We recently had the real pleasure of welcoming student and teachers from College Melkart all the way from the Lebanon, for a 2 night, 3 day Youth Leadership programme. 30 students, aged 12 - 14 arrived, laden with heavy suitcases, as if they were emigrating to Sri Lanka, not visiting for a week!
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| A trip in the Borderlands truck |
We feared the worst, imagining these kids would not stand the test of endurance and adventure that Borderlands would throw their way!
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| Some of the girls' by their accommodation for the next few days |
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| Boys Tent |
We were, however, proven wrong. Not only did the kids (and the teachers) rise to every challenge they did so with a tremendous sense of enthusiasm and spirit. For many it was the first time they had slept in a tent and for all it was the first time they had rafted white water, abseiled or canyoned. It was an inspiration to see some of the students overcoming genuine personal fears of heights and taking that leap of faith. For some it was a case of overcoming fears of little critters that mother nature has gifted us at camp. For others it was about overcoming the lack of domestic comforts that we all take for granted. It's safe to say that by the end they had all become true adventurers, and should all be very proud of their achievements.
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| Ready for the White Water Rafting |
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| Abseiling Sandun Ella Waterfall |
Our staff at Borderlands in Kithulgala also proved themselves to be excellent with the kids - Mahesh proving once again that he is a natural leader and has a great rapport with kids, Supun leading the way as our safety kayaker, Nirmal our latest recruit, rising to the task as our guide in training, Christo keeping everything ticking over and let's not forget Bandu and Dinesh in the kitchen, without who everyone would not have been fed such wonderful food.
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| Abseil Debrief with Wade |
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| Overcoming fears |
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| Taking on the Kelani |
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| Canyon jump under watchful eye of a Borderlands guide |
As well as all the action out on the river and in the surrounds of Kithulgala, the kids discovered the joy of bathing in the river, we hope we kept them on their toes with the early morning stretches, games and initiatives. But they had plenty of down time too, hanging out in the Longhouse, or round the camp fire and they were even treated to a live music session by Wade.
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| Breakfast time |
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| Morning stretches |
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| Salsa lessons |
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| Chilling Out at the end of the day |
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| Love the Shirt! |
We'd like to thank Sami for being such a great headmaster and for bringing his students all the way from Beirut to Kithulgala. He and his teachers were tremendous sports and helped make this a truly memorable and fun Youth Leadeship Programme. We hope that you, and your students keep hold of the memories and lessons learned, and we really do hope to see you and the school either back in Sri Lanka or at our Nepal site soon. Finally of course we have to say thanks to the kids - who made the programme such a delight for us all!
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| Love this shirt too! |
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| Thanks for Sharing the Adventure College Melkart! |
Borderlands has over 15 years experience of leading Youth Leadership Retreats and Outdoor Education Programmes, offering children from all over the world, and from all age ranges, a chance push themselves to the limit, achieve what they often thought impossible and gain an all important sense of self worth and self confidence in a controlled and safe, yet exciting environment. All our staff are dedicated to bringing the best out of each and every child, and are highly skilled professional guides and facilitators.
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| Mahesh leads the morning wake-up stretches |
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| Wade takes a group of student down the Kelani River |
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| Nature Walk |
Contact Gwen at journeys@discoverborderlands.com to enquire about School Outdoor Education Camps, Week Without Walls or any Youth-focused Adventure Programmes.
