'Yo! Sushi' Leader, Lord Digby Jones, Head Teachers and Industry team up to challenge 'over-safety' culture. The Times, 10.07.08

Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi and a judge on the BBC show Dragons' Den, has told The Times that children must be exposed to more danger to help them to cope with the daily risk-taking required in the modern business world.

He said that he was in despair when he heard that schools were no longer taking pupils canoeing or camping in case they injured themselves.

“My greatest fear is our children will grow up expecting to be looked after their whole lives, and expect corporate reasonableness for their entire working life. There would be no way we could compete with India and China with that attitude. Businesses there are doing everything they can to succeed,” he said. “We need to encourage children to push themselves, to go beyond their limits, in order to build a nation of bold and confident people.”

Link to full Time article http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article4305515.ece 

Risk is OK - Courts decide

The benefit of healthy risk-taking outweigh the risks 

 Beales -v- The Scouts

In the recent case of Beales -v- The Scouts Assc the court was asked to
consider whether the Assc. were negligent in running a game which
involved the children jumping over a rope with a bag tied to the end.