The Great Ocean Walk is a hiking camp of 3 days and 2 nights duration. Students walk 24 km from Apollo Bay to Parkers Inlet inside the Great Otway National Park. Each student carries a backpack containing all of their own camping equipment and supplies. Students sleep in tents at designated campsites that are maintained by Parks Victoria. This provides both an individual and group challenge, with perseverance, tolerance of each other and cooperation in pairs or small groups as major elements, and provides opportunity to deconstruct some of the presenting behaviours of the students and to accelerate personal development and narrative development.
See www.greatoceanwalk.com.au for more information.

Abseiling takes place in an isolated area at the You Yangs National Park, 55kms south west of Melbourne towards Geelong. Abseiling is an activity with a significant level of perceived risk. Students are taken out of their comfort zone in a safe environment by descending the granite wall at the Big Rock Picnic Area. This provides an individual challenge, with communication, cooperation and trust as major elements, and opportunity to deconstruct some of the presenting behaviours of the clients. Students are given instruction in fitting a harness, connecting into a rope system and safely abseiling to ground level. This activity is run in conjunction with the mountain biking activity. See www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more information.

The students are given a practical exercise in making a hacksaw in the Engineering department at NMIT Heidleberg. Here students bend a steel rod using a base plate and a variety of hand tools to finish the project. Students get to take home the hacksaw after finding out how to access the courses and careers in Mechanical Engineering.

Students travel to the South Melbourne Surf Life Saving Club to firstly learn about CPR and First Aid. Students do basic patient assessment and perform resuscitation on manequins to pass their certificate assessed by an instructor. After this students are given a tour of the club and given information about the services offered. The group are then given the opportunity to practise on rescue boards before learning rescue techniques in the water. This activity is always done before the surf camp to give students confidence and real skills in a water environment. These experiences give students an understanding that they can contribute to community safety. By learning the resucitation skill, students have built confidence in themselves to intervene and assist if there is a need. This can contribute to the feeling of self worth and the way they perceive themselves.

The farm in Collingwood is a not-for-profit organisation that is a great resource for the children in Melbourne who do not get experiences in farm animals. The farm relies on voluntry groups to assist in its running while offering great educational outcomes. Operation Newstart groups come in to assist in a project that benefits the farm and the people who visit. Previous groups have created garden beds that better the appearance of the farm or have removed unwanted weeds along the bank of the Yarra river. Students also get to interact with animals by feeding pigs,chickens and goats as well as ocassionally milking the cow.

The surf camp is a 2 camp staying at the Bancoora Surf Life saving Club located just outside Torquay. A surf instructor takes the students through water safety and the steps to successfully stand up and ride a wave. Students attain a Victorian Surfing Association Water Safety and Surfing Certificate. Surf camp activity is run by Operation Newstart staff and surf school personnel and provides an individual challenge to students in a surf environment, with communication, cooperation and trust as major elements. The camp provides opportunity to deconstruct some of the presenting behaviours of the students.
Note: Surfing is not offered in third term.
See www.torquaysurf.com.au for more information on surf lessons.

Caving is conducted in an isolated area and is an activity with a significant level of perceived risk useful in developing a team ethos where communication and the physical support of others is important to get through the cave. Students are issued with a helmet and head torch and given safety information prior to being lowered 10 metres underground. From there the group follow markers and together find a way to the exit of the cave, which is approximately is 200m long. The caving activity provides both individual and group challenges, with communication, cooperation and teamwork as major elements. This provides opportunity to deconstruct some of the presenting behaviours and to accelerate the narrative construction of the students.
See www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more information about caving.

The students are given a practical exercise in paving in the Landscaping department at NMIT Fairfield. Here the students are taught how to lay pavers on a bed of sand using a variety of landscaping techniques. Students learn about the variety of courses offered at the TAFE inside the horticulture department. Students are also given an insight to the Floristry department where they experience a flower arranging activity.

Students undertake a day’s fire education and fire fighting activities run by Country Fire Authority (CFA) personnel at the Fiskville training centre near Ballan. This an amazing experience and opportunity offered by the CFA gives Newstart students a real taste of fire training. Students are given a science lesson on fire and then receive explanation and experience in the use of a variety of different extinguishers to put out fires. After a hearty CFA lunch students get to work as a team and experience a simulated gas cylinder fire using the big pressure hoses to extinguish the flames. Students also have opportunity to sit in a room that simulates a house fire to experience the heat that is generated. Students receive fire education and acquire fire fighting skills in an activity that has significant challenge and perceived risk. This serves to assist in the development of students self belief and positive narrative development. Communication and teamwork are major elements of this activity. The training also gives students an understanding of how a community service operates with regard to safety in the community and how everyone can play a role in fire prevention. Through team work, communication in a perceived risk environment, students have a heightened sense of achievement when engaged in this unique and challenging activity.

Survivor is a team competitive experience in which the Operation Newstart Northern students compete as a team against other Operation Newstart programs to gain points by participating in challenges. Students create a shelter to sleep under and participate in high ropes and other problem solving activities. The camp is conducted at Kinglake Ranges Adventure Camp. The camp provides both individual and group challenges with communication, cooperation, trust and teamwork as major elements. Students apply problem solving skills in a competitive, challenging environment that requires team cooperation.
See www.krwc.com.au for more information on Survivor Camp

Students undertake a half day indoor rock climbing at Hardrock climbing gym to explore individuals limits. Under instruction students on the program for the first time learn to fit a harness and to connect to the rope system so that they can safely climb the artificial rock wall at the gym. Students will be taught how to belay and ensure the safety of the climber. The challenge can vary from easy to very hard depending on the student’s willingness to explore them stepping out of their comfort zone. This provides an individual challenge to students, with communication, cooperation and trust as major elements, and provides opportunity to deconstruct some of the presenting behaviours of the students and to assist further narrative development.
For further information see www.hardrock.com.au.

Operation Newstart has in the past used two TAFE departments at NMIT Preston and William Anglis in the city. Students get expert tuition by qualified chefs in food handling and meal preparation. At William Anglis students prepare 3 different meals, one that is devoured at lunch. Students learn how to enter the pathway of hospitality through the information on courses offered at the TAFE.

Students travel to the South Melbourne Surf Life Saving Club to firstly learn about CPR and First Aid. Students do basic patient assessment and perform resuscitation on manequins to pass their certificate assessed by an instructor. After this students are given a tour of the club and given information about the services offered. The group are then given the opportunity to practise on rescue boards before learning rescue techniques in the water. This activity is always done before the surf camp to give students confidence and real skills in a water environment. These experiences give students an understanding that they can contribute to community safety. By learning the resucitation skill, students build confidence in themselves to intervene and assist if there is a need. This can contribute to the feeling of self worth and the way they perceive themselves.

Canoeing day-trips are undertaken to allow students to complete a day’s paddling instruction and canoe touring on a Grade 1 river. This enables students to gain canoeing skills, including paddling and safety skills relevant to canoeing. Effective communication and partner cooperation are major elements of this activity.
These day-trips serve as preparation for the Canoe Expedition, for which we travel to the Lower Glenelg River, near the South Australian border, where students embark on a journey which includes a 7km hike and 40 kms by river in a canoe. In the course of this journey students are tested in the skills they have developed throughout the programme. Students are required to show that they can work well both as a team and individually and displaying organisational skills relevant for camping.
The group complete a five day expedition of bush walking and canoeing with limited facilitator intervention in order to encourage the clients to draw on their skills acquired over the term, to reinforce those skills in a perceived stressful situation and to encourage further narrative development for the clients through a non directive process.
See www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more information about the Canoe Expedition

A mountain bike track has been designed by Parks Victoria at the You Yangs National Park. Classed an easy to medium ride but requiring a good level of fitness students ride through a single track through the forrest. Students will also experience a course that has some challenging dips and rises that is a challenge by choice opportunity. This provides students with practice and experience addressing communication, safety and teamwork.
Visit www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more information.

The NMIT department at Yan Yean is a living and working farm which teaches students in the field of Agriculture. Newstart students get a tour around the farm and experience some of the activities on offer depending on the season. Students in the past have had a drive of a tractor, weighed and herded cattle and assisted in sheep shearing. More than anything this is a real education experience about farming and the demands and joys it delivers.

One of our recent focus areas is with health and fitness. Students are given an assessment on the first day which is compared to the post program assessment to measure the gains in fitness attributed to the physical activities on Newstart. Students will also be given a 3 month memebership at the City of Yarra Recreation Gyms to work out outside of the program. While on the program students will participate in gym circuits designed by the instructor which concentrate on fitness gains. Nutrition will also be discussed to highlight the importance it has in determing an individuals health.
The activity serves to increase the student's perception of body image and control they have in creating lifestyle and health choices. In a fun and non threatening environment students can measure their physical improvement over the term and be motivated to continue with helathy life choices with respect to health and exercise.

Cross Country Skiing is offered in third term only and instead of surfing.
We travel to Lake Mountain on a two day camp where students undertake an overnight cross country skiing trip with a high level of perceived risk and skill acquisition. Students experience cross country skiing using the groomed trails maintained by the resort. Students learn the skills required to successfully ski safely up and down the trails while enjoying the snow environment on offer. Students travel to Narbethong where dorm accommodation is used for the night away. The activity serves to engage the students in a challenging and unfamiliar activity to develop further the narrative understanding of their ability to achieve above and beyond what they might normally expect.
See www.lakemountainresort.com.au for more information on the venue.

High Ropes is an adventure activity provided by the high and low ropes course run by KWAC personnel in a bush setting. The activity involves a high level of perceived risk. Students are connected to a safety rope and then climb 10 metres up a ladder to attempt to walk over a series elements high above the ground. The elements are: the log walk, tight rope, multi-vine and flying fox, which is the finale and provides the way to return to ground. This activity may also be incorporated in the Survivor Camp or on the Surf Camp or could be a single day within the program.
The activity provides both individual and group challenges, with communication, cooperation, trust and teamwork as major elements.
Visit www.krwc.com.au for more information on the high ropes.

The Mt Buller Leadership Camp is offered in term 3 only and for past Newstart graduates.
This 4 day skiing/snowboarding camp is offered to past Newstart graduates who have gone back to school and achieved their educational goals. Students are given expert tuition by Mt Buller instructors in their choice of snowboarding or skiing and stay in a chalet on the mountain. Students are nominated by their school for their change in attitude and ability to fulfil their potential since being back at school. Students are required to participate in a project that is set up and discussed during the camp. This initiative is made possible through Mt Buller Ski Lift’s generosity. The activity involves a high level of perceived risk and skill acquisition and is offered to students as a reward for reaching potential back at school. This engages the students in a challenging and unfamiliar activity to develop further the narrative understanding of their ability to achieve above and beyond what they might normally expect. It also explores the role of leadership and taking the next step in their educational journey.
See www.mtbuller.com.au for more information.

Horseriding is a fantastic experience where the group travel to Uncle Nev's in Wallan to go on a ride through some lovely bush. Students undertake a day’s horse riding activity which involves a significant level of perceived risk. It can be a nervous time for some students but after their confidence grows it turns in to a memorable experience. This provides both individual and group challenges, with listening, cooperation and teamwork as major elements. Students get to trust and respect their horse, learning how to turn, stop and run as they choose. After a nice BBQ we return to the stables via some different routes that allow some good gallops.