Happy students on the beach completing their survival course around a campfire

survival courses for Schools & Colleges

Inspire your students with our survival bootcamps & courses, designed to develop confidence & self-esteem!

Courses Talks
School Survival Event

confidence – resilience – problem solving – teamwork – positive mindset – strength – leadership – courage – self-discipline

why do A survival course?

Our survival courses, designed specifically for schools, colleges, & youth groups offer a unique & inspirational outdoor event for your students, providing the opportunity to develop confidence & self-esteem through hands on experiences. The courses are a great end of term activity & many of the skills learnt will prepare your students for any upcoming exam pressures & interviews. They will also be able to include the skills they have learnt on their CV’s!

Your students will learn how to:

  • Work as a team: Students will work together to overcome challenges learning the importance of division of tasks and supporting each other.
  • Communicate effectively: Students will practise conveying their ideas and needs, clearly and concisely.
  • Listen to one another: Survival training teaches students the importance of listening to their peers, instructors, teammates and the environment.
  • Develop relationships: Through shared experiences and challenges, students will form bonds and relationships with their peers.
  • Problem solve: Students will learn to assess problems, identify solutions, and adapt to unexpected obstacles
  • Work better under pressure: By facing challenges and overcoming fears, students learn to manage stress, stay focused, and perform effectively under pressure.
  • Be prepared & self-disciplined: Survival training emphasises the importance of preparation, planning, and self-discipline.
  • Foster environmental stewardship: Spending time outdoors and experiencing nature firsthand fosters a deeper connection with the natural world.

All this while having enormous fun too !!

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

skills

  • Fire Skills
  • Survival Psychology
  • Water Sourcing
  • Navigation
  • Signalling for Help
  • Shelter Building
  • Expedition Kit Essentials

Venues

  • We can come to your school in the UK and Internationally. Ideally we need a grass lawn or woodland.
  • We can host our courses and events at Avalanche Adventure near Market Harborough, Leicestershire or any other suitable venue of your choice.
  • School Survival BootCamp (Students in the woods with their makeshift wigwam shelter and sporting their 'Feed the Rat' Tees)
  • School Survival BootCamp (Students rescuing their teacher on a survival bootcamp rescue mission)
  • School Survival Woodland Course (Students building a den in the woods)
  • School Survival BootCamp (Students navigating obstacles whilst blindfolded)
  • School Survival BootCamp (Students trusting their classmate with a blindfolded navigation exercise)
  • School Survival BootCamp (Students learning how to care for an injured party in the wild)

the survival courses

Talks To Inspire Your Students !

Download Brochure

Your host & inspirational speaker
John Sullivan

Get In Touch
John Sullivan (Inspirational Speaker) presenting 'Into The Wild' Talk

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A SPEAKER TO INSPIRE your students?

I will take your students on a thrilling ride of travel tales and encounters with nature. Sharing my own experiences, my adventure talks will inspire your students to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes and find courage in the face of change.

With humour, engaging videos, and unexpected surprises, I’ll keep your students hooked from start to finish.

Get your students motivated and ready for their own adventure fuelled by their passions.

Talk Titles

  • Eating With Cannibals – the Making of a Documentary
  • One Man, One Machete – Living with the Penan nomadic tribe
  • Feed the Rat – Living Your Dream
  • TV Programming – Myth and Reality
  • Into the Wild – The Art of Survival.
  • Survival of the Species – Wildlife Conservation Projects

Themes

  • Creative thinking & risk taking to develop an agile mind
  • Self-discipline & preparation
  • Overcoming adversity
  • Leadership & fostering morale
  • Embracing change
  • Appreciation of the environment & natural resources
  • A winning mentality & the courage to be yourself
John Sullivan Survival Presentation at the Bushcraft Show
John Sullivan Corporate Team Building & Positive Mindset Talks
John Sullivan, Wild Man in Borneo
John Sullivan meeting students at the Duke of Edinburgh Awards

what our client adventurers think:

An inspiring day that left an impression!

John’s experiences in the Royal Marines and his role working for TV companies in the jungle that they realised they could be just like him. By working hard, broadening their horizons, learning new skills and believing in themselves they too could achieve anything they put their heart into. An inspiring day that left an enduring impression – fantastic.
Adrian Barber, Project Manager
Project Manager at Bigger Picture Arts

Fantastic instructors

I knew that the day that our Year 11 students was going to be good even before I experienced the activities myself. The activities were real and challenging – they stretched theYear 11 students and demanded that they work as a team. The instructors were fantastic – confident, funny, enthusiastic, patient and thoroughly professional. The students could relate to them and were inspired by them. The level of detail in the planning was exceptional. A great experience for all!
John Mason
Head of Year 11 at Kettering Buccleuch Academt

Inspirational leadership & encouragement of young children

Having worked with John for a number of years and witnessed his inspirational leadership and encouragement of young people I wholeheartedly recommend that any educational organisation should use his talents to create opportunities for students to experience learning beyond the classroom.
Simon Brooks
Deputy Head of The International School of The Hague

A perfect Mix of Fun & Learning

I just wanted to say a big thank you for the great time we all had at last weekend’s survival training.
The activities you planned were a perfect mix of fun and learning – the children are still talking about eating fish eyes and carrying Mr Lander on the stretcher! We were extremely inspired by your presentation in the evening and are looking forward to ‘Feeding the Rat’ over the coming months and years. Thank you.
Carl Lander, Assistant Headmaster
Assistant Headmaster at St. Aubyn’s School

How do you top that!

At the end of each Speech Day, I am always asked “how I am going to top that” for next year’s event.  I would wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone looking for an entertaining as well as inspiring guest speaker.
Chetwynde School

Johns motivational talk inspired students!

John focused his talk on ‘Feeding the Rat’. Essentially the passion that lives inside of us needs to be fuelled whether that is sport, art, adventure, music and science. He shared the virtues that people need to do that e.g. self-belief, hard work, persistence. ISH is hopefully certain that John’s motivational talk inspired students to do something extraordinary in their future.
Head of Year 10
International School of Hague, Holland

Extremely positive feedback

Thanks again for your inspirational presentation , the feedback we’ve had from the girls has been extremely positive.
Lisa Spiteri
Head of Sixth Form at Jersey College for Girls

The best speaker we have had in many years

Just wanted to say a big thank you to John Sullivan who came to our school to deliver a speech at our awards evening for Year 9. He did a fantastic job, his speech was an excellent balance of motivation humour and inspiration. He kept us all gripped for 20mins. Many of out 300 guests have spoken to or contacted me since to say that he was the best speaker we have had in many years.
Caroline Bradshaw
Assistant Headteacher at Gartree High SchooI

The best speaker i have witnesses in over 30 years of teaching

An inspirational talk from a jungle explorer, John Sullivan. The best that I have witnessed in over 30 years of teaching.
Teacher
Brislington Enterprise College

The instructors were professional & inspired total confidence in staff

John and his team delivered survival training to our entire Year 10. Their experience of school groups and their expertise in their fields were strongly in evidence.
By the end of the activities we noticed that many students were mixing more freely and expressing the value of what they had learned. A lot of positive feedback has been received from staff, students and parents.
Jane Barnes
Head of Year 10 at The International School of the Hague Holland

Brilliant training & motivation

Just returned from a wonderful 24 hours in the wood in solitude. Just me, an axe, a billy can and a fire-striker. At 2am this morning I missed my sleeping bag, but the bacon butties for breakfast were the best. Thank you John for your brilliant training and motivation. Next stop Borneo!
Alison Attwood

Delivered exactly what was promised!

It is rare that a company delivers what they promise but Elite Survival did exactly that, taking the trouble to meet us for a pre-site visit, meticulously planning a programme tailored to the needs of our pupils and delivering a memorable experience to all concerned.

We would highly recommend you to any School who would like to use your company in the future.
Jane Di Sapia
Assistant Head of Years 5 & 6 at Bedford School

are you ready to survive?