Young and Well CRC was an awesome place to visit this past week! We enjoyed seeing all of the research that they are doing for mental health and youth in the community. Young and Well is trying to attract the younger generation by using technology to promote mental health and wellness. They have a lot of resources that youth can use online and they have a Facebook page that they can visit. The only thing that worries us with the technology is that many foster kids in the U.S. cannot use the Internet. A lot of our foster youth cannot have cell phones or use computers. This is sad because a lot of our foster youth could benefit from these mental health services. It is amazing all of the partnerships that they have with other places, including universities, businesses, and other agencies. We were shown a lot of the apps that they have. Most of the apps are for youth, but they can be used for anyone. We have tried Ray’s Night Out. It is about teaching adolescents safe drinking. We tried it out on our own, and it was interesting to do. (Courtney) I thought I would make Ray really drunk and it would be funny to watch him walk around and stumble home. I did it one time and I felt bad because at the end they had an ambulance and it talked about how many drinks were his safe drinks. After that I did lower amounts of alcohol and tried to make him have a good time out. One time I did a regular night out and they talked about how feeding him and having him drinking enough water was good. At the end of the game they ask how many drinks you think you can have to be at your safe limit. It is interesting that they do this because it makes you self-reflect and see how many drinks are healthy. Another thing I noticed is if I select how many hours Ray is out, and how many drinks I want Ray to have, it says if it is a good limit based on the time frame, or if it is too many based on the time frame.
Ray’s Night Out also focuses on money management. It asks how much money Ray wants to spend for his night out. It then shows how much the drinks are at bars. Most young people do not know the cost of drinks and food at bars. It allows people to reflect and think about all of the money that they spend when they are out. We do not usually think of the money that we spend so it was 
interesting to see that it is usually a lot and we need to limit ourselves in order to spend less money. The only negative thing we saw from that app is that when Ray hasn’t drank a lot he is nervous and too shy to talk to other people. If he is drunk he blows kisses and is not afraid to talk to them. This seems negative because it makes people think that if they are drunk they will be able to talk with others and flirt, when in reality anyone can talk to others, they do not have to be drunk. It gives a connotation that young people need to drink to have a good time and be involved with other people. One thing that is our favorite about the app is that no matter what, he does not drive after drinking, he either takes a taxi or walks. The app does not give the chance to drive. It shows young people that when they are old enough to drink that a taxi is what they should use. Overall, the app is great and we have realized that when we use it, we try to make Ray stay in the safe limit. It really is not too fun to see Ray drunk. It is better to see him get home safe and to see how much he can drink and eat with his budget while staying in the safe zone. We think that this is a great app for young adults and teenagers because it allows them to reflect on what they are doing when they go out, and the amount of money that they are spending.
After exploring the agencies for the week, we did some touristy activities! We took a three day Outback Billy tour of the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road, and it was absolutely phenomenal and packed full of excitement. We started off with the Great Ocean Road which had beautiful sight after beautiful sight. The beaches were unlike any we have ever seen, with soft sand, intricate sea shells, and roaring waves. One of our favorite sights along the Great Ocean Road was the Loch Ard Gorge. Standing on the sandy beach in the 
gorge really allowed us to grasp the vastness of the gorge. The view was simply unbeatable. The Twelve Apostles were also quite the sight to see, and Courtney was lucky enough to take a helicopter ride over the Apostles! It is no wonder that the Twelve Apostles are slowly being broken down by the ocean’s waves since those waves are ferocious out there.
Additionally, along the Great Ocean Road we hiked through a cool, temperate rainforest! It (of course) was pretty wet, and there were leeches (not ideal), but it was interesting to see and learn about the different plant species in the rainforest. Better than the leeches, were the koalas that we were able to see in the wild. In koala town, we spotted almost a dozen koalas sleeping high above us in the trees. It is refreshing to be able to observe animals in their natural habitat. On top of koalas, we also interacted with parrots. We cannot believe how the birds will fly right up to you and pop a squat on your head. It didn’t even matter if we had seed for them or not, they would fly right up and use your head, arm, or shoulder as a chair. This made for some prime selfie opportunities 😉
One aspect of the Great Ocean Road that we thought was awesome was that it is the world’s largest war memorial. The road was built by soldiers whom had returned from war, and it was built in honor of the soldiers lost during World War I. Building the road could not have been easy in any form, especially considering the curves along the coastline. The road is truly an admirable and respectable tribute to the lives lost during war since the returning soldiers put their whole hearts into the construction of it, and since the road is such a peaceful experience.
Next stop, the Grampians! The best part about the Grampians was visiting the Mackenzie Falls. It was a workout to hike down all of the stairs to get to the bottom of the falls, and as you can imagine, it took a hefty amount of motivation to hike back up the stairs to the top of the falls when it was time to leave. We all supported each other though, and got back up to the top as a team. The falls themselves were gorgeous! We could listen to the peaceful waterfall all day. The falls were down in a valley, so there was a beautiful view looking up at the mountai
ns high above. While in the Grampians, we tried out some “glamping” (glamorous camping) by staying in a caravan park. It was a lot of fun to camp for the night, and we even had a bonfire with marshmallows. Around the bonfire, we made new friends with the neighbors in the camper next to us, and we also were able to bond with each other over how much of an impact this trip to Australia has made on our lives. Honestly, no pictures can capture the beauty of the mountains, or the smells, sounds, and vastness. Our tour guide, Katie, helped to remind us to stay in the present moment, and take in the views and experiences for ourselves, since that is something a camera cannot record.
We actually could not have asked for a better tour guide than Katie! She was so upbeat and encouraging throughout the entire trip. She also was inspiring in her ways of meditation. Katie held a few meditation sessions with us in order to introduce us to the practice. Our favorite meditation was the one we did on the second day during the sunrise. Sitting in the grass on the rolling hills with the ocean behind us was a perfect setting. We could see kangaroos hopping along in the distance, while also listening to the crashing waves. The meditation was a great way to start our day off in a positive light, and it was a great way to relax during our event-filled trip.
We are sad that we only have one week left here, but so thankful for all of our memories so far! We are looking forward to making the most out of our last week in Oz.
xoxo Sam & Courtney