Making Connections on Camp

In March, Year 7 spent their camp week at Po Leung Kuk Jockey Club Pak Tam Chung Holiday Camp, paddling, hiking, zip lining, scrambling, building, grilling, toasting and snorkelling. Set in the Sai Kung West Country Park, camp was a time to connect, to see old friends join with new as part of the AISHK community, and to grow as a cohort of young people.

Throughout the week students participated in groups with a designated DragonFly leader and AISHK staff member. Every day was scheduled from dawn to 9:00pm with activities, reflections, indoor, outdoor and active adventures. Student reflections include words like unity, connection and friendship. There were also quite a few mentions of “uphill” and “exhausted”!

I helped another student during canyoning and we also partnered up during kayaking and I think we worked quite well together. We chatted together and that’s how I made a new friend.

Year 8

An Account of Camp

By Wing Cho and Archer Bourne

I was extremely scared when we did canyoning because it was so high and slippery. I made it in the end, but it took encouragement and some deep breaths. I learned that you can get through scary things with some encouragement and meditation. I also learned that teamwork helps as well.

When we got back to school two days later, I saw everybody in a whole new light. Instead of being the new student, where everyone was the sameconfusing, random, maybe not that friendly - I was able to see the core values and personal uniqueness of each and every one of my cohort-mates.

Year 8 camp was such a blast with many challenges and lots of fun with friends. Camp stretched across two days with two separate activities that were Stand Up Paddle boarding and Coasteering. In this short report, we will tell you about the challenges we faced and the adventures we went through during Year 8 camp.

Paddle Boarding

At camp there were teamwork activities that we needed to be able to work with each other and help each other on.

Camp has helped me develop strong bonds with my cohort, and I am very pleased with everything that has happened. No regrets. Camp is something that everyone should take part in.

We developed lifelong skills from just the Dragolympics, teaching us exactly what to do in times of failure, conflict and stress.

On the first day of camp, we hopped on a bus, heading towards Sai Kung to go paddle boarding around the shore of Sha Ha Beach. We were greeted by the members of Asia Adventure and shortly after, we were changed into our swimsuits, ready to get in the water and shivering in the miserable weather with a life jacket hanging over our heads. We first got introduced to our group leaders, and we did some icebreaker activities on the small beach we were on. We played some stuck-in-the-mud, tag, relays… We were soon off in the water on our paddle boards after some demonstrations from the camp leaders, and we were having the best time of our lives. The cold shallow water was matched with the moody grey sky as we paddled towards the centre of the ocean. There, we played ‘Paddle and Conquer’ where everyone chose a country they would represent and paddle around to conquer other countries by tapping on their board with the paddle 3 times in a row. We also played a game called ‘Paddle Board Keys’ - a challenging game since we had to balance on a bunch of wobbly boards on water, but in the end, we all managed to complete the challenge with ease. Soon after that, we were sent back on shore for our lunch and we were all freezing in our thin, tiny towels, but the good thing was, the sky started to clear up, and the weather seemed more friendly than it seemed before. After our well-earned break on shore, we headed back to the water, towards the mangroves. Near the mangroves were some abandoned dragon boats and we paddled around the boats inspecting it. In total, we spent almost the entire day on water, paddling, so by the end of the day, we were all ready to go back home and have a long rest, because the next day was going to be just as fun as the first.

Coasteering

We hopped on a bus ride to Tai Tam to start our second day of camp, looming rain clouds hung over as we reached our final destination but nothing could ruin this soon to be awesome day for us. Once our group hopped off the bus, we were greeted by the members of Asia Adventure, who led us to our first challenge. We had to scale down the side of a hill through the rainwater collection system, it was very slippery and steep with the rain sprinkling on top of us. As we reached the rock shore of the beach we saw the cliffside that we all knew we had to climb across. We got partnered up and slipped on our harnesses and helmets, which the camp leaders help us tighten to keep us safe. We went through a quick demo and then we were off. We scaled the treacherous rock face as quickly as mountain goats and we stopped halfway at a rock perch to have a quick drink and a snack or two. The water was lapping on the

Year 9 rocky beach below making beautiful chimes that filled the air. Once we all had done the zipline a few times each, we headed back on a harder route which instead of going around the cliff we had to climb up it. Then the leader said there was one more challenge we had to overcome,” The Cave”. We soon found out that it was just a fresh rainwater system that comes from a river but it was still very dark and interesting. Sadly our shoes did get wet but it was definitely worth it. We climbed back up the mountain and hopped back on the bus after a long day of fun.

To end things off, Year 8 camp even with the gloomy weather over our heads the entire two days ,we still enjoyed every bit of it and we also created amazing memories and new friends that we will never forget. Year 8 Camp was such a memorable experience and we can’t wait for our next one coming very soon in Term 3.