SIMONSBERG CHRISTIAN CENTRE P.O Box 21 Elsenburg Tel: Fax:

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1 SIMONSBERG CHRISTIAN CENTRE P.O Box 21 Elsenburg Tel: Fax: Christian Camp and Adventure Ministry Centre Life, Hope and Growth CAMP PROGRAM OPTIONS FOR SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND GROUPS Simonsberg Christian Centre offers a number of predesigned high impact programs as well as the flexibility to create a unique program for your group s specific needs. This document gives prospective clients an idea of what we offer. Please contact our office to discuss your groups specific needs or to make a booking. Transformation thru Adventure Making full use of fun filled adventure activities and the outdoors to develop team building, leadership and group bonding in school and church groups. This program is developed for groups from 9yrs old to adult. The Transformation thru Adventure program is normally run on a 2 night camp, but can be adapted for both shorter and longer time frames. Ideal for schools, churches, sports groups and others looking for a good, non specific and adaptable camp program. Connect! Connect! is a unique specially designed program to expose city kids to nature. The program is designed for children in Grades 3-5 with a special emphasis on exploring the outdoors and connecting kids with the natural environment and each other. Get dirty, catch tadpoles, explore the forest, make friends and learn to value the natural environment in a special way. This program may be combined with adventure activities or with visits to some of the educational centre's that are listed on the following pages. Leadership Revolution The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. - William James This is not your average leadership camp. It is designed for those in leadership from grade 10 to adult with a strong focus on ethics, attitudes and training leaders to develop other leaders. A life changing program for those in schools, ministry and NGO s! The Caring Classroom When you know how valued you are, you will value others A primary school camp program for grades 4-7 that uses adventure, games and activities to promote a sense of community within the class, school or youth group. The program focuses on the importance of values, relationships, perceptions and dealing with conflict in a healthy way. By gaining these vital life skills at an early age, it will lay a good foundation for the challenges of high school and being a teenager. This program has a strong Christian element. Christian Ministry Experiential activities provide an amazing opportunity for Christian ministry and ministry training. This is particularly so in the areas of Christian identity, leadership training and relationship building. Come on a Christian experiential learning camp and learn how to match your experiences, your identity and your faith together to be more effective in your ministry. These are specialist camps and a unique opportunity for your ministry. Contact Simonsberg to discuss the specific needs of your youth group, congregation or Christian organization.

2 EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES FOR CAMP PROGRAMS The experiential activities at Simonsberg Christian Centre are specifically designed for personal transformation and group development. This is achieved through the combination of various physical, mental and emotional challenges in a structured and facilitated camp program. Whilst the underlying themes of the experiential activities are that of personal development, team building and group dynamics, our trained facilitators will make sure that the challenges are all creative, exciting, safe and most importantly - fun. The following list gives some of the key activities offered to participants taking part in the camp programs at Simonsberg Christian Centre. We are continuously developing new challenges and activities, and these may not necessarily be listed here. Our on site Program Manager will work with you to ensure we achieve the right balance of challenges and activities for your group, organization or ministry. Before We Begin Our goal is to help you achieve yours! Good fun and brilliant activities mean nothing if we don t do our job properly! To do this we have a full time Program Manager on site and use experienced and trained facilitators. We have the following in place to make sure our work is done properly: Regular risk assessments and safety checks on equipment; Challenge by choice philosophy; Current 1st Aid certification; Ongoing training; Public liability insurance for Adventure Activities and a Child Protection Policy. All participants are briefed on safety issues specific to each activity; indemnity forms need to be signed; good facilitator to camper ratios are maintained. Simonsberg Christian Camp is a member of Christian Camping Southern Africa and CAMnet. Low Ropes Challenge Course Participants complete over 20 different challenges on a continuous course of 100m without touching the ground. The Low Ropes Challenge Course develops physical strength, balance and trust,whilst promoting an understanding of our differences, caring for others and group support. Key Growth Areas include: Understanding both our and others similarities and unique abilities and strengths, Trust, Helping and Caring for others, Perseverance and Understanding that life has different challenges and it is how we deal with these challenges that makes the difference. Emergency Switch Two groups starting opposite each other have to cross over to the other side using only the poles, hanging tyres and platform provided. The objective is for both groups to work together to achieve a common goal. Key Growth Areas include: Leadership, Trust, Planning, Teamwork, Cooperation, Communication and Consideration. Commando Each person in the group is given the opportunity to instruct their blindfolded partner to fetch a piece of a puzzle and return it to the group. Once all the pieces have been collected, the participants must correctly assemble the puzzle before the other team. Key Growth Areas: Communication, Trust, Listening, Group Dynamics, Dealing with Success and Failure, Problem Solving. Laser Door Group members must escape under a closing door without touching the floor in the vicinity of the door. Key Growth Areas: Problem Solving, Planning, Consideration, Understanding of Risk and Consequences, Dealing with Frustration and Understanding how our Attitudes affect both ourselves and others. Night Hike Simonsberg is privileged to have both smog free and light free night skies. The night hike summits a small hill on Kanonkop Estate from which one can see from False Bay to Paarl and from Table Mountain to Simonsberg Mountain. Groups walk along farm roads and the distances walked vary according to group ages and strengths. Key landmarks, stars and constellations are pointed out. Key Growth Areas: Self Awareness, Cooperation, Geographic Knowledge, Appreciation of Nature and Self Identity

3 Tyre Ladder Participants need to climb a rope and tyre ladder up a steep hill. Whilst participants stay at ground level all the time, the height climbed and the fear of failure can be quite daunting. Key Growth Areas: Overcoming Fear, Overcoming Personal Obstacles, Trust in Self, Completing what you Started, Group Encouragement, and Determination. Nail Challenge, Knot Challenge and Tangram Puzzles Not all activities are physical. These three activities are problem solving challenges that often encourage others in the group to shine. Participants get to race in smaller groups to beat the others in solving the puzzles. All three puzzles seem impossible and require out of the box thinking to solve. Key Growth Areas: Problem Solving, Overcoming the Impossible, Thinking out the box, Involving Others, Accepting Help, Perseverance, Communication, Conflict Resolution and the Importance of our Attitudes. Traffic Jam A Human Checkers puzzle in which two groups need to cross over to the other side but can only move if there is a space available to move. This is a good activity to develop problem solving skills, particularly as the tensions in the group climb after each traffic jam. Key Growth Areas: Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Communication, Respect and Attitude towards Problems. Blindfold Maze and Flat Web The group is divided into pairs. One person is blindfolded and their partner talks them through a trail in the bush. The objective is to get through the obstacles and safely to the end of the trail. The pairs then swop over and have a chance to do it again with their partner blindfolded. The flat web achieves similar objectives but in this activity the blindfolded person is talked through a horizontal web of string. Key Growth Areas: Trust, Clear Communication and Good Listening Skills. Helping Others, Consideration for those who have Disabilities. Foofie Slide Campers sit and hold on to a Foofie slide as it takes them across the Simonsberg Dam. This is a fun activity which is more often than not done just for that to have fun. For many participants this is the highlight of the camp and if time allows they may go more than once. Key Growth Areas: Have Fun, Relax and be Yourself. Encourage Others and Help Each Other. Cascades Participants race against another group to fill a 1m length of pipe with water and float the ball within out. The problem is the water filling bucket is small and the pipe is full of holes. Great fun, but also a real tension creator if the team does not work together. Key Growth Areas: Working Together to Achieve a Common Goal, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Planning and the Proper Use of Resources.

4 Bonfire and Night Activities Simonsberg facilitators run the program up until 9pm during camp. After dinner campers may play group games in the hall or on the large field outside. Group skits are an option, as is the ever popular Stalk the Lantern and a bonfire to roast your marshmallows on. A typical 2 night camp will alternate a night hike and evening activities. Key Growth Areas: Fun, Relax and Get to Know Each Other. Raft Building Design and build a raft in your group and race against another team in the Simonsberg Dam. Younger learners use a prebuilt raft and older groups build their own. Always very popular. Key Growth Areas: Planning, Cooperation, Consideration, Teamwork, Communication and More! Orienteering Participants need to work in a group to identify various points from a map and find certain objects on the camp grounds. Once this is successfully completed, they need to make a work of art with the objects they have found. Key Growth Areas: Map Reading Skills, Physical Development, Group Consensus, Observation Skills, Finding your Place in Life and Art. The Mine Field Your group needs to cross an open area without touching the ground and using only the stumps and planks provided. A twist at the end often catches out the unprepared. Key Growth Areas: Planning, Consideration of Other's Abilities, Out of the Box Thinking, Conflict Resolution, Leadership Development, Time Management and Habits. Big Swing The group needs to successfully cross the ravine to escape the danger approaching from behind. But first they need to get the rope Key Growth Areas: Involving Everyone, Considering others Opinions, Using others Strengths, Problem Solving, Supporting others and Understanding each other and how we Fit Together as a Group. Electric Fence & Spiders Web Two great group activities in which the participants need to pass over a wire or through a web without touching the ground. Key Growth Areas: Group and Personal Support, Trust, Friendship, Planning, Consideration of others, Finishing Well, Consequences, Communication and Overcoming Fear. Long Walk to Freedom All that stands between you and your group s freedom is a 30m length of steel cable. The team needs to get everyone to the end, and if you fall off, everyone starts again. It looks easy but you cannot do this on your own. Key Growth Areas: Team Work, Problem Solving, Communication, Planning, Understanding Consequences and Accepting Help from others. Duck Ring Time is short and the bomb is armed. Move from place to place to disarm the bomb without touching the board and still keeping it balanced. Teamwork is key. Key Growth Areas: Involving Everyone, Planning, Communication and Consideration, Leadership and at times, Conflict Resolution.

5 The Bridge Participants are required to get their whole team to the other side using the planks provided without touching the sides of the bridge. Key Growth Areas: Planning, Time Management, Team Work, Leadership and Change. Ice Breakers, Group Games, Field and Pool Activities Simonsberg s large lawned field is ideal for ice breakers, large and small group games, sporting activities and anything that requires space. It s great both for structured activities and free play. Simonsberg s two swimming pools are a big attraction and are often incorporated into the program on hot days. Key Growth Areas: Ice Breaking and Group Forming, Free Play, Relationship Building, Relaxing, Debriefing and Fun. Facilitation and Debriefing Experiential activities are about more than just completing the task. The growth and change in participants occurs when discussing what was just experienced, relating it to real life situations and then putting it into practice on the following activity and in the real world after camp. Good facilitation and debriefing is vital to a successful camp. All of Simonsberg s facilitators are skilled at both the activities and debriefing. Key Growth Areas: Personal and group development, life application and life skills. School Educational Camps Simonsberg is ideally situated for use as a base for educational tours. We can assist you with your on-site program or your group can use the camp as a base to explore the many options in the area. Some of those options are: Butterfly World: Eagle Encounters: - go to them or ask them to come to Simonsberg Giraffe House: - go to them or ask them to come to Simonsberg Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm: Cape Town Lion Park: Drakenstein Lion Park: Spier Cheetah Project: Simonsberg Conservancy: Tygerberg Zoo: Historical and Cultural visits to Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek towns. Simonsberg Christian Centre has a large number of other activities that are not listed above. We offer a variety of options to groups staying at the camp. These include a full program option where Simonsberg runs your camp from arrival to departure or part program options where we offer our skills and equipment to your group for a morning, afternoon or a couple of hours only. Groups are also welcome to make use of the camps accommodation and catering services for their own use without participating in any program options. Groups running their own programs are not allowed any use of or access to any of Simonsberg Christian Centre s equipment and adventure courses. Please contact the Simonsberg Christian Centre s office on or simonsbergccc@gmail.com to discuss your needs or to make a booking.