The Year 9 OLP was a program in which the Year 9 students embarked on a six day journey in Kalbarri, exploring various sites and learning different skills. One of those sites was called Four Ways, in which we embarked on a long, strenuous journey down a hill. Proceeding this, we were faced with crossing a river by traversing across stones situated underneath the murky rapids.
Being positioned at the front of the group, I was tasked with helping those behind me get across safely. However, while initially crossing the river, my friend who was at the front of the group with me, lost footing and slipped, nearly hitting his head during the fall. After witnessing this, the group became very distressed and apprehensive about crossing the river. One classmate was particularly anxious, and while it was hard at first, I tried to understand his feelings and where they were coming from. From there, I was able to articulate to him previous events he participated in which required more courage to perform than crossing a mere river, which helped quell his fears and give him the confidence he needed.
In addition to this, I was concerned about my classmates’ safety as they crossed the same rock that my friend originally stumbled on. Being cognisant of this, I made the decision to stay in the water and guide each of my classmates across so that there would be less chance of them falling and hurting themselves. I did this by advising them of the particular position of their footing to prevent slippage, as well as providing verbal support to keep their mind motivated and away from negative thoughts.
Through this experience, I was able to learn the importance of effectively communicating with others as well as the significance of showing compassion to all people within a team and taking into consideration everyone’s unique experiences when approaching a problem.
