Youth Explorers

What is the explorers program?

Our program gives young people the knowledge, training and experience to be stronger and more resilient in their lives and have the opportunity to lead and help others in their community.

The program encourages leadership but in a way that enables young people to do as much or as little as they want or feel comfortable with. In particular, we want them to be role models for other young people because we know that young people are the one of the strongest influences in another young persons’ life.

ATTACHED BELOW IS AN OPEN LETTER TO ADULTS, WRITTEN BY THOSE IN OUR EXPLORERS PROGRAM

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WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

EXPLORERS AT CAMP CANDLEBARK - See our young people Fly!

As part of the Explorers program, we were lucky to have partnered with Foundation House and EACH WILD and together we planned a camp with goals to build our young peoples’ confidence, communication skills, leadership ability and increase their awareness of their identities and strengths.

The plan was to enhance the concepts we have talked about in the Explorers sessions and put them into practice at the camp.

Foundation house identified 6 young Karen people from the Western suburbs who could benefit and included them as camp participants too.

The Explorers were briefed about the young Karen people from the West participating and we discussed their role as leaders to ensure that these young people felt welcome and included in every way.

To their credit they excelled throughout the five days and assisted in making the camp an amazing experience for all.

And to our young people from the West, well you were awesome and we were so glad to have met you.

Sal Pe and Diana Thomas from Foundation House were pivotal in liaising with our young people and their parents to get the participants on board as well as co staffing the camp for the five days. Sal and Diana are also pivotal in the Explorers program.

We briefed the EACH team on what we were trying to achieve, and they planned the content around those goals.

EACH Provided their time, which was for the full five days, most of the program content including Caving, River rafting, Low Ropes, river trekking, walk to a waterfall and Redwood Forest and many activities around the camp. EACH provided all equipment and clothing for the activities.

EACH also provided additional transport for our young people to get to the camp.

Because of their trust in us and because EACH could see the value in the camp as well as it fitting into their strategic criteria, EACH provided the funding for all the above.

The camp commenced on Monday the 8th and all the young people gathered at EACH WILD Ringwood for a camp briefing and team building games. The 16 young people all engaged with and enjoyed the activities which purposely enabled them to use communication, leadership and teamwork skills and it was already evident that this was helping the young people in every way.

We arrived at the camp on Tuesday and Initially it was settling in and camp induction then lunch and on to the low ropes course.

Again, the young people shone in terms of participation, communication, encouragement and taking on the challenge.

The young people were also allocated duty groups to share the duties of cooking and cleaning and again they accepted this and participated exceptionally well.

Some of the boys took great pleasure in the cooking.

Over the next three days the young people were given the opportunity to try River walking ( literally walking up the middle of Brittania Creek over boulders and logs for 1.5 hrs) Caving, Ropes courses, River rafting, forest and waterfall walks and a raft of games and activities and discussions back at the camp.

The young people continually demonstrated their willingness to participate and challenge themselves whilst helping each other and staff along the way. It was very evident that the young peoples’ confidence and communication skills were building over every activity and experience.

It was inspiring to watch them challenge themselves and achieve so much over the five days.

Many young people who didn’t say anything at the start and were very reserved were now able to present their opinions and reflections to the whole group.

And most importantly, whilst engaging in activities they had never had the opportunity try before, the young people had so much joy and fun throughout the week.

On the last day the young people all looked very tired, and we offered them the opportunity to leave the camp and go home early or stay and do more activities and have more discussions.

All but one wanted to stay which is testimony to how much they enjoyed it.

We then consulted with them by asking some key questions about what they had got out of the camp. The responses are as below:

What is the biggest change I have noticed in myself?

I noticed that when I participate in a group event at camp, I get more comfortable because I get to know a bit about others. The longer I stay with someone and start knowing them I get more comfortable as I know what to talk to them about.
Personally, I would like to say I have gained more confidence and braver. I have improved my social skills as well.
I am brave.
Making new friends and being able to talk to them.
That I am happier, made new connections and gained a lot more confidence.
Making new friends.
Confidence to talk to other people.
Confidence talking to meet new people because the person on the other side must face the same challenge.
Talking more confidently with people I don’t know.
I have noticed that I am happier.
Working together as a team.
Getting more comfortable talking to everyone.
More social.
The biggest change I’ve noticed in myself is I’m starting to be more positive and not procrastinating anymore.
I have friends.

How can I use my strengths to create positive impact in others?

Getting to know each other and getting out of the comfort zone so when I’m joking around, I don’t go too far. Not to be rude as I don’t know what the others are going through. Always encourage others and no doubting.
I’ll keep being myself, continue what I do, help others and being kind. Informing them about Safety, Respect and Engage.
The happier we are the more we become BETTER.
Sharing my positivity.
Helping others
Practice greetings or doing kind gestures to new people.
To help others and to create a stronger bond with the people I have met at this camp.
To help push others to experience new things.
Create stronger friendships with the new people.
By showing them a little bit of confidence can go a long way.
I want to use my strengths and what I lean to be closer to God and others.
By using my strengths to help others.
I can use my strengths to help people become less shy and become more confident.
I can use my strengths to help and encourage others because some people may not have a good mindset and might not be happy, so I want to help who I can help with their mental health and wellbeing.
By talking about my positive camp experience with others.

How can I keep that learning alive?

Participate in event to get more experience and not to give up when I’m scared because if I don’t go through the fear, I will always stay the same. It’s better to get outside the box go through my fear.
I think I will keep doing what I do, being who I am and keep improving it every single day.
Have a growth mindset.
To give things a go and trying my best.
To give everything a go and stay brave.
To have an open mindset and a growing one.
Keep pushing myself.
By socialising.
By socialising daily and getting out of my comfort zone.
Cold showers.
Walk
Anything to clear my headspace and to persevere.

Post Camp notations:

In the week following the camp there was a Camp celebration in Sunshine for the participants and their families to acknowledge the young people achievements. We had full attendance and the parents were able to see some of what their young people did on the camp. Looking around the full room, all we could see was happiness and pride from everyone.

On the next Explorers session, it was very evident that our young people had understood a lot more about some of our key themes such as confidence, identity, strengths, challenge, communication, teamwork and leadership and what they actually meant.

The short version is that the Camp was a ripper!

A huge congratulations to our young people and massive thanks to the EACH WILD team Shannon, Louis and John and Diana and Sal.

Stuart

APRIL 24TH, 2024

We are now in week four of the Explorers program and our amazing young people are kicking goals in every way.

With the help of the brilliant Diana Thomas and Sal Pe the Explorers are gaining so many things but most importantly confidence and belief in themselves.
We now have 12 young Karen young people who have challenged themselves and shown the courage and motivation to try something new.In the four weeks to date we have talked about and practised activities on communication, confidence, identity and strengths, resilience, leadership and so much more.And we have also had a lot of fun with games and activities in between..Along the way we have also formed a tight group who all look after and trust each other amid the challenges.Yet again it is the young people who are so full of courage, energy, insight, intelligence and empathy showing the way with some amazing ideas and projects.Watch this space because they are planning some great activities to help the community.

We should all be so proud of what they are achieving. I know I am. Stuart.

MARCH 6TH, 2024

On Monday the 4th March we conducted a parent forum for young people from the Karen CHCC community. The aim of the forum was to show parents the result of the previous youth forums and discuss ideas around how we can support our young people.

There were guest speakers talking about the challenges for young people and in particular the challenges young Karen people may face balancing two cultures in Australia.

A big thanks to all who attended and for the amazing insight parents gave us in terms of their perspectives and possible solutions.

All the information will be factored into future strategies.

Thanks also to the presenting team Diana Thomas, Sal Pe, Chris Htoo and Warren Turner from EACH.

DECEMBER 21ST, 2023

Over the last few weeks, we have been working with some of our young Karen people from C.H.C.C. to find out what they think about a range of important issues that can affect a young persons’ life.

On November the 8th we facilitated a youth forum here at the church.

Eighteen amazing young people attended and gave us their honest and intelligent opinions to questions about Safety, Adolescent influences and Challenges, Social Media, Confidence, Bullying and Social Media, Accessing Services, Drugs and Alcohol, Balancing Two Cultures and much more.

On the 18th of December we had a second forum to review what the young people told us in the first forum and how, together, we can build solutions.

Some key areas that came from the Forum were:

The importance of building confidence and resilience to assist them in being a young Australian Karen person.
The importance for young people to discover their identities and the opportunities that are available to them in the community.
The awareness that they are balancing two cultures and that they need the support and encouragement of their families and Karen community.

We are so proud of our young people for having the commitment and courage to attend the forums and give the youth team here, so many valuable ideas, so that we can work together in assisting them with their pathways and wellbeing. We can’t thank them enough.

There were guest speakers talking about the challenges for young people and in particular the challenges young Karen people may face balancing two cultures in Australia.

A big thanks to all who attended and for the amazing insight parents gave us in terms of their perspectives and possible solutions.

All the information will be factored into future strategies.

Thanks also to the presenting team Diana Thomas, Sal Pe, Chris Htoo and Warren Turner from EACH.

The Croydon Hills Community Care young Explorers would like to send a message to our communities. Communities are made up of the old and the young, families, people with different cultures, backgrounds and preferences, people with disabilities, and so many others. We want to say that ALL people deserve respect and kindness. And we especially want to say that as a community we must continue to work against family violence, disrespect for women, racism, violence and bullying. We are a group of young people who want change and will contribute to making it happen. We would like to ask you to help us and do the same.