The four-day camp at Royal Far West allowed nine students the opportunity to participate in activities, learn about mental health and receive inspiration from guest speakers.

The Year 10 students – Jacinta Elemes, Georgia Hammond, Ashleigh Horan, Kathryn Newman, Chloe Nolan, Jasmine Ward, Elijah Collis, Deakin Flick and Alan Riley – were selected for the program back in Term 2 based on good attendance and participation. 

Now in its second year the camp – run by local programs WACHS and QuitBFit, and in partnership with Deadly Choices and the Manly Sea Eagles – focused on health, leadership, chronic disease, drugs and alcohol, physical activity and nutrition. MomenTIM – a young male Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program – utilises young men's strengths to improve social and emotional wellbeing. 

MomenTIM facilitator, Jay Forrester, said the camp is designed to inspire students to better themselves.

“It was an opportunity for these young indigenous leaders of tomorrow to have an opportunity to listen to some inspirational speakers and do some new activities they hadn’t done before,” Jay said.

“Surfing, getting to meet the guest speakers including Sam Webb from LIVIN who spoke about suicide and the stigma attached to mental health; Alicia Quirk who won a gold medal in Rugby Sevens at the Olympics; Francis Cullimore who recently participated in Australian Ninja; author Luke Kennedy who spoke about drugs, alcohol and bullying; and Jeremy Donavan who spoke about culture and identity.”

“This is the second year we’ve done this camp and to me the students were very courteous and respectful of the whole game which to me gives me the feeling a lot was taken in from them.

“It’s important to know there are things outside of Wellington, whatever their future aspirations are be it employment or have their own self determination of what they want to do, to be able to give them opportunities to do something with their life in the future.”

He said it was great to have the support of school principal Rod Cosier.