Brumbies: A Brumbies leader left the group and handed down his leadership mantle to a new student. This leader also received the “winged heart” token to honor his stay and best wishes for departure. The group did several big hikes this week and had a tough set up in rainy conditions that enabled their abilities to shine in inclement weather. One student even created fire during the rain and saved the day for the brumbies. The therapy site had beautiful 360 views with a wide open meadow and allowed for reflection on distant travels physically and metaphorically. The following day the boys peaked a nearby mountain to see their upcoming adventures ahead for the upcoming week.
Dingoes: The Dingoes organized a ceremony to honor their medic with a trail name. They also hiked to a new site and had the opportunity to set up two main camps. This was a strategic design planned out by the group to cultivate a separate space to have more in depth and intentional gatherings. The Dingoes also enjoyed the warmer weather by playing tag and football with a homemade football.
Gnowees: The Gnowees had a fun and productive week in the desert. They learned several new games and used the challenges of daily life to look more closely at some of their difficulties at home. They welcomed a new student into the group and enjoyed playing together and exploring in new terrain. A student got her trail name, a big milestone in Outback life. The Gnowees incorporated lots of music and dancing into each day and explored the concept of leadership and the responsibilities that come with such a role.
Ulurus: The group had a few great gatherings and really seemed to pick up on the theme of resilience. We had fun playing games and getting to know each other. We also had a great time playing in the sand at Oasis site and with the immense collective creativity of the students, created “recliners” to sit in. We are also enjoying the longer days together. The Ulurus had a wonderful token ceremony led by a student who spoke so nicely of the other student’s accomplishments. Additionally, one of the Ulurus was able to step into an emotional leadership role through the kind encouragement by another student. We were able to do some great work on expressing emotions and identifying needs.
