Vision Statement
Pindari Centre is where young people can discover their unique mission in life through a nurturing and innovative program.
Mission Statement
Pindari Centre exists to help young people find a personal vision for their lives – a vision clearly based on eternal values. The program is “hands on” inspirational, and focused on practical educational initiatives, designed to foster creativity and entrepreneurship. Our goal is to help young people be determined to make a difference in a challenging world.
Location
This unique program is set in an amazingly diverse landscape on a 2,000-acre property on the Pindari Dam in Northern NSW. “Pindari” is an aboriginal word for “high rock” – a very apt picture for the program at the Pindari Centre.
Charting The Course
Pindari Centre wants to help young people prepare for the great challenges that lie ahead as we see the steady erosion of the Judeo-Christian values in Western Society. With that scenario in mind, we want young people to grapple with the question of “How should we then live?”, a question posed by the late great Christian thinker and author Dr. Francis Schaeffer. We will use various resources and strategies to achieve this.
Our Key Strategies
The Lighthouse Approach
Lighthouses have been used around the world to give direction, guidance and confirmation, especially during challenging conditions. Lighthouses also provide warnings of potential disasters. At the Pindari Centre we will train young people to see the dangers in our perilous times as well as the safe passages, and to see that these challenges also bring opportunities. At the Pindari Centre we believe the greater the challenges the greater the opportunities. We can’t say it better than the Psalmist who declared, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
The ANZAC Legacy Approach
At the Pindari Centre we exhort young people to become lighthouses themselves, to be that “light on a hill”. We teach that a love of country and respect for its institutions is important. The ANZAC character values of courage, mateship, endurance and sacrifice are core foundational values at the Pindari Centre. (For our American friends, think Memorial day and Independence day and the values inherited, rolled into one)
The Entrepreneurial Approach
At the Pindari Centre we believe that everyone is made in the image of God, the great Creator of all things, who has placed a creative spark within each one of us. At the Pindari Centre we have creative projects in areas such as horticulture, equestrian, animal husbandry, bee keeping, small business projects, and outreach projects in the community. A certificate 3 or 4 in entrepreneurship will be available in some of our programs.
The Impartation Approach
John Maxwell, noted speaker and author said in his book on leadership, “More is caught than taught” and young people only catch what they can see and experience. The impartation approach means that in addition to the experiential and practical nature of the program, young people will be engaging with experienced and trusted mentors during the programs.
It is imperative that young people develop a determination to make a difference in a troubled and increasingly fractious world. In short, they need a vision for their lives. Imparting vision is the philosophical underpinning of the Pindari Centre; it is our “raison d’etre”.
While many young people are not “at risk” in the normal understanding of the term, there is another risk, and one seldom comprehended. The wisest man that ever lived said, “Without a vision the people perish” (Prov 29.18). That is a big risk indeed! As the great Hellen Keller who was blind since the age of 19mths said, “There is only one thing worse than being blind and that is having sight, but no vision”.
Why Choose Pindari centre?
If what you have read resonates with you, look carefully at the inspiring and comprehensive program the Pindari Centre offers. Our guest lecturers include retired Christian School Principals, experienced business and community leaders, all with years of experience eager to impart their wisdom and insight. In addition, the director of the Pindari Centre, himself a former school Principal and founder of the highly successful Emu Gully Adventure Education Group, Barry Rodgers OAM, will ensure there is a strong thread of adventure running through the programs, as after all, the authentic Christian life is the greatest adventure of all!
