Hume Term 3 Week 3

Hi everyone!

We have had a great start to the program especially given it was a bit on the rocks for a while there before and after lockdown. Brendon and I are feeling lucky to have a great group of young people with us this term and we are really looking forward to getting to know them .

Thursday was our first day and it is usually one of the hardest days for the young people as most students do not know each other yet and feel shy and a little apprehensive to begin with. This group however have gelled almost straight away and has already created such lovely bonds. We spent the morning at the Sussex Neighbourhood House (community centre) doing some ice breaker activities so that everyone was made familiar with each other and got to know each other's names. We talked about our individual values and set our group's code of conduct, highlighting our group values and goals that we will carry with us through the entire term. For the afternoon, we went boxing with our instructor Sal at the gym in Maribyrnong. We spoke about attitude and having a positive mindset not only during this program, but for our individual lives to better ourselves. Sal helps set a solid framework for the program. The session was fast pace, raising everyone's heart rates and we all were breaking a sweat! Some students had a spar with Sal in the ring after our boxing bag session and we were impressed! :) It was so great to see all students putting in all their efforts. The students did extremely well in participating and giving it a go, finishing the day on a high.

On Friday we had a big day! We started off completing the 1000 Steps (Kokoda Trail) which the students pushed through. Students took turns in leading the group and they all did a great job in that role. We had discussions about the differences between high and low resilience responses which meant that if we are facing a challenge and it seems too difficult to continue, we change our mind-set to be more positive and encouraging and this was used multiple times on the hike. We will focus on this throughout the entire program. For the afternoon, we went to Trees Adventure, a high ropes course in Belgrave. Some students faced challenges such as heights and using their upper body strength to complete the course. They all did really well! The students' feedback for the day was great as they all enjoyed it. Each student acknowledged a certain character strength they used throughout the day, helping them to start thinking about what makes them great as a person.

What a great start to the program!