Each year in November and December, thousands of students celebrate the end of 12 years of schooling by attending a Schoolies Week celebration. For many students this involves joining other Schoolies at hubs like Surfers Paradise in Queensland, and in other parts of Australia for party week that often involves experimenting in alcohol, drugs, sex and anything else that may fancy them for a week.
However, at the heart of “Schoolies Week” celebrations are about young people wanting to go away with peers and have a memorable experience before they start the next stage of their journey in life whether that is study, work, apprenticeships or travel.
For Schoolies thinking about Christianity or have been a part of church or Christian School Group, this is a pivotal point in their journey. We have an opportunity to ensure that God and faith remain a part of this journey into young adult life or even show them what Jesus did for the very first time. The transition out of youth groups or school Christian programs and into a personal faith as a young adult is a challenge for all youth leaders to tackle and Schoolies Week can play a part in being the solution not the problem.
SU Qld has been running Schoolies events for many years, providing a fun and safe Schoolies alternative. Currently offering 5 different options, these events provide an opportunity for groups of school leavers to have a positive Schoolies experience with students from their school or church. This experience is further enhanced when these Schoolies are accompanied by volunteers from their local churches who can become mentors, home groups leaders and peers of their future. SU-Schoolies Week can be part of a strategy to see young people engaged with the local church and start the next step in their faith journey.
This is a Schoolies trip that offers shopping, cultural experiences and fun in a city that is renowned for creating memories. Schoolies stay in a guest house in Fitzroy and spend the week exploring all the sights of Melbourne. During the week local Christian artist Lynton Allan, shares God’s story visually through pictures and paintings. This is a memorable experience for those that prefer something different to the sand between their toes.
Daydream Island, Whitehaven Beach, The Great Barrier Reef and chartered yachts are just some of the experiences that await Schoolies on this trip. This trip continues to grow with over 300 Schoolies being part of this event in 2014. Spots fill quickly and it is an event that can quickly become the destination of choice for a Yr 12 cohort from your school or church with groups as large as 50 coming for a week to remember.
The longest running Schoolies event that SU Qld has, Sunny Coast provides something for everyone. Activities include tubing, skirmish, carnival night, bands and dance parties with a week full of choice and fun. Each night the entire event gathers to together and hear from our speaker, in 2015 we are joined by Dan Patterson. The unique part of this event is that it gathers Schoolies from Cairns to the Gold Coast and out West to join in community that experiences the love of Jesus through a huge team of gifted volunteers. 240 Schoolies can’t be wrong in their choice each year and in 2015 we are running a bus from North Qld to help make it easier for Schoolies to attend.
The newest event to SU-Schoolies and provides a great inbetween for Whitsundays and Sunny Coast. Schoolies stay in resorts on Fraser Island and experience all the adventure of the east coast with hiking and 4WD trips that experience the beauty of Fraser Island. The trip then heads back to the west coast to stay at Kingfisher Resort with stand up paddle boards, segways, laser skirmish and heaps more great activities. We see great potential for this event to grow and for groups of Schoolies to make Fraser Island their destination of choice.
For many years, we have been taking a small group of surfers to Samoa or Vanuatu for a week to Surf and experience local culture. From 2015 we are relaunching our surf trip and going to Hawaii. Schoolies will stay walking distance from the beach and one of the islands best pipelines. We are excited to see this event grow into the future, potentially to include opportunities for non-surfers and would love to chat to you more if you are interested.
Each SU-Schoolies trip provides a memorable experience for each participant and provides opportunity to take a step in their faith journey. If you would like more information about being involved in these events or just how your students can get involved please contact us info@su-schoolies.com or visit our website www.su-schoolies.com
If you don’t have events that schoolies could go to in your area and you’re thinking that it would be great to start one, please feel free to get in contact with Andrew at SU Qld and have a chat.
Article written by Andrew Beavers, SU Qld
