How did the embedding of a shared-read within a programme of Outward Bound activity impact on cohort bonding?

This UK project monitors and measures the addition of an opportunity for shared reading before a course of outside exploration. Twenty 10-12-year-olds from military families, who did not already know each other and were preparing to take sponsored places on an Outward Bound course on the Welsh coast, were sent a copy of an age-appropriate book. Copies were also sent to the rest of the cohort they would be joining and to staff members who would be working with them. The book was embedded in pre-course information, transition, and welcome activities. The outcomes were measured through questionnaires sent to individuals, both students and staff, after the course. Overall, those sent the book were pleased to receive it, a high number of them read it, and it offered common ground around which relationships could be formed. Recommendations for how similar activities may be developed in future are discussed.