Positive Start

What is Positive Start?

Positive Start 2022 was a Victorian Government initiative seeking to re-engage primary and secondary students and boost their physical and emotional health and well-being in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Students who attend a government or low-fee non-government got more opportunities to attend camps, swimming programs, sports programs and cultural experiences in 2022. These programs were completely free, and there was no cost for schools or parents/carers.

With Positive Start, Victorian students had the possibility to be more active, reconnect with friends and find inspiration in new and exciting places.

Outdoors Victoria’s role in Positive Start

Outdoors Victoria (OV) was contracted by the Department of Education and Training (DET) to administer the Journey-based components of the Positive Start 2022 Camps program. Positive Start aims to deliver 80,000 overnight places for students who would not normally attend camps, around 10,000 of which will be Journey-based programs.

Journey-based programs have lots in common with a regular school camp, but they also have some key differences. Journeys may range in style from a 5-day trip (usually bushwalk, canoe or cycle) often involving lightweight camping in tents in the Australian bush to an overnight bushwalk heading out and returning to a residential camp. Journeys offer immersive and powerful learning opportunities that can involve one or multiple forms of travel.

OV worked with the eight DET Positive Start approved Journey providers to ensure Journey programs were of the highest standard. Positive Start fiished at the end of Term 2, 2023 but if you have any enquires about future outdoor activity programs, you can contact any of these providers: