Camp BreakFree is a weeklong outdoors program accompanied by a series of follow-up sessions, designed to help local teenagers lead better lives through improved self-esteem and healthy decision making.

The aim of Camp Breakfree is to provide a challenging outdoor adventure experience in a safe environment where young people can evaluate themselves, their life choices, their relationships with others and set goals for themselves. Outcomes of the program include: teamwork, healthy decision making, increased self esteem, responsibility for self, conflict resolution skills, relationship building, self-awareness and awareness of others.

The Camp Breakfree program is managed by Anglican Youthworks, who are responsible for the overall coordination of the program, including providing experienced and trained camp leaders.

Program Structure
•  Participant Selection: involves close collaboration between the Anglican Youthworks' challenge program manager and a committee of representatives from a local high school (e.g. principal, welfare teacher, year advisers, etc) to select 10-12 students who have been identified as those most likely to benefit from the program. Examples of characteristics displayed by participants pre-camp include: low self-esteem (lack of confidence or any sense of achievement), behavioural issues, poor school performance, lack of self control, little or no leadership qualities (i.e. “follower”), poor relationship skills, or display pattern of making bad choices.

•  Information meeting: provides an opportunity for the parents/carers to hear about the program and discuss any questions they have about the program.

•  Pre-Camp: involves meeting with the participants to establish a group contract and observe how the group responds to team work situations. Some skills for the camp will also be developed and participants will be briefed on the requirements for camp.

•  Camp: runs for five days and is based at “Kaloona”, an Anglican Youthworks site along the Shoalhaven River . The participants engage in outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling and caving, while learning about survival skills, group work and personal reflection.

•  Follow-up Programs: afternoon sessions that assist the participants to integrate lessons learned at camp into their home and school environment.

•  Presentation Dinner: concludes the program and gives participants the opportunity to celebrate their achievements, with certificates awarded and photos from camp.

•  One-year Follow-up: informal meeting between camp leaders, Anglican Youthworks' challenge program manager, Breakfree Foundation staff and camp participants to evaluate longer-term outcomes of the program.

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