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"It is every man's obligation
to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it."
- Albert Einstein

Life Changing Experiences Foundation
PO Box 530 Vaucluse NSW 2030

T 1300 553 629
F 1300 550 780

Email
enquiries@lifechangingexperiences.org

www.lifechangingexperiences.org

Assisting the lives of
Australian youth,
by providing support,
inspiration and opportunity
to allow them to realise
their full potential.

SISTER2sister News

Our recent SISTER2sister outings had it all - high-energy activities, relaxation sessions, team building exercises and learning to give to others. Team Leader, Lyndal Blom recounts the outings.

Trapeze at Olympic Park

The morning started with a session aimed at teaching the Little Sisters some relaxation techniques based around hypnosis. Many of the Big Sisters also found this session extremely beneficial.

We were hoping that these sessions would assist the Little Sisters to remain calm under stress and give them some ideas for coping with anxiety and tension. The girls were encouraged to transport themselves to their own piece of paradise where they were given a safe space to unload their minds of the things that cause them tension and stress.

Our very own Big Sister, Natalie Rose, then told the girls her story. She is a walking success story; however life has not always been kind to Natalie. Natalie was able to tell her story with the aim of helping some of the Little Sisters understand that it is possible to prove doubters wrong and chase your dreams no matter how big. Natalie’s story is one of incredible bravery and persistence and brought a tear to many eyes. Thank you Natalie for having the courage to share your story and for proving that you can do anything that you set your mind on.

The afternoon was all about flying high, our Little Sisters showed incredible bravery and skill on the trapeze. The Big Sisters also conquered their fears and climbed the ladder to swing from above. We uncovered some hidden talents at this activity! Some of our Little Sisters had to face their biggest fears just to climb the ladder to the platform. We are so proud of you for facing your fears and taking up the challenge.

The day finished with inspiring stories of achievements from our Little Sisters; we end every outing with "gratefuls" or "Butterfly Wins" to remind us of how far we have come. This is a perfect opportunity for the girls to celebrate their successes with the whole group in sporting, academic or personal areas of their lives; or the progress in the goals that they have worked on with their Big Sisters. This is without doubt my favourite time during the monthly outings.

Bikes for Tykes

At our next outing, Corporate Challenge spent the morning with us taking us through four ‘team building’ activities.

We had to work out how to pass tennis balls in groups with a difference, we had to name an experience unique to each of us and we then had to communicate without using our voices or writing. Once we had completed all of these activities we were given a large box and a tool kit. The box contained a bike in pieces that our teams had to put together. When the bike was completed, a visiting technician checked it. We were then surprised with a visit from Camp Quality and some of their beautiful children who are bravely battling illnesses. Much to our delight we were able to present each child with a bike that we had made. The smiles on the faces in the room were priceless! The children were thrilled and rode their new bikes with the assistance of our Little Sisters.

One of the bikes was also proudly auctioned at the recent Life Changing Ball.

Thank you to Corporate Challenge for arranging this activity, we really enjoyed it and gained so much from it. Thank you also to the celebrities who came along for the morning to encourage and work with the teams.

After lunch and some one-on-one time to work on our goals, the Sydney Roosters Cheer Leaders treated us to a visit. The girls took us through some warm-up routines and then showed us some of their routines. Thank you girls for showing us what real teamwork involves.

The final activity for the day was a talk on Drugs. This talk was so valuable and important for the Little Sisters. We learned about the dangers of drugs and about some of the myths surrounding drugs and drug use. The Little Sisters were able to ask questions freely and walk away understanding at least some of the dangers around drugs.

Once again the day finished with "Gratefuls" and again I was inspired to hear what our girls have been achieving in the last month.

Butterfly Wins

Recent achievements include the "Bikes for Tykes" day where the girls built children’s bicycles that were presented to several children from Camp Quality. They got to see which child selected the bike they had made and watched as the children gave their new bikes a trial run.

We also had a special visitor brought in by one of our Big Sisters. Jake, a black Labrador is the proud survivor of cancer and a volunteer with Delta visiting old age homes. He stole the hearts of the Little Sisters.

Other "wins" included:-

• Being nominated as a captain

• Overcoming a phobia of water and learning to dive

• Coming in 7th in a 5km run

• Getting a job doing makeup for the morning show on Channel 7

• Passing Maths for the first time in 5 years.

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