Sarah Outen challenges pupils to 'dare to do'

Adventurer Sarah Outen met Dauntsey's sixth form students and delivered a special lecture based on her new book

Posted by Lucinda Reid | November 23, 2016 | Events

• #dauntseys-school
• #sarah-outen
• #mercers-lecture-series
• #dare-to-do

The renowned adventurer Sarah Outen provided a challenging and inspiring lecture to Dauntsey’s School pupils called ‘Dare to Do’. The lecture was based on her new book about her expedition called London2London: Via the World.  The talk was the latest in the School’s Mercers’ lecture series.

Before the lecture, Sarah was joined by a group of sixth form students who shared their experiences of adventure, from climbing Kilimanjaro to participating in the Devizes to Westminster canoe race. They then asked questions ranging from how she motivated herself to how she coped with being alone during her expeditions.  Other topics under discussion included the effects of climate change and the pupils’ plans for future adventures of their own. 

One of Sarah’s key messages was to never let being afraid of failure prevent you from giving things a go. Sarah treated the packed audience to an engaging and entertaining account of her travels, which started with her days at Oxford where she studied ‘Rowing with Biology’ to becoming the youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean. Students were also given an insight into the challenges she has faced throughout her life, notably the sudden death of her father, an event which she says changed her attitude and made her more determined to succeed.

Dauntsey’s Sixth Former Meirian Evans said: “Through talking about being picked up in the middle of the Pacific by the coastguard after a hurricane, Sarah encouraged us to try again if things go wrong and to make the best of a bad situation.  This was further evidenced through her decision to kayak along the Aleutian Island chain when her boat was forced to change destinations from Canada to Alaska. Sarah was inspirational when talking about how the failures of her journeys have only made them better, as being forced to make a new plan or to start all over again took her to places she never planned to visit and taught her much more about herself than she could have learned if everything had gone well.”

Sam Moore, Head of Adventure Education, Dauntsey’s added: “Sarah really made the audience feel part of her adventures through her stories of recognising dreams and of taking advantage of failures, of finding oneself and of never giving up.  She inspired many to imagine their own future journeys with her overwhelming message that we should never be afraid to ‘dare to do’.”

Everyone is welcome to the Lectures and entry is free, but please reserve your seats online by completing our simple booking forms via our website or by contacting the school on 01380 814500.