Over the school holidays in October, the Zeal Hamilton crew packed up the van and headed to the trout fishing capital of the world to do everything but fish for trout.

The first Zeal Hamilton camp with Lehi’s expert wilderness skills, 11 Hamilton young people made music videos, explored the wonders of Turangi, roasted marshmellows on the fire, and caught up with the Shortland Street omnibus on Sunday morning.

“Our first camp brought a whole bunch of our young family together,” says Lehi Duncan, Zeal Hamilton’s Manager. “Our camps are a special time for our whānau, giving us a chance to spend more time together and solidify whanaungatanga, sharing experiences and challenging ourselves to look beyond our every day situations back home. Then one of the kids fell in the river. That was absolutely hilarious.”

One of our young whānau members, Tia, had this to say: “I’ve only been to Zeal for a short time and it was a great opportunity to get to know everyone, and I felt welcome. I got out of my comfort zone with the games we played, and hanging around the cabins, the small things, and the real inspirational speech around the fire.”

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“Listening to your young people is always a must. Sometimes young people aren’t looking for answers. They just want someone to be present and listen.”