Sunday, August 14, 2011
Best Birthday EVER!
Thank you to everyone who made my birthday away from home so wonderful! I truly feel like I have a family here!
Becasue I knew you...
My two weeks with camp Moomba were by far the most trying experience I have had to date. It was also the most enriching and eye opening one. I cried A LOT with this group but I also laughed so hard I would snort, licked ketchup off of a table and ate oreos off of my forehead with them, chased geese up and down the field and stayed up way too late drinking hot chocolate and star gazing with them too. This group pushed me to my limit, but I pushed them as well. They had never sailed before. They each taught their cabin how. They had never played Ga Ga ball. Now its their favorite game. They canoed for three hours and made the most impressive straw tower I have seen from a leadership group so far. I tell them everyday how much I appreciate what they have taught me. And I want to make sure that they continue to inspire their peers to do the same.
Rakiya asked me if I would come back next year. If she had asked me this question a week ago I would probably have said never. Now I feel like it would be wrong not to. Though I can not come back to Canada for a whole summer as a counselor again or as a YPN volunteer, I am surprised to think about reserving one or two weeks out of my summer next year to come back. I have become part of an incredible family. Families fight and bicker and yell and scream. We certainly have done that. But they also stand up for each other and support each other no matter what. There is nothing I wouldn't do for this group, and that doesn't change just because camp is over.
There are no words to describe these past two weeks. And when I am at a loss for words I find that there is a songwriter out there who has the right ones. This one happens to come from Wicked...
"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good"
Rakiya asked me if I would come back next year. If she had asked me this question a week ago I would probably have said never. Now I feel like it would be wrong not to. Though I can not come back to Canada for a whole summer as a counselor again or as a YPN volunteer, I am surprised to think about reserving one or two weeks out of my summer next year to come back. I have become part of an incredible family. Families fight and bicker and yell and scream. We certainly have done that. But they also stand up for each other and support each other no matter what. There is nothing I wouldn't do for this group, and that doesn't change just because camp is over.
There are no words to describe these past two weeks. And when I am at a loss for words I find that there is a songwriter out there who has the right ones. This one happens to come from Wicked...
"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good"
The hardest day of my life...
What goes up must always come down...
After all the amazing things that had been happening at camp for the last month, being a team leader, working with the Leadership Development 1 group, I was really starting to feel quite comfortable at camp. A little too comfortable unfortunately.
Lara told us that Moomba would be different than regular camp at Elphinstone. These kids come from some pretty unique backgrounds and from all over the country. This week is the one time many of them get to see each other. They all understand each other and what they go through at home, and they look forward to this week all year long. Instead of rushing from activity to activity, theses kids find a lot of value in just spending time with each other. I was really impressed with the strong bonds many of our 17 year old leaders had with all the younger kids. After just 2 days I could feel the sense of belonging and family.
Unfortunately after two days that family was ripped apart. One of the problems that Camp Moomba has had to deal with in the past is the use of marijuana on site. Like I said, many of these kids come from some very unstable backgrounds and they find solace in the use of drugs. It is made clear before campers come to Moomba that this is not tolerated while at camp, but for those that have medicinal need alternative arrangements can be made. But these warnings have been ignored in the past, and two of our Moomba leadership boys were caught smoking after lunch after being at camp for two days.
These boys were reported to the director and it was decided that they had to be sent home. Immediately. They had to pack up and leave on the next ferry to Vancouver and the airport. We were instructed not to tell the other campers until the boys had a chance to pack and they would meet up with us on their way out of camp to say goodbye.
We waited at 3. The group was getting extremely anxious and didn't understand why it was so important to meet up with the director when there was so much to do. Half an hour passed. Then an hour. Finally after an hour and a half it became clear that we needed to be straight with out group. I told them the situation. And what happened after brought me to tears....
Kaley* stormed off down the road intermediately in tears while here two best friends in the group ran after her. I wanted to give them space, but didn't want to them to be on their own or miss a chance to say goodbye either. So I followed them. Kaley kept screaming that she wanted to go home and wouldn't talk to either of the girls. Both girls, also very much upset, sat down and began to cry on the porch. When I tried to comfort them they just kept repeating "You don't understand! You don't get it!" I was somehow able to convince them to come back to the group so they could at least say goodbye, even if it was upsetting. The boys were waiting for us when we got their and Caitlin* started screaming at the directors and the bus driver "I hope you're happy! You're breaking up a family!" As the boys went around the group saying tearful goodbyes, they were quickly hustled back in the van, as they were running very late. This did not sit well with the rest of the group. The laid in the middle of the street so the van couldn't pass. At this point in time I was in tears in front of the directors and could not bring myself to make them get up. The program staff did this for me while being cursed at by many of the girls.
As the van drove off the girls ran down the hill again. The other counselors and myself followed after. Caitlin SCREAMED at us to stop following them and used a couple of choice swear words in the process.
I have done summer camp a long time. I have dealt with broken fingers and campers with anger management issues. I have never dealt with anything like this before. And I had never felt so hopeless in my life. I did not see the girls again until dinner. And they made it clear they wanted nothing to do with us. I then saw Rakiya across the dining hall....
I had met Rakiya during staff training. She was the only former Moomba camper to come back as staff this year. She has been speaking on behalf of families affected by HIV since she was 8. Her mother is affected by the disease and this is why she keeps coming back to Moomba. She was also only a year older than my campers and had known them for over a decade. If anyone could help me it was Rakiya. When I told her the situation she was very understanding and thought I could tell she was upset by the situation as well, she offered to help.
After dinner we called an emergency campfire meeting. Rakiya, along with other seasoned Moomba staff (no directors) showed up to talk about the situation with us and our leaders. And I had the most eye opening moment of my life. Caitlin shouted at me "You don't get it!" and she was right. Though they made it clear they understood the rule and that the boys did do something stupid by breaking it and even apologized for the way they spoke to us earlier, our leadership group began to open up and share why it was so hard for them to have to say goodbye to their friends and the struggles they had to deal with at home, and how camp was a place for them to get away from all that. It became clear that even though Jason and myself were good counselors and really did care about these kids, we would never be able to understand where they came from. Only other Moomba kids could do that. So the issue came up. Why was Rakiya the only Moomba kid who became staff? Why were there not more HIV positive staff in general? Why were we told not to talk about these issues?
It became obvious it was time for a change in the way people looked at Moomba. And I saw the true meaning of leadership in our group when they stepped up and accepted the challenge to be that change they wanted to see in their world. And though it was a painful road to travel, I do not beleive we would have had the eye opening conversations that happened that day if it hadn't been the hardest day of my life.
*For confidentiality reasons, all names have been changed
After all the amazing things that had been happening at camp for the last month, being a team leader, working with the Leadership Development 1 group, I was really starting to feel quite comfortable at camp. A little too comfortable unfortunately.
Lara told us that Moomba would be different than regular camp at Elphinstone. These kids come from some pretty unique backgrounds and from all over the country. This week is the one time many of them get to see each other. They all understand each other and what they go through at home, and they look forward to this week all year long. Instead of rushing from activity to activity, theses kids find a lot of value in just spending time with each other. I was really impressed with the strong bonds many of our 17 year old leaders had with all the younger kids. After just 2 days I could feel the sense of belonging and family.
Unfortunately after two days that family was ripped apart. One of the problems that Camp Moomba has had to deal with in the past is the use of marijuana on site. Like I said, many of these kids come from some very unstable backgrounds and they find solace in the use of drugs. It is made clear before campers come to Moomba that this is not tolerated while at camp, but for those that have medicinal need alternative arrangements can be made. But these warnings have been ignored in the past, and two of our Moomba leadership boys were caught smoking after lunch after being at camp for two days.
These boys were reported to the director and it was decided that they had to be sent home. Immediately. They had to pack up and leave on the next ferry to Vancouver and the airport. We were instructed not to tell the other campers until the boys had a chance to pack and they would meet up with us on their way out of camp to say goodbye.
We waited at 3. The group was getting extremely anxious and didn't understand why it was so important to meet up with the director when there was so much to do. Half an hour passed. Then an hour. Finally after an hour and a half it became clear that we needed to be straight with out group. I told them the situation. And what happened after brought me to tears....
Kaley* stormed off down the road intermediately in tears while here two best friends in the group ran after her. I wanted to give them space, but didn't want to them to be on their own or miss a chance to say goodbye either. So I followed them. Kaley kept screaming that she wanted to go home and wouldn't talk to either of the girls. Both girls, also very much upset, sat down and began to cry on the porch. When I tried to comfort them they just kept repeating "You don't understand! You don't get it!" I was somehow able to convince them to come back to the group so they could at least say goodbye, even if it was upsetting. The boys were waiting for us when we got their and Caitlin* started screaming at the directors and the bus driver "I hope you're happy! You're breaking up a family!" As the boys went around the group saying tearful goodbyes, they were quickly hustled back in the van, as they were running very late. This did not sit well with the rest of the group. The laid in the middle of the street so the van couldn't pass. At this point in time I was in tears in front of the directors and could not bring myself to make them get up. The program staff did this for me while being cursed at by many of the girls.
As the van drove off the girls ran down the hill again. The other counselors and myself followed after. Caitlin SCREAMED at us to stop following them and used a couple of choice swear words in the process.
I have done summer camp a long time. I have dealt with broken fingers and campers with anger management issues. I have never dealt with anything like this before. And I had never felt so hopeless in my life. I did not see the girls again until dinner. And they made it clear they wanted nothing to do with us. I then saw Rakiya across the dining hall....
I had met Rakiya during staff training. She was the only former Moomba camper to come back as staff this year. She has been speaking on behalf of families affected by HIV since she was 8. Her mother is affected by the disease and this is why she keeps coming back to Moomba. She was also only a year older than my campers and had known them for over a decade. If anyone could help me it was Rakiya. When I told her the situation she was very understanding and thought I could tell she was upset by the situation as well, she offered to help.
After dinner we called an emergency campfire meeting. Rakiya, along with other seasoned Moomba staff (no directors) showed up to talk about the situation with us and our leaders. And I had the most eye opening moment of my life. Caitlin shouted at me "You don't get it!" and she was right. Though they made it clear they understood the rule and that the boys did do something stupid by breaking it and even apologized for the way they spoke to us earlier, our leadership group began to open up and share why it was so hard for them to have to say goodbye to their friends and the struggles they had to deal with at home, and how camp was a place for them to get away from all that. It became clear that even though Jason and myself were good counselors and really did care about these kids, we would never be able to understand where they came from. Only other Moomba kids could do that. So the issue came up. Why was Rakiya the only Moomba kid who became staff? Why were there not more HIV positive staff in general? Why were we told not to talk about these issues?
It became obvious it was time for a change in the way people looked at Moomba. And I saw the true meaning of leadership in our group when they stepped up and accepted the challenge to be that change they wanted to see in their world. And though it was a painful road to travel, I do not beleive we would have had the eye opening conversations that happened that day if it hadn't been the hardest day of my life.
*For confidentiality reasons, all names have been changed
Hey Hey Camp Moomba!
What comes to mind when you hear the words HIV or AIDS? Drugs? Unprotected sex? Gays? Africa? The stigma that surrounds this disease is immense, and the people affected by it suffer in their daily lives because of other peoples' ignorance. Camp Moomba is a program where kids affected by this disease, either personally themselves or through their families, can get away from that stigma. Their tagline is "Friends together having fun" but trust me when I say Moomba is much more than that. Moomba is a family.
When Lara first approached me two weeks ago and I asked if I wanted to lead the Leadership Development 2 group for Moomba I was yet again very humbled. This group is the oldest group of campers who are in their training to become counselors. It is a lot like the CIT program in the states, but it is VERY popular at Elphinstone and there is a pretty competitive selection process for campers. The counselors chosen to lead these groups usually have loads of experience so I was pretty shocked to be considered for this when it was my first summer at camp, especially with a group as unique as Moomba.
I have many stories to tell after working with Moomba, but before I continue it might be helpful to have some background information on what this camp is and why it is so important. Check out some of the information below!
http://www.campmoomba.com/
When Lara first approached me two weeks ago and I asked if I wanted to lead the Leadership Development 2 group for Moomba I was yet again very humbled. This group is the oldest group of campers who are in their training to become counselors. It is a lot like the CIT program in the states, but it is VERY popular at Elphinstone and there is a pretty competitive selection process for campers. The counselors chosen to lead these groups usually have loads of experience so I was pretty shocked to be considered for this when it was my first summer at camp, especially with a group as unique as Moomba.
I have many stories to tell after working with Moomba, but before I continue it might be helpful to have some background information on what this camp is and why it is so important. Check out some of the information below!
http://www.campmoomba.com/
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