20 AICS students successfully completed their Silver International Award Adventurous Journey in Piuro, in the Italian Alps near Lake Como and the border with Switzerland. Travelling in four expedition groups, the students planned and followed their own hiking routes, covering approximately 12 to 20 kilometres per day and, in some cases, spending between 9 and 12 hours completing their expedition activities. Along the way, they managed their own navigation, food, camping equipment, time and group responsibilities, while working through the physical and mental challenges of the journey together.

With phones put away except for emergencies, the experience offered something increasingly rare: several days of genuine connection with nature, with local communities and with one another. Students cooked their own meals, navigated using maps and compass, adapted to changing conditions and supported each other through demanding moments.

The journey was supported by AICS Award leaders and an assessor from AwardNL, who monitored groups at planned checkpoints throughout the expedition. Naomi from AwardNL also shared that this was the Silver group within AwardNL that had travelled the furthest from Amsterdam, and she was very impressed with the commitment, independence and overall performance of the students.

The International Award is about much more than completing a hike. It gives students the opportunity to develop resilience, leadership, teamwork, independence and confidence through real experiences outside the classroom.

We are incredibly proud of what this group achieved and hope their journey inspires many more AICS students to take on the challenge of Bronze, Silver and eventually Gold.