“Dear Max e-Grants, thank you for paying for my camp fees. My favourite activity was caving because I had never done it before. My second favourite thing was abseiling because I like heights and I like jumping off things. Camp benefited me by getting me out of my comfort zone.”
This grant enabled nine children from refugee backgrounds to go to school camp who couldn't attend otherwise.
The children got to experience a number of new activities which could turn into possible future hobbies. The caving, rock climbing and abseiling activities also provided a degree of challenge that the majority of students had not experienced before. The successful completion of these activities has led to a visible increase in the children's self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience. A number of the children surprised both the teachers and themselves with what they were able to complete. Hopefully, this newfound determination will help the children to cope with the challenges they may face in the future.
The opportunity for the children to be part of a team in a different setting also enhanced their ability to be contributing members of a group when overcoming challenges. For a number of the children, it was also the first time that they had spent an extended amount of time away from their parents, so overcoming feelings of homesickness and associated anxieties was a big achievement for some of the children.