Holidays and Camps
Our camps and holidays aim to inspire, encourage and harvest independence.
Stepping out of our comfort zone can be quite confronting for people with disability. There is a fine balance that is required to assist this process in calming and supportive ways. We have been involved in special needs camps for 10+ years within schools.
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Below is some of the upcoming opportunities and information about the benefits.
It is advisable to discuss the outcomes and benefits of attending a camp with members of your key support team (Paediatrician, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist etc) and, if they are happy to do so, have them endorse the benefits in terms of capacity building from your attendance at a camp in their report for your NDIS planning meeting.
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Goals Include:
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I would like to learn to recognise and manage triggers, so that I am able to better emotionally regulate at home and in the community.
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I would like to develop my communication skills so that I can increase my participation in social and community activities, and create and maintain new and existing relationships.
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I would like to challenge myself with new activities and develop positive self-esteem and confidence in my strengths, and acceptance of my difficulties and differences, to enable me to be more independent.
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I would like to improve my social skills to increase my social and community participation and reduce my social isolation and vulnerability.
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Short Term Outcomes
• Participants experience a ‘safe’ environment alongside others and are supported by specialised team members. They share stories and experiences with people who have lived experience of their individual challenges.
• Participants feel a sense of relief from social isolation and form new valuable and reliable social connections with people from the community and new acquaintances that now become friendships with memorable shared moments.
• Participants are able to ‘just be’ while at camp. The neuro-normative expectations of day-to-day mainstream life are put to one side, and they are encouraged to celebrate their individual identity and culture. Participants engage with positive role models and experience inclusion, acceptance and autonomy.
• Participants are engaged in therapies, education, skills development and peer-to-peer support as part of the program. They benefit from increased knowledge, understanding.
• Participants in the programs build capacity in confidence, self-reliance, independence and self-advocacy skills.
• Participants are able to create new associations with tasks like cooking, cleaning, self care, hygiene and choice in an environment that cultivates these skills.
Goals Include:
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I would like to learn to recognise and manage triggers, so that I am able to better emotionally regulate at home and in the community.
-
I would like to develop my communication skills so that I can increase my participation in social and community activities, and create and maintain new and existing relationships.
-
I would like to challenge myself with new activities and develop positive self-esteem and confidence in my strengths, and acceptance of my difficulties and differences, to enable me to be more independent.
-
I would like to improve my social skills to increase my social and community participation and reduce my social isolation and vulnerability.
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Medium Term Outcomes
• Participants form long and lasting friendships. They meet with, and talk with new friends, and reach out to other members in their community. They have increased social supports. They foster a strong sense of belonging and increase their social cohesion, connection and functioning within these safe communities.
• This sense of inclusion, acceptance and autonomy is empowering for participants. Their new approach is transformative, reducing anxiety and building self-worth. Participants experience an improvement in their mental health.
• Autistic young people are able to participate more at school. Their new found confidence helps them navigate the often confusing idiosyncrasies of neurotypical behaviour and social situations become easier.
• They have a greater ability to maintain informal support as a young person, to advocate for, and support them to participate and contribute to community and enjoy an enduring and mutually sustaining relationship with friends and family.
• Parents experience an increase in confidence and this enables them to explore new opportunities like volunteering, work placements, training and apprenticeships, as well as practical assistance and supports.
Goals Include:
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I would like to learn to recognise and manage triggers, so that I am able to better emotionally regulate at home and in the community.
-
I would like to develop my communication skills so that I can increase my participation in social and community activities, and create and maintain new and existing relationships.
-
I would like to challenge myself with new activities and develop positive self-esteem and confidence in my strengths, and acceptance of my difficulties and differences, to enable me to be more independent.
-
I would like to improve my social skills to increase my social and community participation and reduce my social isolation and vulnerability.
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Long Term Outcomes
• With their new friends, participants feel supported to try new things. They have much higher engagement and participation rates in mainstream social and community activities. This results in a much stronger sense of connectedness in their broader community, and in turn, gives them the confidence and connections to access support networks, community services and other new opportunities of social, civic and economic participation.
• Participants experience a sustained increase in self-worth and wellbeing and improvements in mental and physical wellbeing. They regularly engage in self-care and are better able to care for and support themselves and their family members.
• Participants experience a cumulative increase in confidence, community connection, skills, knowledge, training and independence improving readiness for economic participation, employment and education.
• Reduced levels of welfare dependency in the long-term.
• Confidence in the ability to cultivate, maintain and grow relationships and friendships that are enabled by a positive association. These possibilities are created by the compounding effects that successful and meaningful relationships have on the individual at critical times in their development and throughout the challenging teenage years where role models are most necessary.
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Mountain Bike Camp - Mt Buller
November (Dates TBC)
Activities Include:
Bush Walks
Mountain Biking trails
Games, Activities
Board Games
Cooking
Fitness
Taking Expression of Interests
Active Camp - Phillip Island
26th - 29th June
Allocation Full
Activities Include:
Wild Life Park
Mini Golf
Farm Tour
Beach Day
Games, Activities
Board Games
10 Pin Bowling
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Respite Camp - Phillip Island
10th - 12th January 2024
Activities Include:
Wild Life Park
Mini Golf
Farm Tour
Beach Day
Games, Activities
Board Games
10 Pin Bowling
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