On the 8th – 10th February, Year 10 had the privilege of attending a camp in the city, called The Urban Challenge.
We arrived in Milson’s Point, North Sydney, formed our groups and spread out across Sydney. Some of the goals for our students was to encourage them to be curious and explore many new opportunities, to develop resilience in challenging circumstances, like missing a tram or bus! They also had the opportunity to develop effective collaboration skills, be receptive to instruction and peer leadership and provide opportunities for students to be effective communicators.
On day 1, some of the groups headed by Ferry to Manly, where they participated in surfing lessons and some beach volleyball. Next, they headed to Shelly Beach for a lunch BBQ and a swim. In the evening, students either had dinner in Chinatown and for some, it was the first time that they had ordered and eaten Chinese food. The other group caught the Ferry to Cockatoo island, had dinner and enjoyed a silent disco, before catching the evening ferry back to Circular Quay.
Other groups caught the train and then a bus to Bondi, where they fulfilled some challenges such as a sandcastle challenge and they met some of the crew filming Bondi Rescue. Alana, Ema, Maya and Crystal were fortunate enough to get a photo with Jack Cooper and Latisha Clarke. Some of our students also saw some members of the Penrith Panthers NRL team.
All the groups had different roles such as navigator, social media officer, caterer and accountant. They had a budget for each meal and they had to make sure that they didn’t overspend.
Some of the other activities included: swimming in the Bondi Icebergs pool, having a silent disco and dinner on Cockatoo Island, participating in a clue chase all around Sydney and singing songs to candy makers, multiple ferry, bus and train rides as well as a lot of walking.
One of the more sobering experiences that aligns with our graduate aim of Service and Compassion was when we went to Paddington RSL to prepare, cook and package food for the homeless. The staff also educated our students on who they were helping and shared statistics on homelessness and who is vulnerable. Overall, we prepared over 700 meal packages for this local community.
More than 50% of our Year 10 students reported that they worked through a challenge with a positive outcome. Other students shared funny stories and moments from their teams and gave generous ‘shout outs’ to their peers who excelled in their team leadership positions.
Some of the other comments that Year 10 said included that they were grateful for: The food that was provided for them, their group, going to the beach, the amazing places that they visited and the cool views that they were able to experience, bonding with their friends on another level and having helpful teachers, being given freedom and responsibility to manage their own money and realising how blessed we are to have a safe home and a loving family.
It was an action-packed 3 days and we are grateful that our students had beautiful warm weather, were kept safe, and had many interesting and enjoyable experiences. I would also like to thank the twelve teachers who accompanied each group and invested a lot of time and energy into our Year 10 students.
Mrs Helen Bull and Mr Michael Roper
Year 10 Advisors