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It is the violent stretching process of the short-term courses, such as provided at Cartref Melys, which can produce in the youngsters attending them, such surprising changes of attitude and outlook in so short a time as a month.
The media of the sea and the mountains round which all the training at Cartref Melys revolves, are in themselves stern masters who do not suffer fools gladly. They impose on those who use them their own disciplines if they are to survive. Yet as though in reward for the batterings of rain, gale, and snow, they leave in those who venture upon them a lasting sense of achievement and a very real increase in their self‑confidence. The irresponsible continue at their own risk and more often the soft and feckless ways of the child begin to shed and reveal the sterner stuff of the young man. It is good to hear their surprise at their own achievements and to know that already new horizons have been shown. For many, new values have been expounded and proved sound against real situations, so obviously more acceptable than all the adult exhortations. Many whose high spirits have previously brought them only trouble, have found that in directing them into worthwhile channels has come a sense of responsibility and some really outstanding results for a common good.
It is certain that we must take much greater care over the selection of boys coming on the courses. There is little value in merely transplanting a number of boys all from one source, for few have the strength of character to rise above their roguish past in the full knowledge of their companions. The greatest possible value lies in the broad diversity of their backgrounds, the meeting of fresh faces, the making of new friends with different ideas and experiences. The two courses held which have gone the nearest to this end have produced far and away the best results. I would like to think that in the very near future there would be boys on our courses who are not in the care of Barnardo's and who would help to provide a wider background of experience. It is, after all, the final aim that our boys should become integrated members of society. What finer method could there be towards this end than the comradeship formed by the common bond of adventurous activity shared on the course. It is always difficult to express clearly the atmosphere of a place like this in writing, for so much of it has to be seen and the spirit which dominates it felt. I hope that as many as possible of the Superintendents of the Branch Home and other interested parties will come and see Cartref Melys in action. I am quite sure that having done so; they will not be in any doubt as to why Cartref Melys is a vital and worthwhile part of Barnardo's. A. F. Montgomery, WardenMr. Wheatley viewed Cartref
Melys prior to our arrival
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The sustained pressure of life at Cartref
Melys undoubtedly comes as a shock to each course, for it would seem that
at no other time in their lives so far have they been hounded into
producing such a standard of effort and determination for the common good
of a team of which they are a member. There can be no passengers here, for
all are important links in the chain and all must contribute to the
success of their combined efforts in overcoming the challenges laid before
them. Reinforced by the eternal cries of the Instructors to 'get on with
it', 'get round and help' and 'don't just stand there, do something', the
boys quickly learn to put behind them the petty bickering of their age and
begin to realize that by working together problems of apparently
insurmountable difficulty can be overcome quite easily and with
considerable enjoyment.
I
have absolutely no doubt in my own mind that training of this kind is
always worthwhile and that it should be in this day and age an essential
part of the education of the young. It is quite clear from the five
courses, which we have now held, that to the type of boy in the care of
Barnardo's, Cartref Melys can be of very real help. To boys so noticeably
lacking in self‑confidence and self‑respect, and to whom the idea of
working harmoniously in a team does not come easily, the entirely
different atmosphere of Cartref Melys, with a staff whose methods and
approach are different again, can provide a beneficial shock and a new
experience. Yet if the Adventure Training Centre is to realize its fullest
value to Barnardo's, its activities must not cease at the end of a course.
There must be facilities for these boys to be able to continue to sail,
canoe, and climb, if to a lesser degree, at the Branch Homes from which
they come and thus maintain the valuable effects of the training.