Sat Feb 18

Parents Line Up to Send Teens “Bush” for a Month

The attitude. The moods. The messiness. The screen time. There’s nothing quite like having a teen in the house. An initiative by a Sunshine Coast Private School has been dubbed “A Crash Course in Adulting” and parent are lining up to send their teens off to grow up.

Growing Up Bootcamp

Somewhere out west, between Yarraman, Blackbutt and Dalby stands Mt Binga Outdoor Education Centre, a forest bound reserve with none of the mod cons that teens are accustomed to enjoying. At the Mt Binga, kids learn everything from horse riding, to bush survival skills, to farm chores, to…and here’s what the mums and dads are lining up for – doing their own laundry. Teens must feed themselves, care for themselves, work independently, and be part of a group relying on them to pull their weight.

Some students describe it as “Growing Up Bootcamp” and parents report they return “changed people” who suddenly do their own laundry without being asked. Who are aware when dishes are unclean. Who get themselves out of bed and off to school, without complaint.

Program Success

As part of the Sunshine Coast High School’s curriculum, all year ten students spend a month learning to take responsibility for themselves. The school year is carefully managed to ensure all students have time to attend without impacting their studies. The Mt Binga program has been running for many years and has been so successful creating a positive impact on the all-important ATAR years that parents are lining up to enroll their kids for the experience.

“Immanuel Lutheran College has always focused on innovative ways to meet the changing needs of our students. These children face different challenges than we did. They will enter a workforce that needs different skills and a different outlook on key areas like personal responsibility, environmental issues, ethical decision making, arts and technology. Their educational needs have changed, so we’ve shifted our focus to go beyond the standard curriculum. We don’t just produce high ATAR scores; we produce capable adults.” Said a spokeswoman from the school.

Teen Reset

A recent teen wellbeing study showed that Gen Z is struggling. Their biggest worry is preserving their mental health, with environmental and social issues high on their agenda of concern. There is increasing criticism of the modern schooling model around increasing stress on teens without offering them the skills and knowledge to address the issues of concern. Schools like Immanual on the Sunshine Coast are working towards ‘resetting’ Gen X feelings of hopelessness and poor self-esteem though initiatives like Mt Binga, that reward the child with feelings of positive achievement. The school’s on-site recycling plant, eco-study centre, collaborative working, comprehension focused STEM education, waterway management modelling and bush conservation park all serve to help children not only learn the skills that they need, but to feel empowered to use those skills.