Exchanging beds for bunks at SU Schoolies Vanuatu
By supporting camps like Schoolies Vanuatu, you are not only helping young people have the time of their lives living in Christian community; you are helping them to reflect on their future paths and the importance of service.
For the second consecutive year a team of eight leaders, including five who attended the inaugural 2024 Schoolies Vanuatu trip, along with a group of eager, recently-graduated year 12 students from Qld, VIC, NSW and WA, will be leaving Australian shores for a once-in-a-lifetime experience overseas.
While other young travellers are hitting resorts and nightclubs to shake off the completion of 13 years of schooling, our bold adventurers will be swapping highrises for hammocks at the SU Vanuatu campsite.
And rather than simply being served drinks, they will be drinking in the experience of being of service.
“The whole point is to immerse them in a different culture and to be aware of how the Vanuatu people live,” says SU Schoolies Vanuatu Team Leader Rachel.
During the trip campers will have multiple opportunities to visit and to learn from local schools and local families. For many this will be their first exposure to a culture so different from what they know.
“Of course, Vanuatu is a tropical island and there will also be snorkelling, swimming, visits to waterfalls and lagoons and other tourist activities,” says Rachel.
As well as cultural immersion and plenty of opportunities for local adventure, the leaders deliberately set aside dedicated time to spend with the campers to reflect on life in the world beyond school.
“We focus a lot on the first night and the last night . . . saying to the year 12’s: ‘You finished your schooling, your life is going to be very different from now on. Whether you go to uni or get full time work . . . how might you serve or how might you give back?”
In a vast sea of opportunities, this is a time to pause, think deeply and ask questions.
“Will they work with children? Will they work with overseas communities? Is there a place for them to do mission work in the future?” says Rachel.
It was her own early rich experience of visiting another country and culture after she finished school that convinced Schoolies Team Leader Rachel of the value of cross-cultural experiences.
“I went to Fiji myself when I was probably 19 . . . I went with a church group . . we stayed at a Bible college, but they had a few huts there that we could live in. We helped at the youth group on Friday night, and we visited some people for Bible studies, and did kids club days when we were there. And I just loved it, because I thought, this is authentic. This is real. This is how people in Fiji live. It’s not just sitting on the beach.”
Depending on when you read this article, the 2025 Vanuatu schoolies group may be preparing to leave, or may already be well on their way back to Australian soil.
But Rachel’s prayer, and one you can join her in, is that the growth that takes place in Vanuatu, endures in Australia.
“Pray for what is going to continue in the hearts of people that we’ve brought over here, but also in the hearts of locals, because we’re looking to forge an ongoing relationship with people here to see this continue,” says Rachel.