Over the past 23 years Southern Cross Kids Camps has been delivering outstanding life transforming camps for primary aged kids. This year we will have 18 camps around the country, giving the kids who attend the best week of their year.
During that time there have been a number of those kids return as leaders on our camps. This is quite extraordinary as there is about a 6-year gap from when they graduate from camp until they are old enough to return as an adult eader on camp.
We have dreamt about filling that gap and creating a junior youth camp.
We piloted just such a camp 3 years ago. We called it “Wild”. Already the results are outstanding. Wild Camp is for kids who have graduated from our regular junior camping program. Relationships and trust have already been built. Of the 8 kids who have graduated from Wild Camp so far, 2 have returned as junior leaders on primary camp.
We are expecting to add another 2 this July.
Wild Camp is working to bridge the gap and have an even greater impact through continued, meaningful belonging, on the kids that are entrusted to us.
A 3-year pilot has been conducted out of Yarra Ranges Camp and there is significant interest from other camps to start their own Wild Camp. It’s time for us to produce the Wild Camp program in a scalable form that can be rolled out across the country, in the way we have done with our traditional junior camps.
While the 1:1 leader to child ratio remains the same and child safety is paramount, many aspects of Wild Camp are different. Outdoor Wilderness Adventure plays a vital part of Wild. Teaching sessions are tailored to a teen audience, with key themes focusing on; Belonging, Identity and Purpose. Opportunities for more responsibility and leadership are key elements of the program.
We intend to produce a camp manual & training materials needed to facilitate the successful introduction of Wild Camps across the country over the next 5 years. We have Outdoor Ed specialists ready to contribute. Talented teachers who have already begun work on curriculum, and we’ve had professional input on the psychosocial needs of teens.
We will also create a ‘Camp in a Box’ trailer, containing all the items that are specific to Wild Camp, including camping gear and hiking equipment for our overnight adventure campouts. Access to a central equipment store will make it more cost effective and expediate the ability of other camps to begin a life-changing Wild Camp.
