World challenge at South Sydney High School
South Sydney High School has run the World Challenge program every 2 years since 2012. This program involves an amazing journey of self-discovery!
In the past students have travelled as a group to:
- North Vietnam (2011/2012)
- Cambodia and Thailand (2013/2014)
- Cambodia and Laos (2015/2016)
- Vietnam and Cambodia (2019) .
The life skills that students learn include communication, teamwork, risk-management, negotiation, delegation and money management; which not only aids personal growth, but can help secure university places and impress future employers
Rigorous and inspirational world challenge expeditions allow participants to build strong friendships and gain confidence; all while having a great time!
The expeditions include a 6 to 24 month build-up phase involving expedition planning, fundraising and expedition skills development on a two-day training expedition to ensure that students are ready for the real thing.
The journey itself is broken into four sections:
- Acclimatisation - this allows a few days for you to adapt
- Trekking - which will see you leading a trek through jungle, desert or mountainous terrain
- Community project - this provides the opportunity to mix with locals and give something beneficial back
- Rest and recreation - which allows for time to relax, go sightseeing or undertake an activity such as white water rafting.
By planning their own itinerary and travelling to the other side of the world, spending time volunteering in a developing community and trekking through challenging terrain, world challenge enables students to have an amazing experience and come back with a different perspective on life as they know it.
2015 Press
This article is about eleven students from SSHS who participated in the 2015 World Challenge (published in the Southern Courier which can also be found here).
2014 trip report
The 2014 trip report (PDF 74KB) was written by one of the organising teachers, Ms J Wilson. It briefly describes the activities and enjoyment experienced by the students during the Cambodia and Thailand trip in December 2013/January 2014.