SOAR Adventures intensive twelve month experiential program is designed to work within a small group environment over an extended period to accomplish required tasks and safely engage in the camps and activities.
Physical challenges – such as abseiling, rafting, hiking and ropes courses – provide opportunities for positive values to be integrated into action based learning. Students learn by doing, reflecting and observing throughout. By the end of a 12 month period, the students have learned essential life skills that will then help them cope better with their school and home environments, developing positive life decisions.
Adventure-based counselling and experiential learning provides opportunities for students to listen to others' ideas, being offered and accepting leadership responsibilities, and becoming a member of a clearly identifiable team with clear-cut goals and tasks.
SOAR Adventures is uniquely placed to provide a program that benefits at-risk young people in a state school setting.
The elements outlined below are considered the essential elements of SOAR Adventures that make the program unique:
1. Psychological
SOAR Adventures aims to enhance and strengthen the self-image of the young people who participate in the program. “Self-image” is the way in which people view or perceive themselves, their attitudes, beliefs, feelings and personal expectations. An enhanced self-image will increase in self-confidence of the young people who participate. The program is conducted in such a way that students, even those with limited physical abilities, will experience success, Through participation, both young people and trainee leaders can increase their confidence in their ability to learn and achieve.
2. Sociological
SOAR Adventures aims to help young people develop their relationships and positive behaviours with others. This involves the development of their ability to communicate and cooperate with others; to respect others; and to act with compassion toward others. SOAR Adventures requires young people to work within a small group environment over an extended period to accomplish required tasks and safely engage in the camps and activities. This provides opportunities for listening to others' ideas, being offered and accepting leadership responsibilities, and becoming a member of a clearly identifiable team with clear-cut goals and tasks.
3. Educational
SOAR Adventures aims to take advantage of the many educational benefits that can be gained from participation in an adventure-based learning process. Students can develop a heightened sense of well-being through their achievements in increasingly challenging activities. SOAR Adventures also aims to enhance the young person's abilities in goal setting, problem solving, conflict resolution, values clarification and environmental awareness. While many of these skills and processes are taught in classrooms, the outdoor environment introduces a different element of experience and application to the teaching situation.
In addition, participants are provided opportunities to clarify the distinction between needs and wants. On SOAR Adventure trips amenities are often nonexistent. Young people must prioritise what is actually needed and obtainable versus what they would like to have (i.e. a warm, soft bed; comfortable place to sit; watching T.V; a meal provided etc.)
4. Physical
SOAR Adventures aims to help young people benefit from increased fitness, skills, strength, coordination and balance. The very nature of the trips and activities conducted in the program require a degree of physical exertion and movement. Young people also learn the value of healthy eating patterns and the impacts of poor eating on physical performance.
5. Spiritual
In the context of The SOAR Program, spiritual development is understood as an exploration into what is involved in becoming human. This exploration can happen as participants on the program develop relationships with themselves, other people, the World around them and God.
An important aim of The SOAR program is a development of spirituality - to provide opportunities for young people to formulate their own beliefs, while developing a sense of meaning and connectedness within the context of their relationships. The activities and temporary community living of the SOAR Program camps have the potential to deal holistically with these relationships and presents a forum where all four relationships interact dynamically together.
