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Why a childhood holiday was the most meaningful event of Anna's life
After coming to Australia as a child, Anna was placed in out-of-home care with little stability. Her first-ever holiday changed her life.
Published 7 April 2023 5:49am
By Jessica Bahr
Source: SBS News
Image: Anna was 16 when she went on her first holiday. (Supplied / Joanna Gibson)
When Anna walked onto the dock and looked out over the ocean below, she felt a sense of peace and optimism for the first time in a long while.
At 16 years old, after a turbulent childhood, she was on her first-ever holiday; a trip she says changed her perspective on life.
"I felt really free," she says.
"I felt like I could do anything at that moment."
In the days that followed, as she travelled around NSW, she got into the water; surfing, snorkelling, and scuba diving for the first time.
While duck diving through the waves on her board, she began to view the difficult experiences in her life through a new lens.
"When you surf and there's a big wave, you go under and you overcome that big wave ... it was like that," she says.
"Your problem is like an ocean, it is really big, but you can overcome the waves."
Anna says a road trip as a teenager changed her perspective on life. Source: Supplied / Joanna Gibson
The adoption did not work out and she was placed into emergency care when she was 12. A second adoption when she was 13 also fell through.
Anna, who is now 18, says moving from place to place left her with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"It's like carrying bag of bricks on your shoulder ... it really opened up a lot of scars and took time to heal," she says.
"It's still healing."
'It's about more than where you go'
Anna was invited to attend a four-week trip around NSW with a qualified social worker through the not-for-profit Professional Individualised Care (PIC) and its Travel Projects initiative.
PIC is a non-government organisation that places children in the home of professional therapeutic carers who can support complex needs and build stable relationships.
The Travel Projects initiative is modelled on a similar program in Germany and says it aims to provide vulnerable children with human connection, stable relationships, and positive emotional memories.
During her trip around NSW, Anna enjoyed new experiences including camel riding. Source: Supplied / Joanna Gibson
The majority of referrals come from western Sydney, and many participants are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Each trip is unique and can be catered to suit the child's background, interests and cultural needs, with participants mostly aged in their teenage years.
While most trips are done in Australia, two participants have been able to travel overseas to visit family and connect with their heritage in Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Anna visited several places in NSW including Tea Gardens, Seal Rocks, Port Macquarie, Crescent Head, Tamworth, Pilliga National Park, Batemans Bay, Nowra, Jervis Bay and Cronulla.
Travel Projects coordinator Joanna Gibson, who travelled with Anna, says the trips are transformative for vulnerable children.
"At the end of the day, it's not about what you do or where you go, it's the relationship that we're offering and the care and growth come from that."
"Having these positive memories ... gets you through the hard times and it's just a reminder that things can be different, and hopefully that's going to be inspiring for their future."
Jarrod Wheatley, founder and CEO at PIC, says as well as providing a positive experience, the trips can help inform plans for the child's care.
"If no one knows the child, you don't even have a starting point to organise their care," he says.
"Whereas a trip like this, if you spend [weeks] on a road trip with a social worker, that social worker can have a really informed opinion ... it's far more individualised."
Anna says a holiday changed her perspective on life. Source: Supplied / Anna Coles
"Changing your physical environment can help really help change your emotional landscape," Mr Wheatley says.
"It's often far more effective to do this on the road, having a great experience, as opposed to trying to sit in a room in western Sydney in an office space.
During their trip, Anna and Jo also went camping, treetop climbing, visited hot springs, rode horses and camels, and slept under the stars.
"That was really the best time of my life, I've never smiled so big because I was always so down," Anna says.
"Being away from home and having the opportunity to explore ... that really [opened] my mind to bigger aspects of the world instead of staying in my own bubble and thinking about the bad stuff."
Why are childhood memories so important?
Professor Penny Van Bergen, an educational psychology specialist at the University of Wollongong, says childhood experiences and memories can have powerful impacts on adulthood.
"The memories that we have are important for our sense of self; they tell us something about who we are," she says.
"If somebody has had a traumatic history that has abuse or neglect in it, you can carry those scars for a very long time."
The memories that we have are important for our sense of self; they tell us something about who we are.- Professor Penny Van Bergen
Professor Van Bergen says it is particularly important for children in out-of-home care to have positive memories from their childhood.
"Children in out-of-home care are particularly vulnerable, and have almost by definition come from difficult backgrounds, and that can create a whole host of negative experiences.
"That's not to say those children can't flourish, but there is a vulnerability where being able to access positive experiences can help lighten the load a little bit and give some joy."
In the current , holidays and trips away from home are not accessible for many families.
Professor Van Begen says meaningful experiences and positive emotional memories do not require an expensive holiday, and can instead be developed through spending time together in nature or doing different activities.
"Anything that's novel, anything that's surprising or unusual ... it could be camping in the backyard, or simply going somewhere that you haven't been before rather than your usual beach," she says.
"It doesn't have to cost money, but might take a little bit of thinking."
Anna is now living what she describes as a "normal adult" life; paying bills, studying, and living independently.
She says after her holiday, she felt more supported, confident, and able to speak up for herself.
She says it changed her life.
Anna visited Tea Gardens, Seal Rocks, Port Macquarie, Crescent Head, Tamworth, Pilliga National Park, Batemans Bay, Nowra, Jervis Bay and Cronulla. Source: Supplied / Joanna Gibson
"It really made a big impact in my life."
Anna is now pursuing a Certificate III in Community Service and says she hopes to help support other young people.
"I want to be helping other kids who need help, who need to be understood, and giving them a life when they couldn't have it."
The Easter school holidays take place in April.
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at .
supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
