MERRI-BEK TERM 1 2024 WEEK 4
Hello Everyone! I hope all of you have been well, we surely have been on the program! So here is our weekly breakdown for you :-D
On Wednesday the 28th we collected the group at Oxygen Youth and quickly headed off towards Honey Bones Gallery for a street art session with JESS WRIGHT also known as JESWRI, a commissioned street artist that works alongside the gallery. During this time our group was able to utilise the walls provided to create their own pieces or trial some skills with the spray cans. First the group primed the walls before getting to expressing! During the time the students worked together and solo and discussed in detail to better perfect their art. Once we finished this session we took a quick photo before eating our lunch and heading off to our 2nd gym session at Brunswick Baths. Jessie took over our class again and this time we got on our mats and did some floor workouts. This was a great way to try out a new exercise and although not everyone will return to it, they took it on with energy and excitement! After finishing our day we dropped our group off again before heading off for our mid program parent session. Thanks to all who attended we were able to chat about where our group is at and how each student is going individually, talking about their young person's strengths and what we can do to help this continual growth.
On Thursday we collected at Collingwood station, and we all headed off for the trip to Torquay. The crew were a bubbly and happy bunch, chatting, eating and singing along on the ride. After putting away our things at our accommodation we headed off to get wetsuits and explore the famous surf beach Bells Beach. The group loved exploring all the rocks and got a little wet before we finally headed off back to the accommodation to prepare for our surf session. After the gruelling act of slipping into these tight but warm suits we headed to the beach and began our surf lesson. The crew acted out their movies on the sand, trying the initial standing motion and getting comfortable with the boards before hitting the water. Staying within the flags the group went headfirst into the water shuffling with their boards further in. Everyone did well to give it a try, with Kev (our surf instructor) and our facilitators supporting their experience, all reaching to their knees on the boards while catching a wave, some even standing if only for a quick moment. When we had finally exhausted ourselves throughout our 2 hour session, we took our boards back and thanked Kev for the day before changing for a comfortable cool down at our accommodation. The Bancoora Surf Life Saving Club is a space greatly and appreciatively utilised during most our terms, and is a cabin set up, even holding a pool table and tv’s. After putting away our things, we began to unwind. When we finally came to dinner, everyone joined together and began cooking and preparing for one another. Post-meal, the crew decided to head to the beach for a night walk seeing the sun set on the beautiful landscape and playing in the sand. After we played a few games of pool, having a laugh, even getting some individual check in time with staff, everyone headed to bed for the evening.
On Friday the 1st of March we awoke early to prepare for a morning swim session. Making a group meal and preparing individually we all greeted Kev for our surf session. When we headed to the beach by our accommodation, the crew stood in awe of the beautiful view first thing in the morning, looking out as we travelled to our surf spot. With another introductory session on the sand, Kev took us through the steps of standing, before touching on enjoying the moment and the space we were at, something we all could do well to remember. When the crew slipped to the water they were quick to adapt and utilise the skills they had developed the day previous to catch some waves. The group did amazingly, standing for longer each time they stood atop the wave. They also played amongst themselves splashing and trying different surfing techniques during our session, or chilling on the sand. When we finally finished we thanked Kev before handing back our suits and boards. The rest of our stay was breezy, cooking, cleaning and eating before having a reflection time as a group. When we finished in the space we locked up and headed home, arriving for a 3pm drop off.
Once again we had a very eventful and reflective week, and all our group did well to voice their questions and take part in our days together! Congrats everyone!
