After witnessing the heavy impact of drought in the Goulburn Murray region, they were inspired to start their own company, Giz a Break.
Combining a passion for the outdoors with their expertise in the health care sector, their motives are clear: to make a difference for those struggling the most and help boost their quality of life.
“We offer a free, unique experience of camping, hiking, and fishing, but also about how to overcome tricky situations that you may come across, and we do that in a fun environment that you just don’t find in the classroom,” Soenke said.
“For the kids we are rolling this program out to, we offer resilience-building activities — we know that this might be the first drought that they see, so how they are resilient through this drought is a template for how they can be resilient on other issues in the future.”
Having previously provided a similar opportunity for a friend in palliative care, Soenke knows the positive effect a day out can have on those in difficult situations.
“Getting out there with all the tubes and everything was really important for her before she died,” he said.
“Whether it is aged care, or young people in tricky situations or even palliative care, we would be really keen to explore.”
The foundations of the project were laid down after the pair pitched the project to a crowd of 100 earlier in May, but the idea first sparked back in October 2018.
“I was in the Fairley Leadership Program where we had a day called the purpose day, and that was the root from where it all started,” Soenke said.
“I wrote myself a little note where I wanted to do 4WD adventures for kids and travel and develop a role modelling for that.”
After Daniel heard about a council grant in April, out came the note, and from there things took off like a house on fire.
Now registered as a charity, Giz a Break is ready to roll out its fleet for the three-day camps, which are “designed to be fun and provide a break from the normal challenges that everyone deals with from day to day,” according to Daniel.
The duo said the adventures could be tailored to the needs of individuals, and they were keen to work with businesses and organisations across the Goulburn Murray region.
“The first adventures are being held in November and we are really looking for partners in this region from a sponsorship perspective, and also from a volunteer perspective, and thirdly from companies and schools who want to do this for their kids,” Daniel said.
“We want to work locally as much as we can; this is our patch and we know the community very well."
Daniel and Soenke can be reached on their website at https://www.gizabreak.com.au/ or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GizABreak/ or Instagram account @giz_a_break
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