Community Collaboration

Be a part of something special

We are committed to helping the young people in the Oban area to have access to outdoor education and new adventures to help them grow, improve their mental wellbeing, increase their confidence and improve their social and team building skills.We are pleased to be able to work with other like minded charities, groups and schools locally to achieve this mission. Here are some initiatives that HPOL is proud to be a part of:

Schools

Improving classroom teamwork and dynamics and at an individual level helping kids to be brave.

Day Activities

  • Oban High School 
  • St Columba’s Primary School
  • Dunbeg Primary School
  • Lochnell Primary School
  • Tiree Primary School
  • Tiree High School
  • Arinagour Primary School, Isle of Coll

Taster Day Example

In September/October 2024, in partnership with Oban High School (OHS), Hebridean Pursuits outdoor learning ran a series of Taster Days to introduce ALL the young people of S1 at OHS to our activities, and most importantly to give all S1 pupils access to outdoor learning opportunities.

The taster sessions took place at Ganavan Sand, Oban and each young person was able to experience rock climbing and abseiling with their classmates.

Over the 4 days we had a total of 117 young people attend the HPOL taster sessions. We asked the young people who attended the Taster Days to tell us their 3 best bits of the session.

Parent Feedback
Thank you so much. My daughter had just the best time and can't wait to do it again. The enthusiasm you have teaching these children shines through. They bounce home, buzzing with confidence and excitement. As a parent you can't ask for more than that. Thank you.

Youth Groups

Barra Youth Cafe
1st Argyll Scouts 
North Argyll Scouts
Blue Triangle

Community Initiatives

Summer Sensations

Summer Sensations is a fantastic, two day programme of many activities, which is open to all P6 & P7 pupils from the Oban, Lorn & Islands (OLI) & Tiree area that will be making the transition to Oban High School & Tiree High School.  Summer Sensations has been running for 21 years, which is a fantastic achievement and shows the ongoing commitment to our young people.  In 2025,  we welcomed 180 young people over the 2 days.

Children who have attended have said that it helped them to make new friends and build their confidence for starting Oban High School, learn new activities, as well as having lots of fun! We pride ourselves in the effort that goes into offering a hugely diverse programme, which we feel covers all sorts of interests for all those attending.

The event is held in Atlantis Leisure on day 1 and Oban High School on day 2.  Activities are varied and include shinty, football, archery tag, tennis, inflatable fun in the pool, cooking, arts and crafts, coasteering (as provided by HPOL) and much more.

The programme is offered through a partnership between Active Schools (Live Argyll), Atlantis Leisure, Community Learning, Oban Youth Café, Hope2Oban & Hebridean Pursuits Outdoor Learning (HPOL) and is supported by the Primary and Secondary schools.  

In addition, in 2025 the event received funding from 4 local charities/businesses - Argyll Beats Cardiovascular Disease, The Rotary Club, The Sport Shop and Connecting Communities Collective.

Hebridean Pursuits Outdoor Learning is proud to be a part of the organising committee and to be a part of such a wonderful annual event.

Planet Youth

Hebridean Pursuit Outdoor Learning is pleased to be a part of Planet Youth initiative in Argyll & Bute.

Planet Youth is about communities acting in the best interest of children and young people to make Argyll and Bute a great place to live. It is a framework focused on improving young people’s health, wellbeing, and relationships by working with parents, carers, schools,communities and organisations.  

Developed in Iceland and now used in more than 30 countries, Planet Youth reshapes communities to reduce youth substance use, improve mental wellbeing, and enhance school engagement. 
‍https://www.planetyouth.scot/

Argyll & Bute have adopted Iceland’s framework. The first step was to speak to the young people in the area and they have identified local challenges and now we must create positive change for them through community empowerment and support.

Growing Up in Oban event - Sunday 21 September 2025

As part of the Planet Youth initiative an open day called ‘Growing Up in Oban’ was held at the Corran Halls, Oban on Sunday 21 September 2025. 

HPOL were one of over 20 stall holders who attended.  The aim was to introduce both the young people and their parents to all the groups and activities that are available to the young people in the Oban area. 

Geraldine Deighan, Chair and Fiona Colquhoun, Finance & Admin Lead attended on behalf of HPOL and had some great conversations with parents, young people and other stall holders.  

There was a great buzz at the event which was attended by 200 people on the day.

Other Schools & Groups in Argyll & Bute

In addition, we are pleased to work with the following schools, and groups in Argyll:

  • Oban High School
  • St Columba’s Primary School
  • Dunbeg Primary School
  • Lochnell Primary School
  • Arinagour Primary School, Isle of Coll
  • Tiree Primary School and High School
  • Glencruitten Hostel
  • Blue Triangle
  • Seawildings Youth Group
  • Oban Youth Cafe
  • 1st Argyll Scouts
  • North Connel Scouts