Stories from Secondary MAD Camp 2019
MAD Camp Directors Chris & Sunny share some highlights from September's camp.
Make a Difference ‘MAD’ Day was the highlight of camp, with campers serving the community in a variety of ways. They handed out water bottles, volunteered at an animal shelter, served lunch at a food aid shelter, played games with residents of an aged care facility, designed logos for a local church and played footy with kids in the park. Each camper listed things they were good at and identified ways they could use their abilities to help others. A group of fairly rowdy boys did some serious renovation on a deceased estate property that needed to be sold. The family were overwhelmed with gratitude that these teenagers would come and help them. The campers had a powerful experience - ‘we used our strengths to make a difference and we feel really good about that’. It was very exciting.
Not only did the campers learn that they could help their community, they began seeing themselves as a community and began to look out for each other. On the last day, without any prompting, one boy, who had been difficult to engage, grabbed a tray of morning tea and handed out cakes to everyone. This group of young people from schools and communities across Victoria heard they were gold, experienced being sent out as expressions of goodness into the community and discovered how they could use their gifts to change the world.
Each camper received a take-home pack which included step-by-step cards on how to continue to make a difference. They all wrote a letter to themselves that the team will post them in six months’ time as a reminder of the things they learnt.
— Sunny and Chris, MAD Directors
Hear from our campers and leaders as they debrief SU Victoria's inaugural Year 7-12 Mountain Bike Camp.
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