Year 9 Residential Program
The Year 9 Residential Program is the cornerstone of the Pymble Ladies’ College outdoor experiential education continuum. It allows students to extend themselves and grow in confidence, resilience and gratitude through communal living, experiential learning and the challenge of adventure – all set in the great Australian bush.
For four weeks, students live and learn away from home with their peers in a less frantic, technology-free environment, giving them time and space to connect with themselves, their male and female peers and the environment. The residential program offers a carefully curated range of challenges and experiences and the chance to develop and learn in a unique environment.
Each program is a signature, seasonal experience that is unique to each group and the students’ own individual journeys, passions and interests. This contextualised learning allows them to link academic concepts to the real world, and to connect more deeply within the intentions of the program
The impact of such extended experiences is profound and transformative for students at this age. They become more aware of their individual strengths and abilities, more mindful of each other and their surroundings and they develop great resilience along with a strong appreciation of the natural environment.
Learning is different at Vision Valley and the benefits are equally unique. The classroom is abandoned for the great outdoors and students are immersed in nature during the four week residential program.
“You keep up your fitness with all the outdoor
activities, gym and hikes. The VV3 at 6.00am
is a good start to the morning. Running 3km
through bushland at The Valley makes you
feel good for the day. The guys love getting
competitive and try to run it in record time.”
Whilst every day is different, below is an example of what to expect.
“Our beach expedition was hard. We
walked 8km a day, up so many flights of
stairs. At times you think, I can’t do this,
but everyone helps each other make it
through. At the end, you look back and
think, ‘Hey, I did that – and with a 20kg
backpack on!’.” – ANNABELLE
The Dharug word ‘dulumi’ means ‘to give away for nothing’, framing a key component of the residential program as giving back to our community, to our land and to ourselves. The Dulumi project is the main teaching and learning component of the residential program, with lessons spread across the four-weeks, focusing on the development of knowledge and skills related to sustainability, permaculture, and the ecology and biology on the Vision Valley campus and in the surrounding area. Within Dulumi, there is a service elective, which may include land care, bush regeneration, or engagement with the local community.
“Is it weird to say doing my own washing was
fun? I liked being independent.” – JOJO