Who is YD run by? What is it's philosophy? What are the instructors like? Find out all about us here.
INDIE
Owner/manager
Indie is the director and manager of Young Dartington. She has worked on every single Young Dartington ever! She started as a climbing instructor at YD 17 years ago and took over running it 6 years ago. Now she couldn't imagine not doing it. You're bound to meet Indie, she's everywhere doing everything all the time. Indie also runs her own outdoor company, Indie Outdoors, where she takes adults and school groups climbing, caving, mountain walking and snow shoeing in the UK and Europe. Indie has a BSc in geology/geography, she did a PGCE and worked as a geography teacher, she gained a Masters in Education which was about alternative education, and she is an International Mountain Leader. She was the president of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders and helped advance the qualification to its current status in the UK and Europe
THEO
Owner/manager + roleplay + adventure
Theo attended YD as a child many moons ago and loved it so much he wanted to get involved as soon as he could. He reinvented adventure and took over roleplay about 6 years ago and then became joint owner and manager with Indie in 2008.
He is a keen rock climber and mountain walker with experience all over the UK, the Alps and the Pyrenees. He spends his winters as a chef in the Alpine ski resort of Morzine and his summers planning YD, designing the website and the brochure and well...writing this little bit about himself.
CARLI
Lead camping instructor + chef + lantern making
Carli has been with us since 2004 and is the main person responsible for meal times, the camp site and child welfare. She has run her own green cleaning business and worked as a teaching assistant in the past but is currently studying sociology and social policy with a mind to making the world a better place (we all say it but she's really doing it, good eh?).
ANDY
Camp leader + adventure + handyman
Andy joined the crew in 2009 and already loves it. He is a central part of the camping team and is also 'Mr Fix-it' and 'Mr Knows-Where-Where-Everything-Is' and 'Mr Very-Useful-to-Have-Around-Indeed'. Apart from these official titles he will be getting much more involved with adventure this year and bringing loads of new ideas with him.
His talents are endless enthusiasm, endless jokes and endless helpfulness. If you need something done you know who to ask.
ALI
Pottery
Ali is a qualified art teacher and a very experienced potter. She's also a black belt in karate but her real passion is 'karate pottery'. You don't believe me do you? But you're still trying to picture how 'karate pottery' might work though aren't you?
She loves teaching pottery at YD because the kids just get on with making all kinds of wacky things out of clay for her to fire.
ADAM
Bushcraft
Adam unreservedly says his days at YD are some of the best of his year, every year. His passion, tolerance and enthusiasm are unmistakeable and his stories, songs and wisdom bring something special to the camp fire at the close of each day. He is our own master bushman, having hacked through the jungles of Borneo, learnt tracking with native Americans and mastered the Brazilian martial art capoeira.
VANESSA
Batik and tie dye
Vanessa studied at Nottingham and Dartington Colleges of Art and the Froebel Institute, specializing in textiles and qualifying with a Certificate and Bachelors degree in Education. She has been closely connected to Dartington for 40 years. For most of those years she has brought up three sons and has devoted herself to exploring her passion for textiles, mastering, adapting and inventing weaving and dyeing techniques. She creates beautiful ikat rugs, tie dyed and batik fabrics. She runs courses for adults where she passes on her skills and enthusiasm for batik, tie dye and weaving, vat dyes and indigo.
RACHEL
Mosaics + Underground Challenge
Rachel has been a freelance outdoor activity instructor and primary school teacher for nearly 20 years now and has taught rock climbing, underground challenge, lantern making, jewellery making and mosaics over the many years she has been at YD.
She has travelled the world and is a true adventurer at heart and one of the most fun instrutors we have.
NATHAN and JESS
Rock climbing
Nathan was my maths teacher at school don't you know. He still teaches maths, rock climbing, caving and navigation skills at a democratic school in Ashburton and is about as experienced and competent as you can get. We also don't seem to have taken any photos of him...
His daughter Jess is a trainee outdoor instructor currently studying in Oxford and loves to spend part of her summer taking our kids rock climbing on Dartmoor.
DUNCAN
Circus skills
Duncan somehow manages to teach about 10 kids how to juggle, hula hoop, stilt walk and spin plates all at the same time (he teaches them at the same time not that they do all those things at the same time... though that would be pretty cool perhaps I'll suggest it next year...).
He's been our circus skills instructor at Young Dartington for 2 years now and the kids all love him- well done you Duncan!