Outreach Camp at Mangrove Mountain

With the last outreach camp going ahead in 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Outreach team were keen to make up for lost time. From 27^th–29^th of September, the outreach holiday program committee made up of volunteers, were exhaustive in their preparation and early on Tuesday morning Jake and Claire made the transport rounds and soon had a bus load of excited young people on Mangrove Mountain. The outreach team really came together to make sure the young people engaged in the program were able to share this experience together, with staff from the social work, SHS, SIL and the Central Coast Youth Hope branch filling in the transport gaps or volunteering their time to support various shifts throughout the camp.

The theme of the camp was positive and healthy relationships and with such a skilled team and a well-planned schedule this was delivered seamlessly. Upon arrival and setup, the attending young people were supported to make a quick transition from being glued to their familiar caseworkers, to bonding with each other over craft, board, and ball games. Before long the knowledgeable caretaker of the campground – Carmel, hosted a cultural bush walk around the property discussing the native flora and fauna along with their significance to the local indigenous people. Not letting the freezing water temperatures stop them, a walk past the waterfalls on the property had the attending young people eager to return with their swimmers. The team were lucky to have Adam Singer attend the first day of camp to capture the special moments that followed. Some of the young people attending expressed they had never seen a waterfall in person, let alone had the opportunity to get in one and this remarkable spot became a regular visit in the coming days. Returning to camp the young people settled freely into a rotation of fun. Laura ran a Macrame clinic in the main hall which had young people and staff alike producing over 50 key chains, while outside in the sun a friendly game of cricket was attracting the most unlikely of participants. “I can’t bowl” or “I’ve never batted before” had the young people encouraging each other and soon everyone performed like a young Brett Lee and Donald Bradman. As the sun began to set, home-made burgers were enjoyed by all before s'mores were toasted over the campfire. Of course, no camp would be complete without an hour of spotlight followed by a team-building game of ‘A minute to win it’. The energy and co-operation that was shown by the young people during this game was contagious and memories of tic tac toe, hands-free Oreo eating and blanket-worm racing won’t be forgotten easily. With no gas left in the tank everyone settled into bed, with the young people choosing between the warm hall in front of the fire and the true outdoors experience in the tents.

Day 2 began with the delicious smell of bacon and egg rolls before a very special guest speaker; Brett Connellan arrived to give a presentation which attracted the majority of outreach staff in attendance. Brett spoke passionately about overcoming adversity against the odds following a life-changing shark attack. A sausage sizzle and a heated game of 44 home (modified tips) led to a trip to the local beach where the young people enjoyed fishing, swimming, and a sandcastle competition. Returning late in the afternoon home made pizza was on the menu as a sudden hailstorm rolled in. If you think this would dampen the camping vibes you would be mistaken as the young people enjoyed reaching out from undercover, catching and collecting the ice. The team whipped up some home-made cold rock-style ice-creams enjoyed by all before the exhausted group settled in for hot chocolates and a movie night.

Day 3 opened with the biggest stack of pancakes the team have ever seen with the young people enjoying the process of cooking these to perfection on the barbecue. After 3 days and 2 nights of bonding there was a distinct sense of togetherness while sharing the various fruit, Nutella and cream toppings around the table. A clean up and a bush walk was followed by a guest attendance by Tam from Speaking in Colour who guided the young people through a weaving workshop before regathering in the great hall. It was at this time each of the young people shared their favourite sentiments of the camp and reflected on how they can take these home with them. Each of the young people were presented with a framed group photo from day one and enjoyed signing the back of each other’s frames. The young people were also presented a hand-knitted blanket kindly donated by Warm Blankets For Everyone and encouraged to associate this with the wholesome moments shared during camp when experiencing challenging times. It was during this ceremony Mangrove Mountain truly became Magic Mountain, with young people and staff alike not wanting to leave.

This camp and the powerful memories made for the young people engaged in various Outreach Programs could not have occurred without the exhaustive efforts of all attending staff who generously gave up their time and valuable sleep to make it the wonderful success it was. Particular acknowledgement must be given for April Calo, Caseworker in the Youth Hope team. A natural camp leader who headed the holiday program committee, and Isaac King from Youth Hope for the coordination of the day to day running of the camp and looked after the attending staff and young people like no other. We can’t wait for next year!