Welcome to Nature Freedom’s very first blog post!

My vision is to promote inclusion in an environment where people from any background or all walks of life are able to feel included in activities and engagements.

 

This is based on my lived experiences with a disability where I was struggling of being out there and showing my passions within the community and employers whilst in school and university times.

Small starts, big kicks 

Nature Freedom was born in 2017, with the first activity held in August 2018 which was our pilot Inclusive Paddling program, it attracted only a small group of 5 participants. This looks much different in 4 to 5 years later when our groups have an average of 14 participants. Our Inclusive Paddling programs are now more popular among outdoor recreation in southeast Queensland and the greater Brisbane region. Since the launch, we have supported and given opportunities to at least 250 participants with physical or mental disabilities, families and young people as well others with diverse cultural identities.

Growth and challenges

From 2019 to 2021, we have seen the growth of our amazing programs to deliver environmental crafts and short bushwalk tours. We ran activities at Brisbane’s council environmental centres (Boondall, Downfall Creek and Karawatha Forest), Caboolture Regional Environmental education centre, Kumbartcho Sanctuary in the Moreton Bay region, and Logan City.

However, it was also our testing time during COVID. We saw the loss of participants and trades from the government’s restrictions and lockdowns. Fortunately, we were able to thrive without requiring government assistance due to our smaller business size. So, we are very lucky to be still here.

Exciting times ahead 

This year we are looking forward to seeing major growth, we have grown our team members to 6 plus 8 board of directors. It is exciting to hear huge interests expressed from the NDIS community members to Nature Freedom activities this year. The easing of COVID restrictions is also bringing us more participants that are eager to go back out into nature. We have exciting opportunities this year to expand our Nature Freedom community and values inclusive outdoor adventures. We are planning to launch an Inclusive Bushwalking program in April, and a day to 2-day adventure experience during the winter and spring. The new experiences will involve more opportunities to escape from concrete into nature where participants are able to experience indigenous culture, ecology, and wildlife.

We hope you enjoy our first blog post! Stay tuned for more stories and journeys to come to life.