Code of Conduct

Your Expedition Leader and Link Teacher are obliged by law to act in loco parentis and take the same care that a reasonable, prudent and careful parent would take in the same circumstances. In return, you are expected to listen to advice from your Expedition Leader and Link Teacher. If the health, safety or enjoyment of the group is at risk then your Leader or Link Teacher may issue a specific instruction or request. You must respond to these instructions or requests immediately.

You are obliged to behave sensibly throughout the expedition, taking no unnecessary risks. You are also obliged to inform the Expedition Leader, Link Teacher and other group members of any potential hazards that you spot that may present a risk to the group.

It is expected that expedition members will fully participate in the expedition, and this includes taking on roles (for example team leader, accountant, safety officer) and carrying out your associated tasks to the best of your abilities. Other members of the team must respect requests issued by those under appointment.

A set of rules for the expedition will be drawn up by the team during expedition training. They can be modified during the expedition period, but only by agreement of the group. The whole group are expected to follow these rules.

All members of the expedition group will abide by the ChildSafe & CAM photography guidelines to ensure we portray children with dignity in our high-level social practices while respecting the privacy and safety of the depicted children. ChildSafe and CAM photography guidelines can be found on your BaseCamp portal under the Leadership Development Section.

Sex between expedition group members or with local people is not condoned during an Outlook Expedition. This is because there can be damaging or dangerous consequences (e.g. HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases or implications due to the culture and traditions of the country that you are visiting). Sex between group members can have a detrimental effect on the group dynamics and so is not condoned and in line with this male:female tent sharing is not permitted. All exclusive relationships are ill-advised.

Outlook operates a clear policy for drinking alcohol on expedition:

We will always implement the alcohol policy of your school, whether this does or does not permit alcohol on expedition.

If the school policy permits alcohol to be consumed on expedition then a principle of moderate (2 cans / bottles) supervised drinking will be followed.

Any person involved in unsupervised or excessive drinking will immediately be given an amber card (see disciplinary procedure below). A second occurrence and a red card is given and the person will be asked to leave the expedition (at their own expense).

Any participant involved in unsupervised or excessive drinking that risks the safety and welfare of individuals within the group will immediately be given a red card and sent home. This will be managed at the discretion of the Expedition Leader and Link Teacher.

Outlook operates a zero tolerance drugs misuse policy. You must inform your Expedition Leader or Link Teacher of any prescribed drugs or of any other medication that you take during your expedition. The taking of non-prescribed drugs is not permitted on expedition – it is a red card offence. If you think a member of the group has taken or been given non-prescribed drugs then you must inform your Expedition Leader or Link Teacher immediately.

All members of the expedition group will respect the local culture, traditions and environment of the country that they are visiting. Failure to do so will seriously threaten the success of your expedition and the opportunity for future expeditions.

The traffic light system will be used to manage group members that do not follow this code of conduct. A first offence is given a verbal warning, and the group member is allowed to continue with the expedition. A second offence is given an amber card, the group member is allowed to continue with the expedition provided they abide by a stricter code of conduct. The third offence is given a red card and the parents of the participant will be contacted to discuss what action should be taken. If the matter cannot be resolved, the group member will be sent home, at the expense of the parent/guardian. The Expedition Leader and Link Teacher are responsible for implementing the disciplinary procedure.