Educational experiences in a natural environment. Excursions and camps.

Educational leisure activities have a very positive impact on the cognitive and social development of both children and adolescents. It is in this sense that both the educational community and companies and leisure organisations organise school camps and outings during the school year. Basically they are concentrated in spring and summer as this is the best time for outings and activities in a natural environment. Leisure time education is much more than just fun outside the classroom, as different dynamics of play, study and dynamic or experimental activities are worked on.

These activities are important at school age and are an educational experience. The camps, as well as school trips and other activities to get to know the environment, are a pedagogical and socialising tool. All educational centres and leisure or recreational entities work to maintain these activities which are carried out in an inclusive manner, ensuring equality and equity.

Outings from school or the family home become a perfect opportunity to acquire new learning and share experiences with the rest of school-age classmates and friends. The location of most educational centres does not make it easy for pupils to leave the classroom in order to get closer to experiential learning or in a natural environment. Precisely, the organisation of activities and outings has been carried out for many years and these educational programmes are deeply rooted in Catalonia, although they are also carried out in other communities in Spain and in a large part of southern European countries such as Italy, where the “Colonia estiva” has a long tradition, especially in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.

The camps are an opportunity to come into contact with nature and have many beneficial effects on physical and psychological health, especially remarkable for overcoming months of pandemic and confinement that have particularly affected this school age group. The activities carried out by the educational centres and leisure organisations aim to promote the development of all children and recover their general wellbeing in order to try to return to a certain degree of normality. The natural environment where the different holiday camps are located throughout the country offers the opportunity to get to know nature in depth and to make observations and study the environment, whether in a mountainous landscape or near the sea.

The school trips and holiday camps, whether they are one-day or several days long and include a stay at the chosen destination, aim to promote coexistence among classmates, knowledge and learning through contact with the natural environment. The objectives pursued are related to coexistence in an unusual environment, the promotion of autonomy and work in a non-academic environment.

Most of the activities must include transport for school groups. The educational centres and leisure organisations have always been committed to promoting sustainability and respect for the environment in the development of activities. In recent months, there has been a growing awareness and demand for sustainable transport in line with the purpose of these activities. It is in this sense that public transport has made an additional effort to adapt vehicles to be more sustainable. The innovation process has been very important and has facilitated the management of transport services for organisations, companies, educational centres, sports clubs and individual passengers or families who share similar activities and programmes.

Avant grup, always aware of environmental needs and climate change, backed by European regulations, has Euro V and Euro VI engines in its fleet, the new generations for coaches with the lowest CO2 emissions. It has been one of the companies recognised for years with the “Biosphere Commitment to Sustainability” certification, which has recently been renewed. The Biosphere accreditation for transport is a certification of tourism-related sustainability for educational centres, entities and companies dedicated to the provision of services related to passenger transport, especially in tourism services, educational and leisure activities. At the same time, in recent years, Avant Grup has also incorporated the ISO certifications for Quality Management, Road Safety, Occupational Safety, Environmental Management and Biological Safety, together with the Environmental Quality in Transport distinction awarded by the Government of Catalonia, all of which helps to maintain the confidence and safety of customers and users in the company’s mobility services and provides support to educational centres and companies in the organisation of leisure activities and in the transport of educational groups to their summer camp and excursion programmes.