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Tag: the duke of Edinburgh’s international award

Service Activity Idea

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Awesome Service Activity by Phoebe CausleyTodd

It’s always great to see our participants engaging in rewarding activities that benefit everyone in the local community. That’s why we’ve decided to showcase one participant today and the amazing activity she is currently undertaking as part of of Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, and that’s Phoebe CausleyTodd!

Phoebe joined the YouthAdvance family earlier this year and it has been lovely to see how she has progressed throughout her short time participating in Duke of Edinburgh Award with us. The activity she decided to undertake as part of her voluntary community service was to take part in a local initiative called Mudcrabs.

Mudcrabs, or “Muddies”, is a local community group which cares for The Cooks River and its foreshore environment by regularly collecting rubbish and restoring the bush along the Cooks River.

“I love Mudcrabs for many different reasons including the wonderful volunteers who give up their time each weekend to take part in this community-based organisation, having a good environmental impact in our local community.” What lovely words from Phoebe!

Seeing her dedication to achieving the Award has been very rewarding and we’re super excited to help her through the next levels and see what other inspiring activities she finds to undertake!

Keep up the great work Phoebe!

To view her full article on the Mudcrabs initiative, click here!

 

  

Grazing Board

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

 Non-Cook Food Tip #5 – Grazing Board!

A grazing board or antipasto platter is a nice healthy and nutritious non-cook dinner option for anyone going out on a hike where there is a chance of a partial or total fire ban.

What you will need:

  • Shelf Stable Cheese (Can be found in the ‘Spreads’ section of the supermarket)
  • Cured Meats (E.g. Salami, Peperoni, Twiggy Sticks, Jerky etc.)
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • Olives
  • Grapes or Strawberries

Method:

  1. Lay them all out on a plate
  2. Eat up!

It’s as simple as that!

Main image sourced from: https://www.laurafuentes.com/hummus-antipasto-platter/

Pizza Wraps!

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Non-Cooking Food Tip #4 – Pizza Wraps!

Pizza Wraps are a nice healthy and nutritious non-cook dinner option for anyone going out on a hike where there is a chance of a partial or total fire ban (or you just don’t feel like cooking).

What you will need:

  • Wrap
  • Tomato Paste
  • Dried Oregano
  • Shelf Stable Cheese (Can be found in the ‘Spreads’ section of the supermarket)
  • Cured Meats (E.g. Salami, Peperoni, Twiggy Sticks, Jerky etc.)
  • Firm Lettuce (E.g. Cos)*

Method:

  1. Spread tomato paste and oregano on wrap
  2. Combine cheese, meat and lettuce
  3. Roll the wrap up
  4. Dig in!

It’s as simple as that!

*We suggest wrapping the lettuce in paper towel. This helps keep it fresh for a few days.

Main image sourced from: https://www.macheesmo.com/supreme-pizza-wraps/

Light Breakfast Options

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Non-Cook Food Tip #3 – Fresh Fruits, Snack Bars and More!

Eating healthy, filling but light breakfast is always a must on an AJ. Our favourite options to get you started include:

  • Fresh Fruits – such as:
    • Apples
    • Pears
    • Oranges
  • Cereal / Muesli with Milk Powder
    • Easily sourced from the supermarket (E.g. Woolworths or Coles)
  • Granola Bars – some brands that are worth looking at are:
    • Kashi
    • Nature Valley
    • KIND Healthy Grains
    • Annie’s

Main image sourced from: https://thecooksgrocer.com.au/collections/fruit-veg-boxes

Granola Bar Brands image sourced from: https://feedthemwisely.com/choosing-a-granola-bar

Chia Pudding!

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Non-Cook Food Tip #2 – Chia Pudding!

Chia Pudding is a great brekkie tip for anyone hiking when there is a chance of a partial or total fire ban. And the added bonus? It is a simple, healthy, nutritious, filling and absolutely DELICIOUS!

What you will need:

  • Chia seeds
  • Coconut milk powder (Woolworths or Coles)
  • Freeze dried fruit (blended)
  • Dried cranberries/ blueberries

Method:

  1. Blend the freeze dried fruit until it’s a powder
  2. Combine freeze dried fruit powder, milk powder, chia seeds and dried berries
  3. Add water to combined ingredients and mix well
  4. Leave overnight
  5. Enjoy

Easy and Delicious!

Main image sourced from: https://www.pinterest.cl/pin/534521049511132841/ 

Overnight Oats!

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Non-Cook Food Tip #1 – Overnight Oats!

Overnight Oats is a nice healthy and nutritious non-cook breakfast option with only a few ingredients its light to carry as well.

What you will need:

  • Oats
  • Water

Optional extras:

  • Dried fruit
  • Honey/ Maple syrup/ Sugar
  • Nuts/ Seeds

Method:

  1. Combine oats with the optional ingredients
  2. Add water
  3. Leave overnight
  4. Enjoy

It’s as simple as that!

Main image sourced from: https://hedgecombers.com/overnight-oats-camping-recipe/

October AJ’s

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

We’re heading into a busy period for our programs which is SUPER exciting! So please double check the dates below of the programs to ensure you have the right dates:

OPEN Bronze Expedition: 6-7th October
OPEN Silver Expedition: 8-10th October
St Ursula’s Silver Expedition: 11-13th October
YouthAdvance Residential Project: 7-11th October
Crestwood Bronze Expedition: 18-19th October
Narrabeen Silver Expedition: 18-20th October

If you have any questions just contact us via email, phone or social media!

YouthAdvance Paddles into SA!

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

YouthAdvance have launched their first Adventurous Journey expedition into South Australia and we are so excited about it.

YouthAdvance is now both the Open Award Centre and an AJ Provider in SA to help deliver the award and provide AJ solutions.

Our first adventure planned is a paddling expedition taking place across 5 days. This allows our Bronze participants to complete both Practice and Qualifying Journeys and allows our Silver and Gold participants to complete one of their Journeys.

Paddling in both the Coorong National Park and the Murray River National Park, the scenery and wildlife, not to mention the waterways and wetlands and camping out under the stars will be both an adventure and beautiful.

The first planned paddle expedition is scheduled for departure Adelaide 19th Jan 2020.

For bookings jump on here: https://www.youthadvance.com.au/events/sa-open-bronze-coorong-and-katarapko-paddle-2/.

The early bird limited special tickets are on sale from Monday 7th October 2019. 

YouthAdvance and Red Earth Connections Partner for Residential Options

Posted on by Keith McReynolds

Here at YouthAdvance – Australia we pride ourselves on not just providing a tick box approach. Our mission is to provide opportunities to young Australian which will challenge and reward them via active engagement through personal pursuits and community-based projects. We do this by providing a safe framework that takes our Participants outside their comfort zone and from structured mentoring and encouragement our end goal is they are equipped for work and life, That’s why we’ve partnered with Red Earth Connections as are Residential Partner who share the same vision.

Red Earth Connections is an organisation that gives young people the opportunity to make a meaningful connection to remote Indigenous Australia. They do this by organising Immersion Programs to remote communities and homelands where traditional Aboriginal culture still lives strong. During the immersion, students work on projects chosen by Traditional Owners and learn about the rich culture of the land directly from Elders of the local area. Students are welcomed by traditional clans and families on private lands that have been locked away for decades and that are not accessible outside of this setting.

To find out more, give the RedEarth team a call or visit their website www.reo.net.au