The Future Leaders Academy is a company that runs leadership programmes in different countries in the pacific like Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Rarotonga. During the first week of the school holidays I went to one of the camps run in Rarotonga. There were around 30 other students from New Zealand, five from Australia, and 12 students who live in the Cook Islands. During the camp we were split up into four groups which we referred to as syndicates. My syndicate’s name was Kopu Tangata or Tangata for short which means family in Cook Island Māori, and that’s what we were by the end of that week. 

Throughout the week we did activities such as hiking, a business visit to a local resort, a beach cleanup, an Umu which is a Cook Island version of a hangi, and lots and lots of swimming. I met some of the most amazing people and have definitely made some lifelong friends. We learnt lots about the culture, how to enhance your leadership skills and how to step out of your comfort zone. 

Some of the most memorable parts of the camp were definitely the late night conversations and the amazing drives around the island where we got to explore and take in everything, and maybe the turtles too. 

Thank you to everyone who helped me attend this trip because it was so incredible and thank you Future Leaders Academy for putting up with us. Tears were shed and laughs were had and I couldn’t have asked for better people to explore the Cook Islands with.

Yui Nakajima