SDC - Camps:
Leaps and Bounds conducts an adventure and camping program based on the idea of “experiential education” or learning by doing. Each student will usually participate in at least two camps as part of this program. We believe thatwilderness/adventure activities have a therapeutic value if used correctly. These camps are a way of concentrating learning experiences and personal challenges into a very short space of time,
and they usually become a significant milestone and memory by which our students recognise and measure personal progress and growth. The camps enable young people to realise that they are much stronger and more capable than they previously felt.
At least one of these camps will be a “journey concept” camp where students are challenged to complete a difficult trip through a wilderness area. This may be a bushwalk, a canoeing or rafting trip, or cross country skiing, where students carry all their own gear and look after their own needs or group needs for a period of between five and fifteen days. We have completed journeys from Mount Hotham to Mount Bogong, across the length of Croajingalong National Park, down rivers like the Murray, the Thomson and the Snowy, through deserts like Hattah/Kulkyne and across the Baw Baw Plateau. All these trips include a period of preparation and training and are followed by a period of reflection and debriefing. Professional leaders from The Outdoor Experience, REFS, or Alternative Directions oversee all the wilderness trips.
The second camp is usually a two or three day camp and over the years we have held base camps, short walks, horse riding, rock climbing, mixed adventure activities, and Police High Challenge Camps where our students base camp with Victoria Police recruits and engage in structured game playing, adventure and ropes course activities.
Our one-day adventure activities have included indoor and outdoor rock climbing, surfing, walking, fishing, caving, swimming with the dolphins/seals and sailing.