Sami & Joe from the NCNS Youth Team were super excited to run the holiday program this school holidays (all be it with limited numbers) so they could take young people out of the house and out of the centre. NCNS Youth Worker, Joe, exclaimed, “We are so thrilled that some of the Covid-19 Restrictions have been lifted so we could actually go out with the young people. Sami and I have never been more excited for an outing!”
An average of 10 young people attended each day. The vibes for each day were high spirited and of course, respectful.
The first outing was to Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre where everyone played an entertaining game of Marco Polo, even including many other people in the centre. It was impressive to see that the young people displayed yet again just how inclusive they are.
The next day was a bushwalk to the Pool of Salom, while it wasn’t the longest walk, it was definitely steep! The water was beautiful to look at but freezing. Everyone enjoyed venturing around the area and relaxing. Although the steep walk back up was far from relaxing, it was hilarious, with a couple of us feeling (struggling with!) the walk. Joe laughed, “One young person even dramatically laid on the steps and said ‘Leave me here to die! You go ahead without me!’ We all had a good laugh about this and we made it up together! Lucky we had our chill day the next day at the youth hub to recover!” Also throughout the day, there was a lot of talk about our upcoming Dungeons & Dragons program on Monday afternoons which the youth are looking forward to.
The next week started with a trip to North Wollongong Beach. The weather was a bit cool yet some young people still went for a swim! Young people also worked together to dig out a sand bunker.
The Thursday evening was our traditional Movie Night at the NCNS Youth Hub and everyone enjoyed some delicious pizza for dinner. The movie selected to watch was ‘The Pacifier’. Everyone had a good laugh with many comments about Vin Diesel’s hilarious comedic role.
The holiday program concluded on the Saturday as the group travelled into the city to participate in the Wizards and Witchery virtual game. Young people had to work together as a team to search for clues and answer riddles using an app. They worked extremely well together, however the app was not reliable so unfortunately the group did not complete the quest. Joe explained, “Although we could not complete the quest, I was impressed by their perseverance.”
The school holiday program was a great success with young people experiencing new places, creating strong bonds with each other and displaying the ability to have mutual respect and tolerance for each other. What amazing group!
Sami & Joe can’t wait until the next School Holiday Program!
If you missed out, come and check out the NCNS Youth Hub on Monday & Wednesday afternoons after school.
We recently conducted a survey and asked young people “What could we do to make the afternoon programs better?” and one young person answered “Nothing. Honestly there doing amazing, my life has changed because of how much of a help they are. I’m so grateful to have such good people in the area.” This sort of feedback is why our youth workers love doing what they do.
To get in contact with our Youth Team please contact Joe on 0417 498 918 or Sami on 0408 586 797.