If you were to look back on the past six months of your life, would you be proud of all that you have accomplished?
In August of 2025, twenty individuals from across the globe were invited to start their gap year journey at Pioneer Centre. Some arrived nervous, others eagerly anticipated their first solo session, but all stood at the beginning of a 12-month training programme that would transform them into qualified activity instructors.
Over the next six months, these twenty individuals would be put through rigorous training exercises, team building challenges, and skill examinations with the support and mentorship of our team of Senior and Lead Instructors. From day one, skills were being learned though play, and through having a go at the sessions they will hopefully be running one day. As the weeks progressed, the play shifted to practice – and they spent hours upon hours practicing the skills they had observed with their peers. With a watchful eye, our Senior and Lead Instructors witnessed these individuals blossom over the following weeks. Their knots grew tighter. Their instructors grew clearer. Their bravery? Skyrocketed!
It has now been over six months since these twenty brilliant minds started their journey with the Firm Foundations Training Programme. Now, instead of learning the skills, they are guiding new instructors and running sessions for our groups with minimal or no supervision. This is now a time for them to strengthen their skills, find their voice, and gain invaluable experience that will allow them to enter this career path with confidence.
We recently had the opportunity to connect with three of these young leaders and asked them a few questions about how their experience has been going so far. Keep reading to learn about everything they have accomplished!
Mai - Ecuador
We think there is no better way to catch up with Mai than by starting with seeing what her Senior Instructors have to say about her performance so far.
“Mai comes to work every day with a positive attitude, big smile and larger than life personality. She doesn’t let challenges get in the way of her and strives to succeed through everything. She sets a fantastic example to the rest of the team on a daily basis.”
From the overwhelmingly positive feedback they have passed along to us, it is clear that Mai has been an excellent role model for her peers over the past six months, with a constant smile on her face and a strive to do her absolute best each day. We connected with Mai to see how things are going.
“I am so much more responsible and independent, I have gotten to know myself better, I have improved my English, and I have become a better version of myself. Having to learn so much about things I knew nothing about before coming here, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it but after practising I actually got better and it made me really proud of myself.”
So back to our original question, would you think Mai is proud of everything she has accomplished over the last six months? There is no doubt that the answer is a resounding YES! When asked, Mai commented; “Being able to see improvements with the kids I work with, even in such a small amount of time. Having kids thank you for helping them overcome their fears is the biggest accomplishment ever.”
Johann - Germany
Johann has been impressing his Senior Instructors with his love for learning and his willingness to go beyond to support the guests he works with. Let us see what they had to say about his performance…
“Johann brings an inquisitive attitude to learn into every day; he has shown dedication to growth in new areas including the recent learning of Makaton* to improve his ability to work with guests needing additional support in communication.”
With our focus on releasing potential in ALL, we love to see Johann taking it upon himself to help others achieve their absolute best, even learning new skills to widen his abilities! When asked what he was most proud of, Johann commented that he was proud of himself for exploring this new career path which is one he had never experienced before. It takes a lot of bravery to step into a new country, with a different native language, and learn all these different skills. We are so proud of Johann for taking this leap of faith – do you think Johann is proud of his accomplishments? ABSOLUTELY he is!
“I’ve grown to be more resilient and become way more independent. The biggest challenge was learning how to lead a group completely on my own. The time here brought me lots of laughter, new friends, new skills and personal growth.” – Johann
Courtney - United Kingdom
Courtney discovered the programme through a different method than the first two volunteers we have mentioned: As a British resident, Courtney discovered Pioneer Centre through a local career fair our team attended, and heard about our training programme straight from the source! After six months on the programme, Courtney has truly become the instructor she was meant to be, and is now leading groups of her very own with confidence and enthusiasm. Her Senior Instructors were asked what they thought about her performance so far, and they gave us the following comment.
“Courtney brings an infectious smile and energy into the team; she is always excited to work with the children and to learn new things. She has shown dedication to learning Makaton* and working with groups with additional needs and provides high quality sessions every time she is out instructing.”
It takes a particular personality to have the calmness and trustworthy presence needed to support nervous guests, and the infectious smile and outgoing energy to provide challenges for the bravest of guests. We think Courtney has gotten the mixture exactly right! Her effort to support those with additional needs is admirable, and sets a fantastic example for our newest group of volunteers who are only just finding their feet and needing a role model to look up to.
“Because of the Firm Foundations scheme, I have gotten more confident in my leadership skills and working with children alongside many other like-minded individuals. I’m most proud of my confidence in running sessions for the children and the development of my soft and hard skills.” – Courtney
So where will you be in six months? What goals are you aiming to accomplish? What person do you think you are going to become? Here at Pioneer, we are looking forward to seeing what is next for these amazing individuals and for our next intake of Firm Foundations volunteers this August.
Want to join our programme? Applications are now open for our August 2026 and January 2027 intakes!
[* Makaton is a unique communication programme that uses symbols (pictures), signs (gestures) and speech to enable people to communicate. You can learn more at Makaton.org ]