Investing in adventure is investing in personal growth, lifelong memories, and transformative experiences that have the power to change lives forever.

Adventure in the great outdoors is oftentimes a therapeutic and transformative experience for the young people that Young Life Australia take out on our programs. It is well researched that getting outside into nature helps improve both physical and mental health. But one of the key impacts often not discussed, and the impact that we see most often, is the deepening of relationships and the profound sense of community and belonging that come about as a consequence of intentional temporary community and shared adventure.

For decades now the highlight of Young Life Australia’s annual calendar of events has been Summer Camp. Why? Well, for many of the young people we work with, it is the best week of the year. Every year at Summer Camp we see many young people making the life changing decision to follow Jesus.

Whilst adventure is front and centre at Summer Camp, it is not the only time when adventure is a key ingredient in a Young Life program. Hiking, canoeing, archery tag, abseiling, cycling and canyoning feature throughout the annual calendar.

Young Life Australia are committed to delivering the most excellent outdoor programs possible. Doing so necessitates that we employ qualified outdoor professionals who can deliver programs in alignment with our Outdoor Recreation policy documents, which have been benchmarked against industry standards.

Delivering adventurous and safe outdoor programs that align with industry standards is an expensive undertaking – especially because as a not-for-profit, so we don’t make profit on programs, in fact, we often charge participants from low income families less for a program than it costs us to put it on.

In addition to executing our current annual suite of programs with excellence, we have aspirations to create new wilderness expedition programs that push both young people and adults beyond their comfort zones and into a space of growth and transformation.

Would you consider financially supporting Young Life Australia’s Outdoor Recreation programs and staff?