Exeter Cathedral School

I try to balance my talks and lectures to ensure I give more of my free time to schools rather than corporations, albeit the latter pays the bills. Last week I was down in the South West of England at Exeter Cathedral School, talking to kids about motivation, determination and discipline. I used my last 3 adventures as metaphors for trying to inspire kids on how they should look to themselves for their source of motivation, setting their own standards by which they should measure themselves, rather than always trying to live up to expectations that others may have of them.

I wish I had been encouraged more as a child to set my own personal standards and goals and to try and live up to them rather than always doing (and failing) what was expected of me.
I was your classic overweight, bullied, picked-on kid at school, always selected last at sport and usually associated with kids far more needy and dysfunctional than I was. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, was my way out of the trap, it taught me much of what I love about life nowadays and showed me that a its important to spend as much time as possible being outdoors and active. Wherever I can I try to encourage schools to participate in the Scouts and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, the skills provided outside of the classroom will last a lifetime.

Thanks to Andrew Pennington for hosting me and the year 8’s who strangely enough knew exactly how to navigate using the sun and wind the win in a desert - amazing what we are teaching kids in school these days!

Clifton College lecture

I recently finished a lecture series at Clifton College in Bristol on Exploring Antarctica; it was less about Exploration per se and more about how to walk to the South Pole. Working with the great teachers at Clifton we clothed the curriculum topics of nutrition and healthy eating along with temperature and thermal dynamics, with teaching the kids the principals of surviving in extreme conditions not only from a practical physical point of view but also an emotional and mental one.

The course was a resounding success and my skills at keeping 40 or so 10 year olds quiet and concentrating for an hour or more are much improved, all the teachers wanted to know how I did it. Easy when you bring along a GPS, 10 kilos of Cadburys Dairy milk and an ice-saw for the kids to play with!

My thanks to all the staff and pupils at Clifton College who continue to support me and allow me to train at the excellent facilities of the Clifton College Sports Centre.

“Jon gave most considerately of his time to inspire and enthrall the pupils. He has natural way of incorporating education elements from our curriculum into his incredible story.”
Julian Edgell, Clifton College

The local paper had this to say: Article

A timely event at the Ice Bar

I gave my usual schtick at the Ice Bar recently; a fitting venue for teaching a group of stressed out executives at the end of a long day meetings and presentations about what to do if they ever found themselves at the bottom of a 50ft crevasse without a rope. It is not hard to draw parallels between a 60 day expedition to delivering a project on time and to budget at work. Success is often dependent on the very same set of core skills namely good communication, excellent team work, good leadership and meticulous planning.

Time Technology are leaders in Collaborative Technology Solutions and it was great fun trying to get across to their customers how the real challenge in polar expeditions is what to do with your mind for endless days on the ice looking at nothing, not the cold or the hunger or the bears or the blisters or the wind…….

“Jonathon, you were the highlight of our day and put the venue of the Ice Bar into perspective with your stories of survival in extreme conditions. You complemented perfectly the theme of our day and though I don’t believe many of us would want to join you on your next expedition, you made us feel as though we were with you. Thanks again…awesome!”

Pete Skeffington – Director of Time Technology