3^rd October was the first day of our first adventure camp for Indian school children between the ages of 9 to 16, the second camp started one week later. The camps lasted for 3 days, and included their stay at our Centre for Experiential Living and all meals.

Right from the beginning, FSL India played energisers with the children in order to get them to know each other. They also aimed to make them feel comfortable in the new surroundings.

Afterwards, the children had the opportunity to do some outdoor activities conducted by professionals. They balanced on a rope fixed between 2 trees. They also climbed on a longer rope that was fixed above CEL’s lake, and did ziplining, under controlled risk.

We finished this successful day with a bonfire, which was set by the children. For this, they used wooden sticks, matches and dried leaves, which they collected themselves.

What was really nice was also the trekking tour that took place on the second day of each camp. For many, it was their first hike. We approximately walked 14 kilometres during camp no 1 and almost 10 kilometres during the second one.

The view we got on both walks was definitely worth the effort, as we saw the vast and beautiful landscape of the surrounding areas, including numerous hills covered with forests. Both hikes took place in biodiversity forests. One of the hikes took place close to Arasinagundi, where we found a lot of leeches and it was amazing to see how the children heroically fought back their attacks. Everyone made it back to the bus in good shape.

FSL India also wants to build awareness among the youth by introducing them to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the UN. So, they got an introduction on these incredibly important topics. Later, the children were supposed to think about those goals and try finding solutions through a fun game. We were really happy with the results. Once again, our youth proved what they are capable of. Of course, everyone got a certificate for attending the camp.

The last thing was the difficult task to say goodbye to each other. Many children came from far away places like Mysore, Kundapura and Bangalore. We collected their feedback and hope all the kids got something to take away for their future, be it increased confidence, creativity or experience. It would be nice to see all of the participants again.