Last month, Each Wild hosted a special day on the water for students from The River Nile School, a North Melbourne-based school supporting young women from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
The group of 13 students and 3 teachers joined Each Wild facilitators and local park rangers for a gentle rafting journey along the Yarra River, a program designed to build confidence, connection, and wellbeing through shared adventure and time in nature.
When the group first arrived, the students were quiet and reserved, chatting softly among themselves as they ate lunch. Many of the girls spoke limited English, but they listened attentively as park rangers introduced the area and shared stories about the local bat colony they would soon visit. Over hot drinks, smiles began to spread, and the day started to unfold.
Once on the river, it didn’t take long for the mood to transform. As the rafts pushed off and paddles hit the water, the students quickly found their rhythm, laughing, singing, and snapping selfies together. Even small moments, like helping each other fit PFD’s or
find the right-sized water shoes, became exercises in teamwork and trust.
Along the way, the group spotted ducks, moorhens, kookaburras, and even a snake gliding across the water before reaching the bat colony found at Yarra Bend Park. By the time they returned to the boat launch, the shy group from earlier had blossomed into a vibrant, confident team out in nature, waving to passers-by, helping pack up the boats, and thanking the staff enthusiastically for the experience.
The day captured what Each Wild does best, creating inclusive, low-pressure outdoor experiences that help people feel safe to explore, connect, and rediscover the joy of being outside. Thanks to Parks Victoria crew for joining us and The Active in Nature Program, funded by VicHealth, for making things possible.
For the River Nile students, the experience opened up new possibilities, a chance to learn about the environment, ask how to become park rangers themselves, and most importantly, to see themselves as capable, adventurous, and part of the outdoors.
