Feedback at My Summit ABTS: What Young People Tell Us and Why It Matters

At My Summit ABTS, feedback from young people is a deliberate and consistent part of every camp. At the end of each school holiday camp, we ask three simple questions:

1. What did you like about camp?

2. What did you not like about camp?

3. What would you change if you were the boss of My Summit ABTS?

These questions are asked because we are clear with young people that their opinions matter and that their feedback can directly shape how our camps are designed and delivered. We’re super clear we can't and won’t change everything that's requested – (see lollies for every meal feedback 😊) but that we do want to know what they think, and we will make changes where possible.

Summary of Responses

What young people liked

Young people's responses to this question consistently reflect strong engagement, enjoyment, and a sense of achievement. Responses frequently highlight:

• Adventure activities (4WDing, sandboarding, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, night and morning beach walks, sand dune activities)

• New and meaningful experiences (campfires, fishing, shipwrecks, floating down creeks, sleeping in swags or tents)

• Social connection (meeting people, making new friends, “nice people there”, staff relationships)

• Food and shared routines (nachos, s’mores, meals together)

• Personal growth statements, including:

o “This is the best time of my life”

o “I’ve always wanted to do this stuff and never thought I could”

o “I’m proud of myself”

o “I’ve done really scary hard things and I did them”

These responses demonstrate not just enjoyment, but connection, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging.

What young people did not like

Responses to this question are often minimal, with many young people stating “nothing” or that they loved everything about camp. When challenges are identified, they are typically practical and environmental, such as:

• Night-time noise expectations

• Amount of sand (noting our school holiday camps are on sand-islands)- Straddie and K’gari

• Toilets (we have long-drop toilets on the Straddie camps, not everyone's a fan)

Importantly, these responses show that young people feel safe enough to name discomforts without disengaging from the overall experience.

What young people would change

The most consistent suggestion is to make camps longer, with suggestions ranging from a week to much longer. Other suggestions are light-hearted (such as lollies for all meals), but the recurring message is clear: young people want more time in the camp environment.

Why This Feedback Is Important

This approach aligns with feedback-informed practice, where services actively seek, listen to, and respond to participant voice. The feedback:

• Confirms that young people feel heard and respected

• Demonstrates strong relational safety with staff

• Provides direct evidence of engagement and therapeutic impact

• Guides service development based on lived experience, not assumptions

Young people’s feedback has directly influenced program design at My Summit ABTS. A clear example is the introduction of five-day camps, which emerged in response to repeated feedback about wanting camps to be longer. This shows a clear feedback loop: ask → listen → adapt → improve.

Practice Implications

From a management perspective, the consistency and depth of this feedback indicates:

• Camps are meeting both developmental and emotional needs

• Staff are building strong, positive relationships with young people

• The camp model supports confidence, mastery, and connection

• Feedback processes are meaningful rather than tokenistic

By embedding feedback into every camp, My Summit ABTS ensures programs remain responsive, child-centered, and continually improving. This reinforces our commitment to delivering camps that are not only enjoyable, but genuinely impactful for the young people who attend.