New friends, new skills and new experiences – it all happens at the Rainbow Families Children’s Resilience Camp.  

After the success of the camp last year, we are putting on another resilience camp for primary school aged children in the Rainbow Families Community. 

This year it is a weekend away at Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation in Narrabeen from Friday 13th November to Sunday 15th November for primary school children, (aged 5 and above), siblings and their families. 

This camp is all about community, making friends and building children’s resilience. The program is based on Beyond Blue Building Resilience In Children principles, and has the following goals; building supportive relationships, build autonomy and responsibility, managing our emotions, and create opportunities for personal challenges.

There is a fully planned program for children during the camp. Children will have choice of outdoor group challenges and activities facilitated by a Department of Sport and Recreation Leaders, and creative workshops. There will be a resilience workshop for parents and children facilitated by Social Worker Vanessa Gonzalez. 

The camp is designed for primary school children (aged 5 and above) and their families. Children under the age of 5 will have full access to the Sport and Rec facilities (excluding the activities) and the beautiful location. Only children over 5 years of age will be able to participate in the workshops. There will be some craft supplies available and the general facilities of the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation, but it will be the parents' responsibility to supervise and care for children under 5 years of age.

We know that many children and adults may not know other campers. We have designed activities to support meeting and making new friends. Come with the spirit of sharing and getting to know your children better, and maybe making some friends yourself. 

Activities

The Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation will be running a number of activities over the weekend for children and parents. Activities have been chosen that will extend children’s comfort zones, with the aim of increasing their resilience through physical challenges.

The site has many other facilities we will be making use of including bike tracks, sports fields, athletics tracks, cricket nets, swimming pools and tennis courts.

The Sydney Sixers will be joining us on Saturday morning to run a cricket workshop for families.

Meals

All meals are provided by the excellent chefs at the Sport and Recreation centre. Starting with a welcome dinner on Friday night for everyone to get to know their new friends. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided each day, as well as snacks throughout the day. Camp will finish with a shared lunch on Sunday afternoon. All dietary requirements are catered for. Meals will be served by Sport and Rec staff in line with their COVID safe plan.

Families will be able to eat and spend time in the dining room adhering to social distancing regulations. Hand sanitiser will also be provided throughout the weekend.

Accommodation

We are working with Sport and Rec to try to have families in rooms by the selves. Everyone will need to bring towels, pillows, sleeping bags, or sheets and doonas.

Thank you to our generous friends at Lush

Lush have financially supported the Rainbow Families camp for the third year. After consultation with the community and listening to your feedback, this year the money from Lush is being used to reduce the cost of the camp for low income families that would not be able to attend otherwise. 

Thanks to our friends at Lush we have 24 discount tickets. There are two discount rates and we ask people to select the one they can most afford. Low income families can go in the draw for either or both of these options. Low income families will be selected at random. You can apply if you are in receipt of Centrelink income support or have a combined family income of less than $70,000.

Discount tickets will be allocated on October 22. 

Tickets

Tickets include all meals from Friday night to Sunday lunch, accommodation for 2 nights activities on both days and resilience workshops.

Children 2 and under are free

Tickets available until October 29.

Tickets are sold out

Discount tickets have been allocated.