Young changemakers build their skills!
During the first week of the school holidays, the annual YEC Sustainability Camp was held at Arbury Park Outdoor School in Bridgewater. Green Adelaide and Arbury Park staff collaborated to deliver a program for members to connect with nature, challenge themselves and think deeply about their environmental goals for the year.
The fifty-four members engaged in outdoor and indoor activities to build their skills as young changemakers, link learning to real world practice, and develop and plan their chosen environmental projects.
The selection of activities was based around two streams:
Members chose two activities from each of the streams, based upon their interests or the skills they wanted to improve on. During the sessions, the members were encouraged to reflect upon how the activities could be used to enhance or support their projects during the year.
A particular highlight of the camp was the Immersive Connection to Country, Cuppa and Yarn activity with Jade Kartanya Brook, Proudly Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri, Director - Third Camp. This focussed on colonisation, relationships and allyship, highlighting the importance of genuine connection and taking action toward reconciliation.
Members also went on guided bush walks, encountered a threatened species of frog during a nighttime frog hunt, and tried out a new activity called Pathfinders, where they had to work in small teams to undertake a range of physical challenges and solve puzzles to complete their quest. The camp was rounded out by a quiz night and talent show, and plenty of free time for them to form friendships and learn from other members’ experiences and past projects.
Now the camp has finished, members will be working on their projects before coming together at the end of the year to share them with invited guests, family members and each other, and to celebrate their achievements.
The fifty-four members engaged in outdoor and indoor activities to build their skills as young changemakers, link learning to real world practice, and develop and plan their chosen environmental projects.
The selection of activities was based around two streams:
- Project Themes - which included plants, animals and land; water, marine and coast; climate change; and community
- Leadership - public speaking; activism, advocacy, civics and citizenship; circle of influence, bringing people along; and project and event management).
Members chose two activities from each of the streams, based upon their interests or the skills they wanted to improve on. During the sessions, the members were encouraged to reflect upon how the activities could be used to enhance or support their projects during the year.
A particular highlight of the camp was the Immersive Connection to Country, Cuppa and Yarn activity with Jade Kartanya Brook, Proudly Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri, Director - Third Camp. This focussed on colonisation, relationships and allyship, highlighting the importance of genuine connection and taking action toward reconciliation.
Members also went on guided bush walks, encountered a threatened species of frog during a nighttime frog hunt, and tried out a new activity called Pathfinders, where they had to work in small teams to undertake a range of physical challenges and solve puzzles to complete their quest. The camp was rounded out by a quiz night and talent show, and plenty of free time for them to form friendships and learn from other members’ experiences and past projects.
Now the camp has finished, members will be working on their projects before coming together at the end of the year to share them with invited guests, family members and each other, and to celebrate their achievements.
