Camp Yarramundi Celebrates 10 Years Of Recovery

Camp Yarramundi has provided outdoor education, camping and community engagement programs to groups across NSW since 1937.

Over the last 10 years, one camp, in particular, has made one of the biggest impacts on both participants and outdoor instructors alike - Recover Camp.

Recovery camp is an innovative five-day mental health camp that changes lives through combining clinical placement students with people living with mental health issues, to offer an empowering and recovery-oriented experience.

The program, created by Professor Lorna Moxham and Dr Christopher Patterson from the University of Wollongong, focuses on building connections and community to provide opportunities for attendees to learn from one another.

“Each Recovery Camp is designed to be a collaborative program where health students and people living with mental health issues contribute in equal measure to the experience,” Dr Christopher said.

“Since 2013, Recovery Camps have had a profound impact on the wellbeing and recovery experience of people living with mental health issues.

“We now have a family of over 900 people who have attended camp for their own mental health recovery.

“At the same time, Recovery Camp has provided over 1,300 health students with over 108,000 hours of mental health clinical experience placement as well as insight into working with consumers with serious mental health conditions.”

This month marks Recovery Camp’s 10th anniversary with Camp Yarramundi hosting the very first camp in 2013.

As the unofficial home of Recovery Camp, the Y NSW and Camp Yarramundi are proud to celebrate the incredible milestone.

Nick Payne, Camp Yarramundi Camping Manager, has been part of the program since its inception a decade ago.

“One of the core values of the Y NSW is undertaking meaningful work and the Recovery Camp program has always been strongly aligned to this value,” Mr Payne said.

“To be working with Recovery Camp for the last 10 years, to help change lives and shape the future of mental health care is a collaboration of which my team and I are particularly proud.

“Outdoor Education is so much more than just having fun on an abseil, it’s about connection, collaboration and empowerment and Recovery Camp at its core understands and leverages the true advantages of outdoor education and the therapeutic links to mental health.”

Mr Payne said that aside from building strong relationships with regular camp attendees, one of the best aspects of Recovery Camp was the immeasurable impact that came from the program.

“Over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles have come from students at Recovery Camp recording the improvements of mental health in participants as a direct result of the program,” he said.

“We don’t often get the chance to see the benefits of a camp once someone has left, but with Recovery Camp not only do we get to watch participants flourish over the years but there is data to provide its impact.

“For us to have such a long-standing relationship with Recovery Camp means the program is having its desired impact and continues to be a huge success in the mental health space.

“The benefits are also extended too ur own team in their knowledge and confidence in offering inclusive outdoor education to people from all walks of life.”

For more information on Recovery Camp, visit www.recoverycamp.com.au. Learn more about Camp Yarramundi, visit www.yarramundi.ymcansw.org.au/.

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