Year 9 Camp at Kalbarri was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that allowed us to form unique memories, special friendships, and the chance to improve our teamwork and leadership skills. My understanding of teamwork is about communicating with each other and sharing the workload to achieve the same end goal. Leadership is using your initiative to set an example and provide support to others.

One example of teamwork was when we had to cook our own dinner. We split into a group of three and had around an hour to collect ingredients, prepare them, create a meal, then clean up. We also had to figure out who carried the equipment. Given that no one in my group knew much about each other, I think we all improved our teamwork skills. After a couple of days, I began to identify what each person preferred. One seemed to gravitate towards the portable stove, while the other enjoyed cutting the food. Using my communication skills, we managed to arrange our roles to suit this. This way, we got to share the workload while doing something we enjoyed, making the overall experience better.

Leadership cannot be forced; it’s about taking initiative when the opportunity arises. When we were back at the Caravan Park, we had to help clean tents and portable stoves. Once completed, we had our own free time. A small number of people, along with myself, decided to stay back with the teachers and instructors to give an extra hand by helping prepare for the following rotation, to allow their experience to be more fluent. I was setting an example for more students to volunteer in their own time to help our hardworking leaders. This significantly helped me to understand a different aspect of what leadership is. It’s about assisting others without being asked to do so.

In conclusion, Year 9 Camp was an amazing experience that allowed me to put my developing teamwork and leadership skills into action.