The Young Explorers’ Trust (YET) was formed in 1972, when it undertook to provide services to youth overseas expeditions. Prime amongst these was the Approval Scheme for youth expeditions overseas, together with Grant Aid for some expeditions.
The YET Approval and Grant Aid Scheme has been in operation now for over 35 years, during which time almost 1500 overseas youth expeditions, and many corporate and charitable organisations have had their plans screened by the Trust.
YET champions and promotes the use of good practice in adventurous activities so that young people can experience the pleasures and values of expeditions without undue risk to their safety and general wellbeing. To this end, it is keen to see that all adventurous activities of this nature follow the highest standards of conduct and are undertaken safely and responsibly.
YET views the evaluation process, not as a further restriction on risk and the development of young people, but as an enabling action that raises the standard of operation across the industry, promotes participant (and parental) confidence and brings greater opportunity to enable the benefits of the expedition experience to reach a wider audience of young people.
YET does not organise expeditions, but offers its skilled services to voluntary youth groups, to schools, to all Venture Providers (voluntary and commercial) of ventures outside the UK, to Scouts / Guides / cadets and other uniformed groups, and to all other groups involved in providing challenging and adventurous ventures outside the UK for young people.
In 2007 with the publication of the British Standard BS 8848 – a specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adventurous activities outside the UK – YET re-structured its approval in line with this standard to enable providers of such ventures to demonstrate conformity to BS 8848 through the YET approval scheme.
In 2009, the British Standard was revised and YET adjusted its procedures to enable either the evaluation of individual ventures, or the assessment of providers on a corporate basis, for Approval with Conformity to BS8848. Under the latter, any Venture Provider has to ‘self assess’ all ventures it provides and declare that they do so conform to BS 8848.
Details of how to proceed to seek Approval with Conformity to BS 8848 as an individual venture, or corporately, are described in separate documents via the links given below.
Please also see the link "Frequently asked questions" for further information about the Standard and the YET Evaluation process.
Recently, the British Standards Institute published "A Parents' Guide to Adventurous Activities Abroad for Young People" which offers information and advice on what is covered by BS8848 and the reason for its existence.
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