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Earth Immersion Overnight Camp
CNY 2021

 

15th - 16th Feb

Esme, Simone, Mani, Riley

Drop off: Mon 15th 9.30am
Sai Kung Pier 

Pick up: Tues 16th 12.30pm Sai Kung Pier

19th - 20th Feb

Eliette, Kay, Kitty,

Heidi, Pella

Drop off: Fri 19th 9.30am 
Sai Kung Pier

Pick up: Sat 20th 12.30pm
Sai Kung Pier

LOCATION

SAI KUNG: We'll be on a little island 10 mins from Sai Kung Town pier, named Pak Sha Chau. A sampan will drop us off on the island and pick us up the following day. They will not be required to walk very long with their packs, but they may need to scramble along a rocky coastline once arriving on the island.

MAP OF LOCATION OF SAI KUNG CAMPING SITE


WHAT TO BRING & WEAR

As the weather will be cooler, we can adjust how much water is needed for the girls to drink during the day. This list suggests the recommended items they might bring to make their experience the most comfortable.

Please pack based on the weather forecast of your daughter's camping trip. This time of year can be quite warm, but also have significant drops in temperature. When camping, its better to be too warm, than cold!

OVERNIGHT CAMPING LIST
Water bottle (1.5 - 2litres)
Hat & sunscreen
Packed lunch for day 1
A copy of identification (HKID/Passport - For emergency)

Torch/headlamp
Tent (optional)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Pillow (pillowcase that they can stuff with clothes)
Spare change of clothes
Warm Socks
Warm hat (if cold)
Towel (optional)
Swimsuit (optional)
Picnic mat (optional)

Eating utensils
Plate & bowl

 

1 pack of tissue paper

Plastic bag (for disposables)
Toiletries
Hand sanitizer
Face mask
Insect repellent
Personal first aid items (Optional)

A sacred item from home (further details below)


 

 

 

 

What we will provide:
Comprehensive first aid kit
Cooking pans and cooking utensils
Waterproof tarp's (in case of rain)
Extra water
Food for Dinner Day 1, Breakfast & Lunch on day 2
Tools & materials which we will use for skills practice
Fully charged phones & extra battery
Fully charged GPS device
1 spare tent (if required)

 

SACRED ITEM
This item that they will bring, will be a symbol of an anchor, or protector during their camping their experience. Once we arrive at the campsite we will hold a simple opening ceremony which will initiate the start of us walking through the threshold together, which is when they will bring out what it is they have chosen from home.
Simply put, its something they wish to bring from home that will accompany them through this experience

Important things to note about this item:
- They WILL be bringing it home
- It will be exposed to the elements, wind, rain (possibily), sand, so best that it is not too delicate

- It should hold some sort of significance or a memory, or attachment with it
- It does not have to be a natural item (found in Nature) but it can be!

Examples:
- A special scarf/clothing item
- A significant toy
- Something they made
- A gift they received which feels important

 

SAFETY

- 90% of the work and experience we carry is to prevent an incident from ever happening. It's all in the prep!
- We carry a comprehensive first aid kit around with us
- We gather information beforehand about your child's medical history & any special needs they may have
- Your guides have a collective 16years working with children in an outdoor setting, including wilderness programmes, Forest School, working with schools, adults groups & bushcraft

- Your guide has attended outdoor and wilderness first aid training almost every year for the last 8 years!
- We carry a compass, map and GPS enabled phone so we can always communicate our location in the event of an emergency
- Your child will never be forced to do anything they do not feel comfortable with. There is a fine line between empowering them to stretch their comfort zones, and forcing them into an experience they are not ready for. Our safety includes not only keeping your child safe physically but also taking care of their emotional well-being.
- Based on our unique island location, in the highly unlikely event of an emergency during the night, we would require helicopter assistance or marine police. Ordinarily, a sampan from Sai Kung Pier would be the main mode of transport to and from the island.

- The contact of the Sampan driver will be shared with parents on the group chat as standard procedure of disclosure.

RISK


There is always an element of risk in everything that we do.


Part of my role is not to point out every single potential danger there is to the girls, but to create a container that supports them in identifying, and assessing the risk themselves. Pointing out any and all risk to our young ones would be doing them a disservice. Sheltering them from potential danger means we rob them of the opportunity to learn for themselves what feels safe, and right. 

By building and strengthening this skill in risk assessment, we allow them to gain experience and confidence in listening to their own bodies and trust their intuition so that this can be applied in any and all environments.

(But of course, I will do everything in my power to make sure they come back with all of their fingers and toes!)


 

COMMUNICATION
(With parents)​

 

You will be added to the Whatsapp communication group 1 week before the camp begins. The primary purpose of the group is to share all the photos taken from our time during the programme, as well as to communicate any changes or updates to the programme in a timely manner.

The Whatsapp group will be closed 1 week after the programme has completed, and you can feel free to exit at any point before that.

While we will have phone reception and will have access to our phones at all times during the camp, please only contact us for urgent matters, so we can be as present with the girls as possible.

During the overnight camp, we will send through a couple of photos so you can see how the girls are set up! We will have soft and hard copies of your contacts as well as emergency contacts in case we need to reach you. The phone numbers of both your guides will be provided before the camp.

Please keep personal inquiries to direct emails to connect@kembali.org

WEATHER

Our programme will continue even in the rain! If weather forecasts unsafe weather to continue, we will postpone the programme date. You will be informed by 6.30am that morning if the programme needs to be cancelled.


A programme will be cancelled if:
- T3 or above is hoisted

- Red Rain or above is hoisted
 

In the event of a Thunderstorm, amber rain, or T1 signal, our programme activities will be adjusted as well as our location to ensure we have safe and accessible passage out to main roads, and that we have access to sheltered spaces to work on skills-based learning.

If a Red Rain or a T3 signal is hoisted during the programme, the group will travel to the nearest safe space or exit site, and parents will be contacted about arranging an earlier pick-up.

During the camp - we will have plenty of waterproof tarp's to set up and shelter under if there is a shower that passes.

Benefits of continuing in the rain and 'imperfect' conditions
- Teaches the girls to adapt to different environments and situations
- Offers an opportunity to problem solve, improvise and think on our feet
- Allows them to listen to their bodies response to the environment, and learn how to dress accordingly
- Invites a new relationship with the rain, learning to see the beauty in that element, rather than a hindrance

- Can offer ideal bonding time, sharing experiences that stretch our comfort zones

HEALTH & SAFETY

We will continue to practice safe hygiene during these programmes in light of the escalation of Coronavirus cases in Hong Kong.

When signing up for this programme, guardians agree to the following terms below:


- Temperature checks for their child the morning before the programme begins. Temperatures above 37.5 may require the child to abstain from joining the programme.

- Each child to carry their own personal hygiene belongings of their choosing (Hand sanitizers, face masks etc).

​- Disclose if they or their children have been abroad in the last 21 days.

We will be creating collective agreements in our little pods about personal and physical safety, food hygiene, and travelling/walking in pairs to remain in accordance with the 2-person gathering.
We would appreciate if you could also communicate this to your girls prior to them coming on camp.

FOOD
We will do our absolute best to provide food that is going to cater to their girls preferences and dietary requirements.
For food hygiene purposes, it is very likely we will provide a vegan/vegetarian menu, deliciously and creatively cooked over the fire.
Please do let us know if your daughter has any food allergies, religious eating requirements and STRONG dislike of certain foods (I can't stand corriander for example).

 

TOILETS
During the camp, we will be using the Toile-TREES! There will not be a public toilet on the island, so we will create a designated an agreed, safe and private location for the girls to go for a squat (there's no other way to put it!)
We will be practising Leave No Trace Ethics, so all tissues and toilet paper will be taken out with us, and we will have procedures on how we manage that, as well as hygiene after the girls have finished.
This goes for wee's and poo's, though if in the morning girls are feeling very uncomfortable about doing this outdoors, we can decide as a group to make a small trip to the closest public toilets, no problem!

 

THE ROLE OF THE MENTOR

I am not the only Mentor in the group
As their guide, I am there to support when support is needed or requested.

They may recognize me as their human guide, but as their mentor, I will also be constantly pointing out how Mother Earth is also mentoring us all the time, as well as each individual in the group.

I will be sharing practices on how to listen and observe what the Earth might be sharing, so even after they walk away from the programme with me, they feel they are constantly being guided.

Independence
A large part of my role is also to open their eyes to their own limitless potential and power. I do this by not doing everything for them. Literally!
A strong element of this programme is independence as well as community, so we will be drawing on the collective wisdom of the group, especially when there is an individual who is needing support.

Transforming self-doubt
I am familiar with self-doubt (I have been friends with self-doubt for a long time), and because of that, I can see when it is coming up for the girls. There will be plenty of opportunities where we will stretch our boundaries to do things we didn't think we could, make things we didn't think we could make, go places we wouldn't have attempted to go before and to know that we are capable and deserving of feeling powerful!

Celebrating Diversity
Each girl and each day will be different, and so the level of support and guidance I will offer to each one depending on the environment will vary.

 Connect with us if you have any further questions and inquiries - connect@kembali.org

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