Puddle Jumper’s is a non profit, non-government organisation in Forestville South Australia, committed to responding to the social development needs of society’s most vulnerable children and young people; the priority of their work is reserved for children who do not live with their birth parents.
Puddle Jumpers (PJ) provides opportunities and support for children and families at risk, through holidays and recreational activities designed to promote personal, social and cultural growth and development. Programmes are designed to empower young people to develop social, communication, co-operation, team building, conflict management and problem solving skills; as well as developing self-esteem and confidence. Many of the participants who attend PJ’s camps have never experienced a holiday.
Currently Puddle Jumpers is 100% volunteer operated and receives no Government funding. They rely on fundraising, grants, donations and sponsorship to enable them to provide their services.
Puddle Jumpers commenced in May 2012, the first camp service ran in December 2012 and the first activity day was in April 2013 (for some of the children that were wait-listed for a camp spot).
Since then Puddle Jumpers have run regular camps and activity days. In addition, as of 2016, PJ has run weekly food nights where disadvantaged people and families can come and collect fresh produce, toiletries and clothing whilst enjoying soup, coffee, tea and nibbles in a ‘market stall’ atmosphere.
Camps for Kids in Need are for young boys and girls between the ages of 5-15 years. The aim of the camps are to provide an environment that fosters positive self esteem and personal development, while providing achievable challenges and goals.
Camps are provided each school holiday period.
Puddle Jumpers has access to The Clayton Bay Campsite provided by SOS Children’s Villages, which comprises of live-in accommodation for 76 children and staff with a large activities building, a dining hall, with adjoining kitchen, five separate bunk rooms, an adjacent shower and toilet block, and another six brick bunkhouses.
However there are currently no separate areas for volunteers and clients to debrief on their day.
Review & Reflection is a key component to effective youth and adult service-learning projects, but it also has important implications for use in other service projects and youth and adult activities. Structured reflection helps participants…
- Consider what they accomplished and learned during an activity.
- Contemplate ways that the experience could be adjusted to improve the outcome.
- Formulate concrete ideas of how they can use their experience in other facets of their lives.
- Share their ideas and feelings with others.
- Communicate the value of their participation with themselves and other participants.
In addition these partitioned areas can be used for meetings, nightly reviews and breaks.
Puddle Jumpers applied for a UCF grant of $2,130 to purchase portable partitioning which would become a permanent fixture for future camps at the Clayton Bay Campsite.