Cathedral College

Cathedral College, Wangaratta, Victoria, opened in 2003, is an Anglican Prep to Year Twelve school seeking to reveal talent, broaden experience and develop the whole student. The College is proud of its broad offering of co-curricular activities and opportunities, allowing its student body to experience the world beyond their immediate sphere.

Cathedral College believes in offering its pupils varied and enriching experiences. When the College reviewed its outdoor education programming, it identified an opportunity to include an Indigenous cultural education component for their junior students.

At the time, the College offered its junior students an urban experience, a horse-riding camp and an overnight camp supported by their own teaching staff. But the College felt it was vital to broaden the student experience with a camp program engaging them in Australian history and allowing them to experience a different part of the state at an early age. The school leadership recognised they could not do this without partnering with a provider.

Beyond offering a meaningful Indigenous cultural component, the College was also committed to shaping global citizens, developing their students’ social, and emotional skills and instilling a sense of responsibility through varied experiential outdoor activities.

The Outdoor Education Group supports growth, respect and cultural understanding in Cathedral College’s students through a 3-day outdoor education program at Camp Jungai, which sits on the sacred lands of the Taungurung People.

With sessions in Indigenous cultural education, developed with specialist input from the Taungurung People, including bush tucker, bush medicine, crafts, cultural heritage and artefacts, storytelling and cultural evenings, The Outdoor Education Group provide the students with a rich understanding of Australia’s history.

Through hands-on experiences led by our Cultural Officer, Aunty Aurore, the students gain invaluable insight into the land and its First Peoples while developing social capabilities and ethical and intercultural understandings.

Cathedral College considers The Outdoor Education Group’s programs to be invaluable for their student body; they have observed their students grow in confidence, become less self-focused, overcome their fears and build stronger relationships amongst themselves and with their teachers.

With many students having never met an Indigenous person, the College has found the programs at Camp Jungai to provoke important conversations about Australian history. Students develop a special relationship with Aunty Aurore, leaving camp with a fresh perspective and a greater understanding of the world around them.

Importantly to the school, students continue to reflect on and carry the lessons they learned at camp. The Outdoor Education Group’s programs provide school staff with a reference point as teachers encourage their students to draw on the knowledge and skills gained during camp to support them in the classroom. Additionally, artwork created during program is displayed in the school and continues to provide a point of discussion for the students.