A New Pathway for Kyle.

Kyle is 16 years old. He lives at home with this parents and siblings. He’s a smiling, intelligent young man who has a talent for music, a keen sense of humour and a hunger for life. He’s got some goals for the future and knows what’s important in his life.

If you’d met him 12 months ago, you wouldn’t have recognised him. Sullen, withdrawn, easily distracted and distrusting of authority, Kyle was regularly excluded from school and in trouble with police. He was convinced his future lay in jail. Inside, he was frustrated and depressed. The relationships in his life were rocky. The death of his Grandma from cancer was the last straw.

“I don’t know where I was at that time and point. I couldn’t move… everything frustrated me and drove me to a whole load of things I didn’t like – a lot got to me.”

When staff from the Adelaide Hills Vocational College reached out to him and his mother, Kyle embraced the opportunity to try a different sort of school experience. His brother was also a student and he could see the difference it could make. Shortly after this, he was introduced to Tumbelin.

The Tumbelin experience starts with inviting each young people into a group. Together they embark on a program covering about three months. There’s a series of day activities, an overnight camp and all these lead up to a peak experience – the four day, three night expedition.

“I can’t explain it – it’s something near spiritual….. to have good people in a good environment for learning and to have positive things around you… that’s how I get it done.”

The experience of Tumbelin helped Kyle appreciate his strengths and how to use them to overcome challenges in his life. He was able to reflect on where he’d been and where he wanted to go.

“I’ve done bad things, but I’m a good bloke. No more negativity, straight, positive and working hard. I’ve learnt I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was.”

To view Kyle’s video, click below…

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