The Malinauskas Labor Government has boosted funding to an award-winning outdoor educational program that provides young people in care with valuable life skills.
The Adventure Mentoring program conducted by Operation Flinders Foundation has received $150,000 to engage 24 young people in the program in term one this year.
The Adventure Mentoring program was launched at the beginning of the 2024 school year and more than 70 young people in care have so far taken part.
It provides outdoor adventure training and mentoring for young people in care, helping them build self-confidence and resilience.
Through a partnership with the Department for Child Protection (DCP), each participant receives two to three hours a week of personal mentoring for 10 weeks. Activities are tailored to the interests of the participants, and can include kayaking, mountain bike riding, abseiling, and hiking.
The transformative impact of Operation Flinders shines through in participants' own words, with satisfaction survey data highlighting that all participants felt safe and supported by their adventure mentor and 93% felt proud of what they achieved and confident making positive changes in their lives.
Peer support and mentoring programs such as the Operation Flinders partnership were a key action to follow from commitments made at the inaugural Child Protection and Family Support Symposium.
Operation Flinders' Adventure Mentoring program took out the Community Service category at the 2024 South Australian Child Protection Awards in September.
The organisation has been conducting adventure therapy programs for young people for more than 30 years.
Its core eight-day program is held in the northern Flinders Ranges, where young people trek up to 100km over the course of a week, building self-confidence and learning about Aboriginal culture and bushcraft.
Many young people in contact with the child protection and family support system have also taken part in that program over recent years.
Course leaders for the Adventure Mentoring program with DCP are largely drawn from that core Flinders Ranges program and boast a valuable mix of both social work and outdoor education skills.
As put by Katrine Hildyard
With the support of some extraordinary mentors, this outstanding program has already helped these brilliant young people who face some really hard challenges to grow, build self-confidence and develop valuable life skills.
Our government is determined to provide young people in care with programs and opportunities that provide practical skills, nurture their sense of belonging and self-worth and help them to know that they are not alone and that they deserve every opportunity to thrive.
We are determined to help children in contact with the system be safe and supported. We are also determined that, no matter their circumstances or starting point, they are afforded every opportunity to equally and actively participate in every aspect of life.
That is why we are investing in this remarkably successful program which shows what can be achieved when we truly listen to, support and empower young people.
As put by Grant Stevens, SA Police Commissioner and Chair of Operation Flinders Foundation
We as a Foundation are proud to partner with DCP to create a positive change and opportunities for some of our state's most vulnerable young people.
To see the young people's ongoing success and achievements has been phenomenal.
These young people face adversity and confront challenges daily, so it's rewarding to know we have created a safe place and somewhere for them to grow and develop.
As put by David Wark, Chief Executive, Operation Flinders Foundation
We measure all of our projects on resilience, connectiveness and purpose, and the satisfaction surveys we've done with the children and young people in care have been fantastic.
We've been stunned – we expected it to be positive but nothing like this. There are some young people really starting to engage and feel good about themselves.
We propose reaching another 100 young people in 2025 but this program can gear up as much as we need.
I'd like to have 200 young people take part … more. It's just about finding the right mentors and we know they're out there. In a safe way, we want to challenge these young people.
