Volunteering with Professional Advantage

Another of our team has graced us with the details of their VTO (volunteer time out). 

James, located in our Sydney office, volunteers his time as a group leader for an organisation called Pathfinders. 

Pathfinders is an international, uniformed organisation for young people aged 10-15 years. The Pathfinder program consists of outdoor activities, community engagement, online learning, and outback survival skills. 

James recently took part in two VTOs. The first was over a weekend in which he led a group of 15 to the Morton National Park near Nowra to climb the Castle. After their drive from the Central Coast, the group walked to their camp site starting at 9 PM and arriving at 3 AM, with full back packs! 

"It's not easy with six hours of climbing in the dark and no flat path to walk on. However, it is so powerful in the life lessons it teaches these children." said James. 

The next adventure was over 3.5 days and the big hike of the year. The location was Yengo National Park, north west of Sydney. This time there were 105 children (aged from 10 to 17) and adults who were split into 8 groups across the 4 grades of difficulty. Some groups walked up to 55 km over the three days.