Ryan Tindal
Director - Skilled Carer
Phillip Island Camp
Creating independence is a tricky balance. To push someone outside their comfort zone in caring and supportive way but not to a point that creates anxiety, stress and ill feelings that make the experience a negative one.
I took away 2 groups of boys to two very different trips over the Summer Holidays.
The first, was a trip to Phillip Island with 3 very individual but social people with intellectual disability, autism, downs syndrome and adhd. The aim of the camp was to create and grow some independence; wash dishes, make our beds, collaborate to create a meal plan for the 5 days, cook some meals each and learn to look after one's individual needs to provoke a sense of maturity and responsibility. As well as enjoy time together with some they knew and to meet new people.
Unfortunately, not all kids get the opportunity to go on camp, depending on many factors, and it can be quite confronting. So, I thought it was really important to make sure the boys were kept busy with a great deal of plans and activities, while always knowing what was coming next and what the plan was for each day so they could have the time to mentally prepare.
We started by creating a list of food we needed for the 5 days; meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. All the boys had some input and were able to chose 1 meal to cook for everyone for dinner and 1 meal for lunch, as well as buy what they wanted for breakfast each day. Once the shopping was done and we checked into the accommodation we were greeted by animals from every direction on the farm we stayed at. Goats bouncing on logs, ducks waddling up to us, pigs running up oinking for joy thinking we had their dinner, sheep, lamas and a couple of peacocks that were resident showboats. It was a great experience for the guys to be immersed in a farm style environment and be able to handfeed all types of animals. It brang about such innocent joy.
Some activities the boys enjoyed were:
- Mini golf
- Beach day with blow up toys and water pistols
- Feeding animals and farm tour
- Wildlife Park; hand feeding wallabies and kangaroos
- 8 ball Pool
- Spa
- Dinner at a restaurant
- Working out; fitness, weights, abs and HIIT (high intensity interval training)
- Koala Park; koala spotting
- 10 pin bowling
One of the best things I saw that the boys got out of the weekend was the connections made between the 3 boys. Their relationships evolved over the weekend and even though they all are different ages and have different interests the boys had really productive conversations and I haven’t seen them interact socially on that level before individually. There was a back and forth where they asked each other questions and the conversations progressed to a point where they were all learning things about their interests from what each other was bringing to the table. At the start of the trip they really relied on me to make connections for them and steer the conversation and prompt answers. Whether that was from shyness I’m not sure, but the connections were incomparable from day 1 to day 5.
Everyone is different. All of us. We all have different triggers, likes, dislikes and emotional reactions both from a chemical and biological point of view (ADHD) and an individual standpoint. When we're in a group of peers these emotions and triggers are amplified. There is an effort to hide these uncomfortable feelings and it leads to emotional exhaustion. This can be why a neurodivergent child comes home after a long day at school and is irritable, lacks patience and can quick to lose their cool. A tip is to allow some transition time before the questions start about the child's day was, what happened, did you enjoy it, etc. Even though these questions are said in a caring and inquisitive way where we are trying to be involved in the child's life, the individual may need 30 minutes to an hour to transition comfortably.
Geelong Camp
- Basketball mini games and matches
- NBA JAM session board game with individual player cards
- Various board games
- Indoor waterslide
- Hiked the You Yangs
- Buying food and cooking meals
- Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers and NBA Jam 4 player
Our Geelong camp was structured for more of a fitness and adventurist type for higher functioning young boys. We headed to a basketball stadium during the day where we played different challenge games and some competitions, shooting drills and 2 on 2. The young blokes certainly won that round!
The guys then decided on the food they wanted for the weekend and chose any healthy snacks and fruit they wanted for the 3 days, we gathered our supplies and checked in at the accommodation.
Ryan Pearce (support worker) blew the kids minds when he unveiled a mint condition NBA JAM board game. Ryan commentated the game like it was a live NBA matchup in history using oldschool NBA players names and statistics, he made the experience unbelievably engaging and fun for everyone where there were laughs, cheers and edge of the seat matchups and moments. Ryan had a trick up his sleeve, he introduced individually made cards of each person on the camp that could be used as acharacter/nba player in the game with made up stats for each person. It comprised of a picture of them playing basketball and their stats for close range and long range scoring. The boys and I were blown away. It was by far one of the coolest things I’ve had made for me and it made the boys each feel so special and completely immersed.
Day 2 we were up early and breakfast was had, we headed to the You Yang’s and up a difficult, yet achievable ascending hike to the top. The time allowed us to chat to each other in a masculine way and discuss our troubles, our personal lives and do boy things by doing something active. This is a really clever and effective way to be able to talk feelings as a male without worrying about incorrect stereotypes. We all made it to the top and felt the satisfaction of accomplishment and left feeling satisfied and proud.
After lunch we headed to an indoor water park as the weather, unfortunately, wasn’t ideal for our planned Torquay beach trip or Geelong Adventure Park. We rode the serpent waterslide many times and got our adrenaline rush.
Finding and going with the individual’s likes, passions and hobbies helps the individual forget their anxieties, helps them open up to the idea of taking risks to learn and grow socially and independently. It’s such a simple yet complex opportunity, mainly because it requires a support worker with initiative, drive and innovation who makes the participant feel safe and secure. This can open up an immense plethora of growth for the individual. These principles aren’t destitute for disability work but for everyone; teachers, parents, friends and all relationships.
In a classroom, I found early on that my passion was transferable. When I cared about a topic and put in effort to create something for the kids to learn and grow in a fun, exciting and different way, it allowed the students to be immersed in a subject or different world. Kids want to be inspired. Adults want to be inspired. It’s what gets us to buy the new technology or pay for experiences and holidays that enable us to feel like kids again where anything seems possible and we can escape our world and forget our troubles.
Emotions are so human and drive all the actions we take and habits we form. Inspiring others is a unique skill that only few have and it's hard to define. But we know it when we see it. I saw it with Ryan and the fun and excitement he created during the NBA JAM Sessions game. His approach and effort inspired me.
Next round of camps will be in the Easter holidays. Each experience I create caters for the group and the individual, their interests and likes while pushing them slightly outside of their comfort zone.
If you would like to hear more about upcoming camps or register your interest you can do so on the homepage of the website or get in touch.
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