FUMANE MASHEANE

After the exciting announcement of the 2023 leaders and all the celebrations, the real work began at the RCL leadership camp at Moolsmanshoek outdoor centre. The newly elected Proctor Body arrived and the first thing they did was take a swim in the cool dam water of the area. Then the real fun began.

Accompanied by Mrs Melanie Schoeman, Mrs Noeline Stumpfe, Mrs Amanda Forster and Rev Grant Trewern, the girls began their first task by looking for three items from nature that could represent leadership to them. Many items such as rocks, twigs, leaves and ping-pong paddles were picked up, each representing their own idea, such as being strong, being able to guide people in the right direction, being a team player and many other creative descriptions. This showed the girls to be in touch with the meaning of leadership to truly understand the concept by seeing how examples of it existed so frequently in nature.

The next morning, bright and early, the girls and their instructor went on a hike into the mountains to be greeted by fresh air, spectacular views and the Word of God. They held a morning Bible-study session and prayer to start off the day.

The next activity was to balance a bucket on a pole demonstrating the importance of teamwork and communication in reaching a common goal. The rat trap activity was scary as complete trust in each other was needed to complete it safely.

The most challenging part of the camp was the abseiling which required learners to be brave, confident and ready to take the leap. Mrs Schoeman stated that the Proctor Body of 2023 was the first that she had ever experienced where the whole group participated in the abseiling. The girls approached it head-on. With one another’s support and enthusiastic Disney songs being sung, the whole group courageously completed the task and had fun too!

On the last day the girls took a much longer hike through a forest and over more mountains for one last Bible-study session. A wrap-up of the camp was to remind the new leaders of the school of what they had learned about leadership and how to apply it back at school. They were informed on Down Syndrome and Disability Awareness Month which takes place in October. They were reminded that leadership comes from within and it’s the Proctors of today that lead the country tomorrow.