Convergent Defense Foundation
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Outdoor Adventure · SkillsFirst camp planned

PRYMAL

Outdoor programmes, from a first camp to advanced adventure.

Get outdoors, then go further

Many people, especially those who work at a desk all week, rarely get outdoors at all. PRYMAL starts there, with easy, enjoyable camps that get people moving, and builds up to demanding adventure on rock, rope and river.

It is a family of programmes rather than a single course. People can join the one that suits them, and move on to harder ones as they gain experience. Along the way they learn real skills, such as first aid, navigation and rope work. For those who want to go furthest, PRYMAL also trains volunteers to help when disaster strikes.

At a glance
Stage
First camp being planned
Programmes
From beginner camps to advanced adventure and volunteering
Certificate
PRYMAL certificate on course completion
Open to
Corporate teams, students, adults and volunteers

The programmes

Separate programmes for different people, from a first night under the stars to advanced rope work. Start wherever suits you.

A group of trekkers with backpacks walking towards snow-capped mountains
Beginner

Explorer camps

Corporate teams and first-timers

A first step outdoors for people who spend most of the week at a desk. Gentle, social and fun: no experience or special fitness needed.

  • Nature walks and short treks
  • Team challenges and outdoor games
  • Pitching tents and camping overnight
  • Campfire cooking and stargazing
  • Basic knots and an introduction to first aid
An open first-aid kit laid out on the ground
Intermediate

Skills courses

Students, trekkers and anyone who spends time outdoors

Shorter, focused courses on one skill set at a time. Participants who complete a course receive a PRYMAL certificate.

  • First aid, including fractures, burns and CPR
  • Map, compass and route-finding
  • Shelter, fire and finding safe water
  • Reading terrain and weather
Climbers in helmets resting together on a rocky mountain slope
Advanced

Adventure camps

Participants with outdoor experience and a good level of fitness

Several days on demanding ground, under trained instructors, with the right equipment and safety cover.

  • Rock climbing and rappelling
  • Rope making and rope work
  • Slithering and rope descents
  • River crossings
  • Multi-day treks over rough terrain
Rescuers in life jackets paddling a raft along a flooded street
Most advanced

Volunteer programme

Selected volunteers, by assessment

Training for people who want to help during floods, landslides and other disasters, as official volunteers with the Convergent Defense Foundation.

  • Search and safe access to people who are trapped or lost
  • Casualty care and transport over rough ground
  • Rope rescue on steep ground
  • Signalling, radio and working with rescue teams

More programmes are being planned, including more fun, low-intensity activities for beginners.

The volunteer programme

Rescue can take hours to arrive. The first minutes belong to whoever is there.

Becoming a volunteer

The volunteer programme is the most demanding part of PRYMAL. Volunteers are trained to act safely in the first hours of a flood, landslide or other disaster, and to work alongside rescue teams.

  1. 1

    Apply or build up

    Apply directly and take an assessment, or join other PRYMAL programmes and spend time with us first.

  2. 2

    Get certified in first aid

    Every volunteer must hold a first-aid certificate before going out on a disaster response.

  3. 3

    Selected as a volunteer

    Those who are selected join the Convergent Defense Foundation as official disaster volunteers.

Not selected, or not ready yet? The skills still make you more capable and more useful to the people around you. You just would not go out as an official volunteer.

Apply to volunteer →