Loon Lake is a remote area spanning 5,157 hectares of land, with the lake itself covering 56 hectares. During our time at the Loon Lake retreat, we participated in numerous team-building exercises to develop friendships, camaraderie, and learning skills. Many of these activities focused on building trust, such as trust falls. In this activity, we stood on a table and fell backward into the arms of six of our classmates, with their hands interlocked. Initially, I was hesitant to participate, but in the end, it turned out to be a lot of fun.

In addition to the trust-building exercises, we also engaged in individual activities like rock climbing. This activity was designed to challenge our physical and mental capabilities. We worked together as a team to support and encourage our classmates as they conquered the climbing wall. I was able to reach the top of the difficult course, but not everyone was able to do it. I think if we went back at the end and did it again, more people would try the difficult course and more would complete it.

We also did indoor activities with the owner Johno. In these, we talked about our feelings and different ways to deal with problems. In one of these, we went on one side of the gym and Johno would ask a question (for example does anyone have a family member that has mental illness that you have to help with everyday ), and if this applied to you, you would go to the other side. Then we would stand for a bit, then go back and sit down. This activity was done in silence, and we weren’t allowed to talk about it afterward. This got pretty emotional, and afterwards, we helped each other to feel better.

Afterwards, I found that I have a lot in common with some of my classmates. There are people I wish I had tried talking to before. There are also a lot of people who are going through things that I had no clue they were experiencing. This really makes me think about how being nice to someone can really make their day.