Peace Camp - Counselor Reflections
At the beginning of the week, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the children at Peace Camp 2011. I had enjoyed the prior week of training and felt that I had learned many valuable teaching techniques, but this was my first time as a camp counselor and I was a bit nervous. By the end of the first day of camp however, I knew that this was going to be an awesome experience. Not only did I get to meet 22 creative, talented, and caring kids; I got to witness the development of new friendships and connections among both campers and counselors. I am amazed at how much of an impact a week of learning and sharing can have on an individual. Over the course of five days, I witnessed kids grow in respect for each other and grow in confidence themselves, and I truly hope that their experiences from Peace Camp 2011 make a lasting impression on them.
I think the most memorable moments for me this week have been at the end of each day, when some of the children would come up to me and the other counselors and give us a silent hug. This little gesture spoke volumes and made me realize how important our work was. Peace Camp 2011 has truly been an amazing experience for me, and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed for making this possible!
I’m so thankful for the opportunity I have been given to be a part of Peace Camp 2011. It was a pleasure to meet all of the children this year. Every day we had a theme that we taught them throughout the day with art, cooperative games, music, and other activities. Every day we introduced a theme that we touched upon throughout the day. Those themes included Respect, communication and listening, courage and forgiveness, respecting nature, and creativity. On the day we were learning about respecting nature I think the children enjoyed the nature walk the most. This gave us a opportunity to take the children outside and show them all the wonderful creations God has given us and to be respectful of all of the gifts we have been given. They really enjoyed our art project of collecting different materials found in nature (rocks,sticks,etc),creating instruments, and decorating them. I really enjoyed the children being creative while also learning about natue.When we got back to the school one of them saw a spider and was going to kill it but didn’t because a few children told that was disrespectful to nature. It made me proud that they were listening but also applied it to their lives. I hope the families and friends of the children see them relate their lives and different experiences to all of the new things they learned this past week. I believe music was also a beneficial day for the children because it opened their eyes to a new culture. To begin, at lunch we all had the opportunity to experience a different cultures food. After lunch we taught the children about whatever culture we had experienced through lunch that day while also connecting it to the theme of that day. For example Monday’s theme was respect and the culture was Mexican. We taught the children about Mexican culture and music while also telling them how important it was to respect other cultures. All the children were very smart and knew more than I thought they would about other cultures. I wish I could share everything we did this week because we have all truly grown from this experience.I have learned patience,understanding, and I have witnessed kindness and love through the children. They were each unique and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. I hope they all learned something this week that they can apply to their lives after Peace Camp. I hope all the children get the opportunity to return next year because I would enjoy being their counselor if I had the privilege of doing so. I’m so proud of all of them and enjoyed being a part of Peace Camp 2011.
Thursday was simply spectacular; It consisted of growth, maturation as well as very respectful behavior. As the counselors and I went through all the options of how we could give back to the community, we came to the conclusion of visiting the elderly condos. We reflected on the idea of making crafts with them in addition to making many new friends. When we arrived everyone was eagerly waiting for the children and the craft making to begin. As all the campers walked in, they excitedly told them their names and passed out the materials. Once the materials were given, they sat intermixed with the people who lived there. All of children started many conversations with them; many of the campers even made bracelets and key chains for their new-found friends. All and all the day and activity was a complete success and both the children and residents made everlasting friends.
Our day began as some of the college counselors performed a skit for the campers exemplifying correct communication and listening skills. This was a great start to our day because it gave all of the children an idea of what the were going to learn throughout the day.
The older group enjoyed playing cooperative games such as the telephone game, the knot game, and pass the hula hoop. These games gave the campers a chance to communicate amongst themselves to solve problems and effectively complete the tasks presented in the games.
One of the most important lessons learned today was that there are many different ways we can communicate with God. In the Sacred Spaces session of camp, the children were invited to discuss different ways God can speak to us. We learned that God can speak to us through prayer, quiet reflection, the Bible, our family and friends, and other aspects of our lives.
We also built off Monday’s theme of Respect as the campers constructed a craft that we delivered together to a group home for the mentally handicapped. The children were extremely respectful and kind, and I believe this was a very rewarding experience for them. When one camper was asked why we should treat the people living in this home with respect, she responded, “God created these people too, and just because they might seem different than us, we should still treat them with respect.”
The counselors and campers really enjoyed day 2 of Peace Camp , and we look forward to exploring the theme of Forgiveness and Courage tomorrow.
Well the first day of Peace Camp took place yesterday, and I think all of the counselors and staff would consider it a success. The theme of the day was Respecting Self and Others, and a little lip syncing to Aretha Franklin got things rolling in our opening presentation. From there the campers and counselors broke off into their respective age groups. The older kids jumped right in by collaborating their ideas to come up with a group name, something like the Awesome Amazing Peacemaking Hippie Tigers, Inc., to represent their group theme throughout the week of Peace through the Decades. Their first project consisted of creating and decorating picture frames for either themselves or someone who they respect in their life. Next, they learned about respecting nature by potting flowers, which they will care for all week and take home at the end of camp. Then we headed to lunch at United Presbyterian to enjoy some Mexican cuisine, the first of many different cultures we’ll be experiencing at lunch each day this week. From there we headed to the Animal Rescue, where we got to tour the facility, meet some of the critters, and learn about ways to respect and prevent harm against animals. Then it was back up to MSP for music class. Here we talked about the social movements of the 1960s, and artists from the decade who wrote songs to promote peace. Then we bust out various percussion instruments and played along to “Come Together.” We ended our day with a closing session at the church, sharing what we learned with the other group. Day 1 was jam packed with fun, and I’m expecting nothing less for Day 2!
Peace out!