Yarra Term 2 week 5
Hi everyone!
On Wednesday morning we had our second gym session with instructor Andrew at the Richmond Recreation Centre. We had a good session that got everyone's heart rates up and the adrenalin pumping! We were introduced to new equipment which was also fun. We believe regular exercise is important because it promotes strong muscles and bones, especially beneficial for this group of young men. Not only is it good for physical health but exercise makes you feel better mentally and we wish to support the motivation for the young people. The rest of the day was spent at the Yarra Youth Centre where we had a street art session led by Brodie, a talented artist himself. The students were given free rein to wall canvases and had many spray paint colours to choose from. The young people were encouraged to be creative and use their art as an outlet. The students did a fantastic job, both Brendon and I were very impressed! Visual art aids in reducing stress and supports expression of emotion which we believe is valuable for the young people.
On Thursday we made our way straight to Bancoora beach for our Surf camp. We had a great time! We were lucky with both days to have decent weather and water conditions. Our surf instructor Kev introduced us to the techniques of how to stand up on the board effectively and then off we went. The group made a good effort on their first day and it was great to see them enjoying their time. After our lesson, we drove down to Torquay and had some well deserved hot chips on the beach. We then went to Bells Beach where we had the chance to check out Victoria's renowned surf beach, watch other surfers and go for a walk along the shore.
We stayed the night at the Breamlea Caravan Park just down from Bancoora beach. We had a BBQ burgers for dinner which everyone had a role for including prep, cooking and cleaning. After dinner we went to the recreation room to play some table tennis and card games. Brendon and I also conducted mid-term interviews with the students, discussing their progression on the program, what they have learnt and how they can improve themselves at school. It was great to hear about their experiences and feelings towards the program so far and how they intend to advance at school. The main focus of this camp was the 3 P's - Patience, Persistence and Participation. This time we added a 4th P which we all agreed was really important; Positivity. During our debrief, students also identified times when they used the 3 P's and how they could transfer those skills to school. The young people were exhausted from the days activities so going to sleep that night was easy :)
The next morning, we made a really yummy breakfast including pancakes on the BBQ and fuelled our bodies for our next session in the water. Due to too big of surf at Bancoora beach, we went to Cosy Corner instead in Torquay which was amazing. The sun was out and the water was perfect. Kev ran a short yoga session before we jumped into the water which felt so good to stretch. The young people did an even better job on the second day and all caught plenty waves! We were so impressed. After lunch we packed the bus and made our way back to Melbourne. Everyone must have been exhausted because the bus ride home was fairly quiet! :)
Great job everyone!
