College – Issue 36

COMMUNITY & SERVICE Happy campers and life lessons

In early December, College and St Margaret’s College worked together to host the first Sony Camp in New Zealand. After a busy weekend of fun activities, everyone agreed it was a life-changing experience, as 2018 Head of Service Sam Howard reports.

The Activities and Operations team, led by Julia Smith from St Margaret’s College, put together an incredible programme for the campers to enjoy over the three days. Events like the visit of a firetruck from Fire and Emergency New Zealand and police cars from the New Zealand Police, as well as a scavenger hunt through the

No one really knew what to expect as we waited for the campers to arrive on the morning of Friday 7 December. All 14 campers and their companions had previously met, but many of the campers had never spent a night away from their parents before, which is not an easy thing to overcome. Each of the campers had a disability,

ranging from the likes of Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder. As the campers arrived through the Christ’s College gates, however, all students involved with the camp soon realised how challenging, exhausting and life-changing the weekend ahead was going to be.

College Issue 36 2019

31

Made with FlippingBook HTML5