Youth Group Adventure Walk

highlighting the need for this service. Other churches have a role to play in supporting this ministry by donating baby supplies, educating girls AND boys, and breaking cultural taboos by finding better ways of supporting women during an unplanned pregnancy. There were 23 in attendance at the launch, with representatives from the Catholic Church, Anglican Church of Melanesia, The Salvation Army, Pacific Churches Council, a nurse and administrator from the National Referral Hospital. The Salvation Army Home League and Junior Miss programs will be taking an active partinsupportingthis ministry.

The Honiara Corps youth invited Major Robert to take them on one of his adventure walks for a youth group activity this month. Early on Saturday, 20th May, 38 young people, along with four New Zealand Police Officers met at the District Quarters for a 7.4 km walk across the hills and valleys out the back of west Honiara. The route chosen provided these local kids with a view of Honiara that none of them had seen before, which included jungle tracks, river crossings, hidden waterfalls, steep climbs and ridgetop views; all on the outskirts of the city where they live. The Solomon Islands heads of churches were invited to attend the Australian High Commissioner’s Residence for a morning tea with the newly appointed Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Rod Hilton. This gathering of church leaders was an acknowledgement of the important role churches play in the Solomon Islands and an opportunity for the new High Commissioner to hear first hand from the church leaders some of the challenges and opportunities for community well-being in the villages. Each church leader took turns to describe how their churches contribute inclusion of the NZ Police was a mutually enriching community engagement opportunity with The Salvation Army youth as a part of their Solomon Islands Police Support Program (SIPSP). There was lots of laughter traversing the slippery tracks, with plenty of selfies taken and stories shared along the way. Although, many of the youth found the walk physically challenging, they all had a fantastic morning out and couldn’t stop talking about it, according to parents on Sunday. It was also great to see how the youth leaders helped the slower walkers, ensuringno onewas left behind.