Outdoor Education
We have years of experience taking children, young people and adults of all walks of life into the outdoors for the purposes of recreation, adventure, education and environmental awareness.
Also, it is fun! It is challenging! And it is, for many, an opportunity for self-discovery.
We use the outdoors as medium to teach, to build self esteem and independence, to create and enhance teams and to develop resilience in individuals.
Many of our departments have something to offer in terms of Outdoor Education, and we follow industry recognised guidelines for best practice in regards to philosophy, risk management and learning outcomes.
Youth Development Services
This is the branch of the City YMCA based at 12 Hereford Street - a dynamic team of outdoor instructors and educators who are not bound by the confines of their office - they are always climbing, biking, tramping, kayaking or some such other thing. They are always coming up with new ideas and can offer your group or school a programme that is custom built to suit your needs.
The Youth Development team manage the YMCA Climbing Wall and all of the YMCA holiday programmes. They lead our Youth Leadership and Development programmes also.
Venture Quest
Operating from Hereford Street this programme is a FREE full time course that runs for 8 weeks. Aimed at 17 - 24 year olds, it teaches life-skills and literacy and numeracy programmes through a range of adventure and conservation projects and activities. Following the programme most students are successful at being accepted onto other Tertiary courses or find meaningful work.
Wainui Park
Our camp at Wainui has been owned and operated since 1929. The camp is a magic place on the Akaroa Harbour - with a range of residential outdoor programme options.
Wainui Park is OutdoorsMark accredited - the industry recognised safety quality mark for outdoor education in NZ.
Schools, community groups, corporate groups and special interest groups can all find something for them at Wainui.