Our Program

We deliver a 6-year intervention and support program for participants enrolled in one of our small groups. Onboarding begins at age 10-11 and graduate at age 15-16.  Each group attends monthly weekend camps and activities throughout the year, with staff and volunteers maintaining contact through home visitation, regular correspondence, and responding to requests for assistance from the young people and their families.

How Our Program Works

  • Onboarding →

    • Referral

    • Interview

    • Approval

  • Age 10 →

    NEW JOURNEY BEGINS

    Beginning at the age of 10, a young person can attend a monthly weekend camp for the next six years, along with school holiday programs, and day-outings; an experience that changes their life forever. Structured small groups along with volunteer leaders who act as positive role models are what provides the stability that they need. The young people get to know fellow campers and their volunteer leaders, becoming familiar with the Breakaway program.

  • Age 11-12 →

    CHALLENGE

    After a group has been in the program for a year or two, they’re invited along to Breakaway’s annual winter camp and summer camp, combined along with the older Breakaway group. As the youth have become familiar with overnight camps, the transition into a weeklong camp occurs smoothly. Longer camps allow better opportunities for youth to get to know each other, try new skills, and open up to one another. Real growth begins.

  • Age 13-14 →

    GROW

    Breakaway intentionally keeps the same group of young people and leaders together during their time in the program, as constancy and reliability have proven to be beneficial for young people. They can then build strong friendships with other campers in their group, and with the supportive adults assigned to their group. This makes a big difference in terms of what they can get out of the Breakaway program.

  • Age 15-16 →

    GRADUATE

    Then at age 16, the youth are in their final year at Breakaway, and it is celebrated with an epic trip to Central Australia, lasting for 18 days. This is an opportunity exercise independence, responsibility, accountability and teamwork.

  • After Breakaway

    LEAD

    Once a young person’s group has finished the program, they are given the opportunity to become Junior Leaders with a younger group. Those who have been a Breakaway young person often make the best leaders, as they know exactly what it’s like to be part of the program and can relate very well to new and younger participants. This also means we can keep in contact with those who have finished the program, continuing to be a supportive and positive influence in their lives.

Day Activities

Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together. Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together. Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together. Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together. Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together. Beach days, pool days are some of the best social activities where all campers get together to have fun together.

Weekend Camps

Weekend trips away are at the very heart of this program. Each young person spends one weekend a month with the same group of peers and the same leaders. This consistency allows relationships and group dynamics to grow, while shared experiences build confidence and trust over time. Our weekends are intentionally designed with a balance of familiar spaces and new challenges.

Ultimately, these weekends are about discovery. They help young people learn what they are capable of and what they enjoy. By offering a variety of activities and environments, we provide opportunities for them to uncover their strengths, interests, and passions. These are experiences they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Summer Camp

Summer camp is one of our big week-long annual camps up at our property in Taggerty, and young people really look forward to it in their school holiday break in January. We deliberately run summer camp in the last week of these school holidays, as we often find that young people can develop bad sleeping habits and routines due to various causes like video games. Therefore, we strategically place summer camp at the end of the school holidays to help the young people get back into a normal routine, like eating three meals a day, sleeping at night, and going outside and having fun during the day. Summer camp is where young people and leaders get to have an entire week of fun summer activities, and every year the activities vary quite a lot.

Winter Camp

Thanks to fantastic facilities like our property at Glendale, winter is now just as busy as the rest of the year. We take our young people to the snowfields for tobogganing and snow play before returning to Glendale. With quality snow gear such as thermals, raincoats, and boots, we can continue activities through winter while keeping our young people safe and warm.

One memorable moment came during our five-day Winter Camp at Glendale in the July school holidays. One morning, the campers asked if they could go swimming in the lake. At Breakaway, we try to say “yes” to ideas that are safe and appropriate, so despite the two-degree weather, we headed down to the lake together and jumped in.

The freezing water led to plenty of screaming and laughter before we hurried back to Glendale for hot showers and the warmth of the fireplace.

School Holiday Program

School Holiday Programs are a central part of Breakaway, providing young people with positive structure, connection, and energy during the school break.

Activities range from swimming and group games to simply sharing breakfast together. For some, these are rare or even first-time experiences, highlighting the impact a holiday program can have. One favourite activity is the drive-in movie night, where we set up couches on the lawn and watch a film together — a special moment that made many feel included and valued.

Through these programs, we see young people relax, build friendships, and grow in confidence as they encourage one another and work together. Our activity-packed schedule is designed to promote teamwork, inclusion, and creativity.

Family Dinner

Each year, we hold a special dinner for all our campers and their families to celebrate their growth and share the year that was. Many of our campers are not usually recognised at school, so we make sure each child is celebrated for something unique to them.

Awards begin with the Merv Award, given to a camper who has shown significant growth in resilience and the qualities we aim to nurture. We also present personalised certificates for each camper, ranging from “Best Pancake Flipper” to “Most Encouraging Friend.”

One mum, with tears in her eyes, said it was the first time she had seen her son have friends. Moments like this remind us why we do what we do.

Central Australia Trip

The Central Australia trip is the final adventure each group experiences at the end of their time with Breakaway. It’s both exciting and emotional — a 19-day journey filled with adventure, connection, and the realisation that it will be their last trip together as a group.

“With a group size of 7, this trip really had a family feel to it which was perfect as most of the campers already refer to us as their Breakaway Family. We travelled together, cooked together, played together, adventured together, and even cleaned up after each other - this sounds like a family to me. We did all the usual Central Australia kind of things like Salt Lakes, staying underground, sleeping under the stars, riding a bike around Uluru, making new friends, swimming everywhere!”

- Breakaway Leader, 2023 Central Australia Trip