Dingoes: This week the Dingoes welcomed a new member who joined them from the Brumbies. The Dingoes got to play outside a bunch including epic snowball fights, sledding and the staff enjoyed hearing the sounds of kids playing with excitement. They even had a chance to work on building an igloo as a group. There were many tokens given out this week including passionate fire receiving a giver token, humble falcon receiving a peace walker token and other students receiving winged heart, giver and openness tokens. Two students also went on solo and had their parents visit. They were naturally sad to see them go and yet grateful and excited for the visit they were able to have with their respective families . On Wednesday the group said goodbye to two senior members, passionate fire and metamorphic beluga. Moving through transitions is something our students learn to navigate through during their time at Outback. It can be challenging after being through so much together given how their experiences bond them as brothers. Now the group is afforded the opportunity to discover who they are as their senior members head off on their next adventure and the members of the group step into new leadership.
Gnowees: The goddesses of the light had a challenging yet productive week. The week was made challenging by challenging hikes, snow, and some members not feeling their best physically. However, the Gnowees utilized these tough days to become stronger and closer emotionally and physically. Members encouraged one another through hikes, identified key strategies to pack up efficiently, and played trail games to make hikes more enjoyable. While some members received news with which they struggled, the group provided emotional support and words of comfort. Thus, Courageous Arrow was honored with the token Winged Heart, for her ability to use her past to learn from as well as teach others. At the end of the week, the goddesses of light were able to enjoy meals around the fire and practice the art of storytelling to celebrate their hard work and perseverance.
Brumbies: This week the guys became masters at processing and gathering wood! With a nice layer of snow coating the ground it made it a journey to gather wood. The Brumbies created games and ritual gathering the wood and used it as a opportunity to keep moving to stay warm. Aside from having fun and being creative with the gathering of wood, the Brumbies worked on skills and laughed around the fire. Two students were honored for their hard work and dedication to their group. This week was also spent honoring and sharing stories of two Brumbies who were preparing to leave Outback and move forward with the next part of their journey. We honored them and had a ceremony to send them on their way. Overall, it was a great week to be a Brumbie.
Goannas: Going into the week there was a sense of change and readiness to move forward. Sunday the group was able to rally to make their first hike in some time. There were a lot of heart felt conversations about letting go, being kind and moving forward. They got motivated and got the hike done. The First night at the next site was cold, but we warmed up by a hot fire and enjoyed a story by staff that invited some deep and insightful conversation. On Monday we prepared three of the Goannas for Parent visits through the experience of solos and inviting them to reflect and prepare for this special time. The parent visits were a success and though some difficult moments occurred, all the students felt the reluctance of having to say goodbye. That night was a great group gathering where all shared their thoughts and feelings on how they could improve and let go of the “dragon scales” that weigh heavy on all of us. The last day was spent working on skills, carving, looking for rocks and playing games.
