PGL Adventure Camps tailors its programs to best meet the desired outcomes of each school group and its teachers, offering a memorable experience that encourages students to step out of their comfort zones.
Offering residential adventure camps for students at three sites – Camp Rumbug and Campaspe Downs in Victoria, and Kindilan in Queensland – PGL offers a range of outdoor adventure-based programs for primary and secondary schools, which can be adapted for small numbers through to whole year groups.
Jack Weston, PGL Camp Rumbug’s Centre Operations Manager, says that all PGL programs allow guests to take responsibility for their own experience.
“We will always exercise ‘Challenge By Choice’ for guests while facilitating those guests to step outside of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone. All guests will walk away after completing a program with increased self-esteem, a sense of pride and most importantly fun through the activities they participated in,” explains Jack.
Jack joined the business in 2014. As part of his role, he writes activity programs to cater to each individual group of students taking part in PGL’s camps. The camps offer close to 30 land and water activities which include abseiling, the flying fox, raft building, a challenge course, giant swing and initiative exercises.
“Before any program is written we will work closely with the school or group travelling to find out any desired outcomes so that we can then build an activity program that allows guests to complete requested activities, but also build in certain activities that will allow facilitation of their learning outcomes more easily,” he says.
Jack says that the number one objective when writing a program is to understand what learning outcomes and activity requests the group completing that particular program has.
“Our instructors are incredibly skilled at incorporating learning outcomes into all activity sessions.”
According to Jack, PGL’s instructors also play a pivotal role in determining what students take out of the program they participate in. In a climbing activity for example, it can be all about personal achievement if the instructor tells the student to climb as high as they can go. But if instead the person climbing the wall is directed by a buddy on the ground, it encourages communication, peer support and teamwork.
“We listen to what teachers want for their students, and change every session toward what the teachers are hoping to achieve,” adds Jack.
“Initially I underestimated the impact that experiences in an outdoor environment could have for children – especially with the two-night program length. However this quickly changed after witnessing children who have struggled in a traditional education setting thrive in our programs.
Jack says that this has been echoed time again by school staff who comment regularly about the changes in behaviours they see in the outdoor environment for their students.
“Outdoor education plays a key role in building on the outdoor experiences children learn at a young age through outdoor play.”
Buyer’s Guide
PGL Adventure Camps
Ph: 1300 859 895
Email: info@pgladventurecamps.com.au
