Supportive school camps

AS Jess approaches the giant swing at YMCA’S Camp Yarramundi, it’s clear she is apprehensive.

She locks herself into the harness and it’s now time for her peers to hoist her using the ropes attached.

“Do I have to go all the way to the top?” she asks timidly.

Tristan, the camp supervisor, responds. “Only as far you think you can go. Then try to go a baby step further.”

As Jess is lifted higher, her fellow campers chant her name. The fear is giving way to determination. The team count her down and then after a final pause, Jess flies through the air.

She greets everyone with a triumphant smile as she swings back the other way. In a split second she’s grown in leaps and bounds.

These are the sort of experiences that YMCA NSW has been offering young people since the 1930s.

Camp Yarramundi in Sydney’s Hawkesbury Valley offers both hard-top and traditional camping options in a unique natural setting by the Hawkesbury River.

The YMCA’S urban campsite, Sydney Olympic Park Lodge provides a tranquil setting only 30 minutes from Sydney’s CBD.

To find out more visit: ymcansw.org.au/camping.

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