HUME WEEK 7 TERM 4

Hi everyone!

Well we just had a rather adventure themed week!

We started on Wednesday the 16th, bags packed and crew ready. We began our day with preparing our students for the exhibition and growth part of our camp. For this everyone decided upon a character strength they wished to focus on during the 3 day adventure. Some include perseverance, self-regulation and bravery. Once founded we took no time in delay as we headed straight off for our expedition camp, a two night tent camp at Coopers creek. This space was made available to us thanks to the crew at RUBICON Najook. Without them and their lovely staff we would haven’t been able to do this part of the program and for that we are greatly thankful. The first day was the initial drive to Najook where we had a pit stop and prepped all the gear and items we would be needing on the trip. Meeting our friendly RUBICON companions, John, Sara and Karen, we made quick introductions before heading off towards our campsite. With all the driving included we were left with a small introductory session of white water rafting, the main activity that was introduced for this camp. This handled the skills of sitting in the boat and paddling appropriately as well as listening to direction. When done we all came together to pack up the boats and prepare our campsite. The group, jittery with excitement, were quick to set up their tents as well as our communal spaces. Ending off the day we cooked together a halal butter chicken with rice and sat by the campfire playing games and eating desserts to finish off on a sweet note.

On Thursday the 17th we woke early and prepped for the intense day ahead of us. Everyone showed great lengths of preparation and positivity, getting ready and coming to attention when we had planned to set off. We prepped the boats like the night before and set off into the river quicker than ever. All members of the crew were eager to begin our rafting journeys. Along the way we got turned around, splashed and rocked this way and that, but squeals and cheers were heard throughout the Thomson river. With record time each boat met its landing at our halfway point. This meant a small snack break and chat from both boats as they chatted about their readiness to go a second round. When done we gladly took our bus and RUBICON’s car to the second location. Brendon, John and Sara had kindly shuttled these vehicles to the halfway point the night before, and made our trip twice as good for it. Getting to the second point we held a quick lunch, before jumping into the rafts with a change of crew. Shifting the boat's members aids in spreading teamwork opportunities as well as group bonding. With a few interesting sites and some enjoyable screams here and there we all successfully completed the day of rafting. After saying goodbye to John and Sara we all cleaned off to head to Walhalla, a small gold mine town in the mountains of Gippsland. We got to see one of the most beautiful sites of old buildings and fresh greenery; it felt like a dream. That night after seeing all these new places and doing all these new things we held a group dinner before coming together to do a reflection. Reflections during the camp help to see how everyone is going as well as touching on positive growth we see in ourselves and others. We focused on the character strengths we had originally developed before touching on the topic of appreciation. We normally as a group bring gratitude into our days with a sign off of something we are grateful for, and this time was no different, except that it was an appreciation from members of the group. This activity brought all of us closer and we could definitely see and feel how much our group has helped and impacted one another over this program so far.

On the final day, the 18th, we had an early rise to pack and leave our faithful Coopers Creek. The crew all did their part in making breakfast and saying our goodbyes to this wonderful space. Before long we were met again with Najook, where we unpacked and cleaned all the gear before having a beautifully supplied lunch and having our final send off from RUBICON.

This camp held a lot of ups and downs for all involved, but I'm sure that this is one of the memories they will hold dear. Everyone passed with great levels of participation, positivity, patience and perseverance! CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

!NOW FOR OUR STUDENT WEEKLY REVIEW, FEATURING KAAN AND SEFINE!

WE WENT ON OUR 3 DAY EXPEDITION CAMP THIS WEEK. HOW WAS IT COMING TO THE CAMP WITHOUT A PREPARATION DAY BEFORE WE HEADED OUT? WAS THERE ANY CHALLENGES FOR YOU OR WAS IT EASY?

Kaan - “It was okay because I only had to prepare my own things at home”

Sefine - “Coming to camp with no preparation was alright because I still packed things I needed and I followed the camp list.”

WE WENT TO COOPERS CREEK, A LOVELY SPACE THAT WAS SET FOR OUR CAMPING JOURNEY. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THIS SPACE FOR THE 3 DAYS? WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THIS SPACE?

Kaan - “Being able to set up tents in a lovely area, and my challenge was getting the rafts set up”

Sefine - “My favourite part was the campfire and the biggest challenge was the drop toilet”

WE FACED THE RAPIDS HEAD ON WITH THE HELP OF SARA, KAREN AND JOHN, THE FRIENDLY STAFF AT RUBICON. WHAT WAS A CHARACTER STRENGTH YOU FEEL YOU GREW DURING THESE ACTIVITIES? WHY?

Kaan - “Bravery because it was scary but I still got through it”

Sefine - “I felt like i grew perseverance because when I would raft I had to paddle quite a lot and did get tired but I finished what I started”

DURING OUR TRIP WE FOCUSED ON OUR POPULAR TOPIC OF MINDSET AND APPRECIATIONS/GRATITUDE. WHAT WAS A MOMENT YOU UTILISED A POSITIVE MINDSET OR WISH YOU HAD AND WHY? WHAT'S ONE YOU DON’T THINK YOU REALLY USED AND WHY?

Kaan - “I used a positive mindset with taking the rafts to the water”

Sefine - “I used gratitude when we sat around the campfire and said what we were all grateful for, I wish I has a more positive mindset because at some points of the activities I tended to think negatively”

WHAT WAS SOMETHING YOU APPRECIATED THIS CAMP?

Kaan - “ I appreciated being able to go out into the water”

Sefine - “I really appreciated being with the girls and that I got to grow a better friendship with them”

MOST MEMORABLE/FAVOURITE MOMENT?

Kaan - “Going down the three big rapids”

Sefine - “ When we went to the 2nd part of the rafting and Zoey and I protected Aliyah from getting wet, we did not succeed but throughout that we had the best laughs and grew memories together”