When three people with some imaginative ideas about activities that are fun and are also about growing self-esteem, set out in 1960 to create a camp for young people, the results were beyond even their dreams.

The story of 40 years of the Camp Cooinda program on Victoria's Gippsland Lakes, told by one of its founders, takes readers through tales of ingenuity and generosity and high drama in a bushfire. The emerging insights about what helps people to "grow inside" are stimulating. The author introduces readers to an array of people who are inspiring in the way they model zest for living and a rounded view of relationships with people and the environment.

If you would like to read a few bits of Growing Inside Outside, try these extracts:

Parents and campers (pdf 62kb) is an extract of pages 133 to 136 (without the photos) and reports what parents and campers have said in response to surveys about their experiences in camp.

Personal growth (pdf 98kb) is an extract of pages 65 to 78 (without the photos) and sets out the understanding of personal growth that has guided the choice of activities and how they are used in the Camp Cooinda program.

Growing Inside Outside: The Story of Camp Cooinda

132 pages, 45 photos. Paperback. ISBN 0 646 40751 1 Published by Camp Cooinda Inc.

Contact the Office to purchase a copy.