teenagers Archives - Adventure Specialties Trust

KidsCan Youth Council

Bex | Adventure Specialties Trust — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 21:54:21 +0000

KidsCan is a New Zealand charity on a mission to help kiwi children who are living in poverty and going without essentials like food, warm clothing and shoes. KidsCan believes that “Education is a pathway out of poverty [but] children can’t learn if they are cold and hungry.”

One of KidsCan’s projects is the KidsCan Youth Council. It is a year-long scholarship programme which supports young people towards success, leadership and community
engagement.

The Youth Council is made up of ten students (aged 16-18) from all around Aotearoa New Zealand, who have been under-privileged or come from resilient backgrounds or who have benefitted from KidsCan programmes themselves. They are young people who have a desire to help others and want the opportunity to have a leadership role in their communities.

KidsCan partnered with us to create a 3-day outdoor adventure programme which focused on supporting the Youth Council students in gaining confidence and leadership skills, plus developing individual goals for themselves.

Our instructors, Nat and Joel, took the group kayaking and hiking around Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.

They also led the group in some leadership activities which focused on understanding different values and different comfort levels within a group. For example, they were asked questions like “How comfortable do you feel in deep water?” or “How much do you value time alone by yourself?” or “How connected do you feel to your culture?”

Seeing everyone’s different answers helped the students to understand how we all have different values and experiences, which, in turn, helps develop self-awareness as well as empathy and understanding for others.

After the programme, the students gave us some feedback:

“The group activities have helped me be able to talk and communicate with people I don’t know.”

“I’ve learned to be ambitious [with my goals]. It could pay off.”

“Our hike was so hard. It felt good to complete it, though.”

Ray, the KidsCan co-ordinator, gave this feedback:

“Kayaking was a youth fav. There was a good balance of education, skill, ease, exploration and playfulness. The hike was incredible and a great challenge for the youth. [The instructors] both had a very relaxed nature which made it easy for youth to feel comfortable and safe around. Good safety and risk management. I look forward to working with Adventure Specialties Trust again!”

This article is taken from our December 2023 Christmas newsletter.

Click here to read the rest of the newsletter.

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Teenage Girls + Mental Health

Bex | Adventure Specialties Trust — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 03:03:27 +0000

During Term 3, we ran an INSPIRE Adventure Therapy day programme (one day a week over eight weeks) for young women who have been struggling with their mental health.

Here are some quotes from the young women who attended:

“I feel hopeful about my future and that life is worth living. Before this course, I saw no purpose in life. This course has made me see the beauty in life. I no longer feel alone.”

“I have learnt to trust my thoughts and opinions. I have learnt how to handle my stress and calm myself down. This will help me to get better and recover from my depression.”

“I have learnt new skills for problem solving. This course has changed how I view life and my purpose of living.”

“It has been helpful to know how to manage my feelings and this has helped my relationships with my mum and my sister.”

“I learnt that there are always other people to help you [when you are] in need, so in the future, when I am stressed, I can always ask for help.”

“It has reminded me that there are others that have similar feelings about life and that I am not alone.”

What happened on the INSPIRE programme?

Instructors April and Justine took the young women on a different Christchurch-based adventure each week, including kayaking, coastal hīkoi (walk), high ropes confidence course, raft building, biking, and bush activities.

As well as the outdoor adventure activities, there was a daily theme which was woven into the activities and group discussions. The themes included:

Discovering your strengths and building self-worth;
Taha Hinengaro (wellbeing of the mind) and self-kindness;
Taha Wairua (spirituality), awe and wonder, connection to the land and to nature;
Whanaungatanga (family and community), our support networks, repairing and strengthening relationships;
Tools for building hauora (health and wellbeing), managing anxiety, recognising glimmers of joy, mindfulness, gratitude.

FIND OUT MORE

Want to find out more about our INSPIRE programme? Or come along next time? Find out more about INSPIRE Auckland and INSPIRE Christchurch. Want to learn more about Adventure Therapy? Read about it on our website or pop in for a chat and a cuppa at our Auckland or Christchurch offices.

Read the rest of our Christmas newsletter

This blog post is from our Christmas newsletter. Read the rest of the newsletter online (PDF).

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Upcoming programme: Ignite Youth Camp (North Island)

Bex | Adventure Specialties Trust — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:10:41 +0000

UPCOMING PROGRAMME: Ignite youth camp for North Island-based young people (15-18 years old) during the July school holidays.

Find out more on our website: www.adventurespecialties.co.nz/programmes/ignite-north-island

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Recreate camp video from 9 years ago!

Bex | Adventure Specialties Trust — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 22:48:27 +0000

Just found this video from 9 years ago! A youth camp in the Waitākere Ranges with one of our partner charities, Recreate. Raft building and races, team building activities, flying fox, and outdoor adventures!

And we’re still partnering with Recreate today

Recreate is an amazing organisation that works with youth with disabilities all around Aotearoa New Zealand to organise outdoor adventures, social outings, fun recreation activities, and learning new skills. Find out more about them: www.recreate.org.nz

Watch the original video on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQWzCSaJ4Iw

Check out our YouTube channel for more videos of our adventures:
https://www.youtube.com/@adventurespecialtiestrust

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