, skill; and because everyone must work in mixed teams – the ability to interact effectively with other young people of all ages, sexes and backgrounds.

“I want to help them discover their potential – discover what they can and what they can’t do,” he says, and as the Colonel dubbed the “Father of Commandos” in Sri Lanka, Mr. Peiris would seem like the ideal candidate to run a camp like this. But he prefers not to trade on his extensive and impressive military record, in most part because ABC will have little in common with a military camp. “This is not about military discipline – with someone standing there cane in hand – instead it is about learning self discipline,” he says. While most of the initial programmes will be conducted by Mr. Peiris himself, he has already put together an experienced team (which already includes a trained medic), to take over the reins eventually.

Ultimately, he wants to make it possible for children to have three-day and then seven-day getaways. Each trip will ideally nurture their appreciation of nature, while helping them to grow. “What is it that we want for our children? Yes, we want them to be educated and to learn more about being self-reliant and safe in the wild. In the end, it’s about opening a city child’s eyes to everything the world can offer. After all, have a good lifestyle…but we also want them to enjoy a full life,” he says. For more information contact ABC on 011 - 2501180. – S.D. Pic by Athula Devapriya