
Access Adventure Club exists, to fulfil one purpose – our team, our services and company culture revolve around this core purpose.
We seek to:
Connect young people with nature, to improve the well-being of our next generation.
How do we connect young people with nature?
There are a range of ways in which we currently connect young people with nature. Truthfully, it’s about more than just connecting, but it is about inspiring young people to fall in love with nature, through hands on, immersive, nature-based experiences.
We make sure campers have a tonne of fun when we get them outdoors! This is a big priority and ultimately allows campers to experience how fun the outdoors can be. From surfing, to sand-tobogganing, bush-tucker tasting walks and tasting kangaroo tail fresh from the campfire coals – we provide a huge range of interesting activities that have campers both exhausted but wanting more – a great combination indeed!
We teach campers life and community-based skills that they can use beyond the program. The later paragraphs will explain why connecting with nature is so important for young people, and so it is our priority to make sure that campers gain nature-based skills that they can use beyond the program we offer. This includes things such as learning to how to kayak, setting up a tent, trying trail bike riding, volunteering in the community, or simply discovering an incredible sunset upon a mountain top on Rottnest Island.
We like to showcase Australian Aboriginal culture and history, which ultimately teaches young people about many different aspects of nature. We showcase Indigenous perspectives on spiritual connection with nature, nature as a physical resource for food, water and shelter and Indigenous communities that form based around nature. This enhances young people’s understanding of nature. Some participants may only see a shrub at the start of the program, but can walk away knowing it was once a vital food source, or is a useful medicine plant or beneficial contributor to our delicate ecosystems.
How Does Connecting with Nature Improve the Wellbeing of Young People?
We could write a 20+ page document outlining all the benefits of connecting specifically young people with nature (in fact, we actually have!). There is enough evidence and research out there to demonstrate that the science is well know, well documented, and proven that, indeed young people benefit significantly from regular exposure to nature-based immersions.
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By participating in physical activities that are hands-on, engaging and get participants moving, our programs allow participants to improve their physical wellbeing. Remember, it’s not just about the activities on the program, but we aim to inspire participants to take up activities independently after the program too – for example they may try kayaking, bush crafts, surfing or other activities on one of our programs, and this may give them the confidence to take up this hobby after finding joy through it for the first time, on program.
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Young people are given the opportunity to build skills on program, away from digital distractions – this can allow participants to fully engage in the activities we offer and take away feelings of stress or anxiety. We often have peaceful settings at camp, and large cohorts are grouped into smaller activity numbers to allow campers to experience a less chaotic activity.
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Nature is a perfect vehicle to allow young people to connect with each other. A huge part of what we do is facilitating friendships and strengthening bonds between participants. Our activities are purposefully designed to facilitate new friendships, and build deep bonds within a group. This gives young people a chance to develop stronger support networks for when times get tough – allowing them the best possibility of working through stress, anxiety and life’s inevitable challenges. Campers can overcome the program’s ‘challenge-by-choice’ activities together, and ultimately learn through experience, that a strong community of peers can help them get through life’s inevitable, upcoming challenges back home.
