from YAPRap August 2006
The Rock and Water course offers youth workers and teachers a new way to interact with boys in relationship to their physical and social development. The program is also effective for girls. Physical exercises are constantly linked with mental and social skills. In this way the program leads from simple self-defence, boundary and communication exercises to a strong notion of self-confidence. The program offers a framework of exercises and thoughts about boys and manhood to assist boys to become aware of purpose and motivation in their life.
The Rock and Water program has met with critical acclaim in Australia and internationally as a way of reducing bullying and violence among young people and of building self-control, self-confidence and self-respect.
The founder of the program, Freerk Ykema, is a respected educationist from the Netherlands who trains educators throughout the world to deliver this course.
Here are some examples of youth workers using the program across NSW.
The Rock and Water Journey
When South Penrith Youth & Neighbourhood Services (SPYNS) offered me the job facilitating a program called Rock and Water I was a little hesitant because I had never had any experience in self defence or martial arts. It didn't matter as I later came to find out.
I was sent on a three day intensive Rock & Water training course and I was one of about forty others from around NSW participating in the course. I don't think any of us anticipated the personal impact that this course would have. It was facilitated by the creator of the Rock & Water program Mr Freerk Ykema less formally known as Freerk.
Unlike any courses I had been on before, most of the time we played various games which all had one or more lessons relating to various aspects of self development, communication and respect.
Many things were learnt too numerous to mention, however it was openly agreed by all that not only was this learning fun and naturally easy but it left us feeling very uplifted and inspired. Especially at the finale where we smashed pine boards only equipped with our Rock & Water attitude and our bare hands. A little scary I must admit, yet we were all victorious!
Naturally the next thing for me was to go out and present Rock & Water to the various school classes and other targeted groups. Time was a big issue, usually way too little time was allocated and so things had to be tailored according to what was given. I think all the sessions had some benefit however the most impact was achieved when we had enough time to go through the entire program from beginning to end.
One such opportunity was with a year 8 class at St Clair High. I found that my relationship with this group grew closer as the year progressed. By the end of the last week I clearly observed a far greater attention and interest in listening to instructions.
There was not only a respect for the rules but a deep respect for each other. There was an atmosphere of support and a feeling of belonging. I was particularly impressed to see how some of the participants that were previously disruptive were now supportive and encouraged others, especially in the activities that required a reasonable amount of courage and trust. The main aim of Rock & Water is to assist young people in their development to adulthood. To become real, fine and authentic men and women who are conscious of their own power and responsibility within society. In many ways it reminds me of Joseph Campbell's idea of "the rite of passage", an initiation type of process to journey from childhood to adulthood.
To what extent Rock & Water influences those involved I cannot say. However I do believe that if presented in an accurate simple way, they will find some weapons to help conquer the shadows faced along their journey.
- Cam Vigor, South Penrith Youth & Neighbourhood Services (SPYNS). Contact: Sarala Porter, (02) 4721 5024, sarala@spyns.org.au
Samaritans Youth Services
Mark Addison from Samaritans has delivered numerous Rock and Water programs to a number of Hunter high schools. On some occasions the aim has been to promote broad cultural change within the school body. Mark's insights include how Rock and Water can counter individual diminished responsibility and promote a sense of personal hope and purpose, and the importance of engaging a school's faculty as well as the student body to effectively deliver the program.
- Mark Addison, (02) 4936 2688, addison@samaritans.org.au
Engaging and working with angry young men
Paul Edwards is a clinical nurse specialist in child and adolescent mental health. He is currently a Doctoral candidate at Southern Cross University doing action research incorporating the Rock and Water program while engaging young rural men with their perceptions of anger and aggression.
"Children and adolescents are increasingly presenting to mental health services with numerous acute conditions that commonly manifest with high levels of anger and aggression. The Rock and Water program is providing a great way to engage with young rural men and has helped in facilitating partnerships between various government and non-government services in the Coffs Harbour area."
- Paul Edwards, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Statewide Network, Coffs Harbour Health Campus, PaulEdwards@mncahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Pilot project with African communities in Sydney
In response to concerns raised by the Southern Sudanese community about the need to support their young adolescents as they settled in Australia and dealt with racism, a partnership was established between Anglicare, STARTTS and the Department of Education & Training to pilot Rock and Water with members of the community. The program was run within two Intensive English Centres (IECs) in Sydney and culminated in a weekend camp. Qualitative action research evaluation was implemented and Rock and Water has now been integrated into the regular programs of these IECs. Some interesting lessons have been learned along the way and unexpected results achieved.
- Cheryl Webster, Anglicare Migrant Services Team, (02) 9560 8622, cwebster@anglicare.org.au
more information
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Contact any of the youth workers in the above article about their experiences with the program.
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overview (PDF)
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website: www.rockandwaterprogram.com
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Media story: Strength is walking away from a fight: Rocks stand firm, water flows. St Clair and Nowra high schools are seeking to tackle bullying and boost self-esteem in boys through a Dutch program called Rock and Water. smh.com.au 10/6/02
