The Year 10 Camp Experience

Over the course of the last week, each Year 10 class have had the opportunity to be part of our Year 10 City Experience Camp, and again our students have impressed the hosts who were guiding these groups through this experience. Comments made by these leaders were that our students ‘were the most engaged and respectful group they have ever led.’ What a wonderful legacy our students have left at this camp.

The camp itself is also a wonderful experience for our students too. The group that guides our students are called ‘The Intersection’ and they teach about creating change through empathy. This sees our students participate on a City Walk. During this walk students are encouraged to challenge their own assumptions and acknowledge the danger of a single story. Through storytelling, students realise the strength of diversity in building a healthy city, especially in light of the pandemic. They explore homelessness, stereotypes, hierarchy, colonisation, power, addiction, connection and more. Students are encouraged to explore questions such as: What is empathy? What happens when we empathise with people different to us? How does it change us and our society?

It would be fair to say that this camp aligns itself to more than one of our Core values. Our Core Values of Respect, Community and Christ centeredness are certainly developed over the course of these two days. By connecting with people we may have false assumptions about, our students realise that these people are more than just stereotypes, they are real people and our neighbours. And we know the greatest commandment we have been given is in Mark. Mark 12:30-31 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Derek Bendall, Head of Secondary