Respite, Fun & Growth: What to Expect from our STA Overnight Camps
As a parent, you want more than just a getaway for your child—you want a safe, supportive space where they’re understood and can thrive.
Our What Ability STA Camps, or what we call overnight camps, are empowering spaces designed with inclusion at their core, offering participants the chance to explore new activities, build confidence and create new friendships along the way.
We sat down with our National Camp Manager, Olivia, to speak about what you can expect from our STA camps and how you can use your NDIS funding for respite and renewal today!
What sets What Ability STA camps apart from other camps?
“We’ve been running camps at What Ability for around four years now and I think the thing we do well that sets us apart from others is that we constantly evolve with our participants – and providing minimum 1:1 support allows us to really cater to each participant on an individual level.”
“We’re always trying to find new ways to be creative and do different things that enable us to grow with our participants. That could be running our camps through different locations, offering different experiences, different activities, themed and age-appropriate camps — really digging into the hobbies and the goals of our participants.”
How do STA Camps help participants build confidence and learn important life skills?
“Confidence really starts to grow when you feel comfortable. When you’re surrounded by others who share similar interests and are also experiencing things for the first time, you feel more at ease to try new things – and you learn more when you’re having fun!”
“Take something like baking, for example. Without realising, our participants are learning important life skills such as how to safely use kitchen utensils and clean up after themselves, all while doing something enjoyable. Over time, with repeated experiences, these routines become familiar and confidence grows.”
What kind of activities can participants expect during a week at our STA camps?
“It’s definitely not one-size-fits-all! Our activities are tailored around the seasons, and take into account participant likes and support requirements.”
“In the warmer months, you can expect a lot of water-based and outdoor activities, whether that’s jet skiing, swimming, water and theme parks, boat rides, fishing, bushwalking and much more!”
“In the winter months, we use this as an opportunity to utilise the features available at the camp property as well as other external indoor activities. You can expect different kinds of arts and crafts, movie and games nights, discos, arcade, laser tag etc. It is also the perfect time to get cozy and roast marshmallows by the campfire. Just because the weather is cooler, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!”
How can a family get involved today?
“You can always give us a call on our national line—1300 358 714—and we’ll be happy to provide all the information you need and help you take the next steps.”
“Otherwise, if you’re ready to jump straight in, just head to our website and click on “Need Support.” Anyone who wants to attend one of our camps will need to go through our standard onboarding process. After submitting the initial intake form, a member of our onboarding team will get in touch with you to get started!”
Already a participant with us? Send us an email via your relevant state channel below to book your next camp adventure!
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Want to know more about how our STA camps work? We’ve got you covered! Download our Camp 101 Flyer here
