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October 2004 Camp Report - Our 5th Camp! |
Although September’s was our fifth, it still amazes me how camp gets pulled together at the last minute, especially in an environment where "camp" is still a very foreign idea and punctuality and commitment are sometimes treated rather casually.
Camp’s new counselors included Yon Papageorgiou, a former Winnebago camper from Monaco ,
Matt Thesing, a ropes course instructor from the Girls Scouts, who raised $3500 to pay for the ropes course and still paid his own air fare, Niki Schipper, an Afrikaner, and Brad Holland, an Australian, who bought 25 board games for camp. (Coincidentally, Niki and Brad had each been longtime counselors at two wonderful Wisconsin camps, Timberlane and North Star.)
It was a particularly interesting, talented and experienced international group.
Despite their camp experience, Brad, Yon and Matt were overwhelmed by the raucous bus ride to staff orientation. It was a raucous ride -- drums playing, counselors dancing and singing – to staff orientation. Reticent, carefully organized Nancy King, a young Chinese-American woman from Philadelphia , came loaded with toiletries for camp, was a changed person from the one who had arrived just a few days earlier. She reported with a giggle that now she knew why she quit her job without having future plans. She loved the spontaneity and warmth and felt more accepted than ever before.
Armed with the experience of past trainings and one of the great training books in the field of camp staff training (Michael Brandwein's, “Training Terrific Staff”), training went well.
Jackie, a counselor at all 5 camps and "Director apparent," conducted leadership games outside; I did most of the indoor training. Although only 3 days long, most of the staff were returning (4 of the 22 South Africans had been with us for all four or prior camps, 13 for 2 or 3 camps) and the 5 new people caught on quickly. And once the campers arrived, we discovered how easy it was to get things done when staff members have several previous camp experiences under their belts. Setting up and organizing the cabins, meeting the bus, waiting on tables, making announcements, and running activities all had their own momentum and, I realized, their own tradition.
The schedule this time added had 70 minute periods and no rest hour after lunch. The activities again included Athletics, Life Skills, and Swimming every day, and a rotation between Theater and Dancing and Drumming for a fifth period, and Permaculture (mostly gardening) and Arts and Crafts for the sixth. (See our web site for the "Daily Schedule.")
It is interesting, and instructive for future camps, to see the staff eager to include new programs which add substance to the philosophy of camp, and then to help decide how those programs would be incorporated into the daily schedule.
Life Skills is the single most effective and important part of the program. The ease and eagerness with which the children accept the information about HIV/AIDS, sexuality, adolescence, gender bias, crime and drugs, health and nutrition, and self-esteem gives me the sense that they know their well-being and very survival depends on it. (See our web site for the "Life Skills Test" that we gave to the campers and the "Life Skills Curriculum" that we provide.)
The easy access provided by the instructors to the information lets every camper know that there are no bad or stupid questions. There are choices to be made once the information is known, and the staff is thorough in discussing the impact of certain decisions that people might make. I am eager to see in five or ten years how the health of former campers compares to non-campers.
Adding Permaculture to the schedule was a brilliant idea that came from my co-Director, HIVSA’s Michelle Schorn, as it keeps the campers outdoors and provides them not only with an education toward the natural world but also with skills in growing food in a small garden.
Poetry has been a popular way of expression. Some of the poems are now up on our web site.
The biggest adventure was creating the ropes course. Matt and Vaughn, the manager of the facility, worked well in pricing the materials and getting delivery. The only thing they could not find was a post hole digger or an auger for the most difficult task -- digging holes.
Vaughn thought that 7 day laborers would be able to complete the work in a day or so. Unfortunately, the deepest holes had to be 4.5 feet deep, and several others had to be 3.5 feet. Without a post hole digger, the laborers had to crawl in the holes to scoop out the dirt.
Delays in the delivery of supplies was a further challenge, but in the end, Matt was happy, both with the ropes course and with his decision to override Michelle and Jackie's suggestion that he be given a private room so he could get some sleep at night when the days were filled with manual labor. He decided to stay in a cabin with the 15-year olds, a brilliant decision he said, as he could always catch up on sleep, but might never have the opportunity to be with the boys again.
The boys were classic in the way they handled the ropes course events: first the assertiveness, then the discussion, then the analysis. (For the ropes course novice, the tendency is to rush in and try to solve “the problem.” This is overcome by a realization that the no one can solve it on his own and discussion with the rest of the group is needed.) By the end of the period, they actually achieved the goal of the most challenging event. They debriefed well in the post-event discussion and became noticeably different as a group: more appreciative of what each had to offer and more patient in getting to a result.
The biggest difference between these young men and U.S. campers is that certain activities, such as ropes course initiatives, are new to them and they appreciate every aspect of an activity. They were amazed that they could come together as a group so quickly and effectively and even more surprised by the trust and cooperation that developed through these games.
The camper group was wonderful, but we had too few campers. Although we had confirmed with families as late as the day before camp that their child was coming, instead of 125 we had only 108. Our staff of 30 would have been fine for 125 campers. In the future, we are thinking of charging the families $1 at registration and refunding it to them when the camper gets on the bus.
We had the usual range of heartbreaking stories about tragic family backgrounds. They were told only when the children were asked and never in a self-pitying way.
---One boy spoke only French and was from the Congo , where his parents were killed. Not having enough money for a plane ticket, he walked and hitched rides all the way to South Africa . At age 14, he lives in an orphanage and was never without a smile.
---Another orphan, 10 years old, said only "yes" or "no" for the first 5 days. Finally, on the 6th day, he started speaking in sentences and clearly felt more relaxed.
---Another 10-year-old was fighting with others from the time he arrived. By the first night he was in tears because one of the boys whom he had picked on had taken his toothpaste and spread it all over his bed. The boy remained moody for one more day, but had a smile on his face for the rest of the time and often came over to me for a hug.
---Another boy, who lives with his uncle’s family, asked one of his counselors if he could chew on the counselor's chicken bones when the counselor finished with his meal. At his uncle's house, the boy, his mother, sister, and brother eat only after the uncle's immediate family has finished and he has learned not to waste anything.
----On the last night of camp when I went to say goodnight to another boy, he said he was sad. When I asked him why, he put his face into his pillow and cried.
Before camp started, Lynn , Yon and I had gone to the Saturday Kids Club (where former campers get together every two weeks). Parents who came to pick up their daughters told Michelle how thrilled they were with the girls' behavior at home. They had been much more helpful with chores around the house and were no longer going out to wander the streets.
A big surprise was seeing Mpo, the girl in the BBC video piece that aired in May and is included in our DVD, who had been raped by her father when she was 8, and then orphaned and forced to live with her aunt who treated her like a slave. The miracle of the March/April camp was that she had slowly begun to speak to people in whole sentences and even smiled at times. I didn't recognize her when I saw her at the Club; one of the staff members reminded me who she was. I rushed over to her to tell her that she looked so happy and relaxed that I didn't recognize her. I am not sure it has registered with her how great and remarkable her change has been.
What we give the children is so much more than 3 meals a day and camaraderie. It seems we equip them with the tools to gain a new sense of possibilities for themselves. This new vision has the power to sustain them when their individual life situations look extremely grim. Also, it seems clear that getting together with their friends and many of their counselors every two weeks is another positive boost to their morale.
Several experts in the field of evaluation are interested in helping us, which is thrilling to me, as I am weak in this area. In December, a South African woman now living in England will return to work with us in exploring testing and evaluation possibilities. An American who worked at Baragwanath Hospital last summer has also agreed to return to work with us on testing and evaluation. At the January girls camp, two American Camping Association experts in monitoring and evaluating camping experiences will be with us. I hope the result of their expertise and work will enable us to reach conclusions on the short and long-term effects of camp on the lives of the campers.
Elton John is going to be in South Africa and might stop by in January! Maybe....
For now, we have made a commitment for two camps in December and January for which we need, in addition to what we already have, to raise $120,000 for them and for the peer educators minicamp in between. I have informed HIVSA that next year I will not assume the role of the camp’s sole financial support. HIVSA has agreed to include camp in the funding proposals to foundations.
We have raised $250,000 so far this year for a project that could have been analyzed and studied for years. Everyone seems to agree that, like a dancing elephant, it's not how well she dances but that she dances at all. We have amazed a lot of people just by getting up and running. And we have also heard many success stories that make me proud. Some children have written about how their lives have changed. One boy wrote a poem – poetry has been a popular way of expression about deeply felt issues among campers -- about how he used to be a "hijacker," stealing from stores and committing other crimes, but, after his camp experience, he wants to be a doctor. (See our web site for some "Camper Poetry.")
We have heard many other individual success stories from parents, caregivers and teachers. Even the staff members have been changed by the experience. In a country where there is 40% unemployment, one counselor, Shakes, turned down a full-time job because he wanted to be available for camp!
I believe we'll find the money for the next two camps. We will skip the March/April camp spend the time analyzing statistics, and put together a package that provides the documentation we need to demonstrate that we are making a difference in various areas of the children's lives. Then, finally, we will be able to raise some significant funds.
We have touched 550 children so far. Although two of our campers have died, providing a steady reminder of the fragility of the lives we are touching, all the others (and their families) are demonstrably better off when it comes to facing the future than they were 10 months ago when we had our first camp. I want to express my deepest appreciation to you for your support. You are making a difference not just in helping people to stay alive, but in improving the quality of their lives. It is an honor to be associated with you in this endeavor.
The WorldCamps DVD is finished and is ready to be sent out to all who are interested in seeing it. Please e-mail or call and make sure that I have your correct mailing address if you would like a copy.
I hope that you will continue your support and will consider expanding it. Please make your checks payable to "WorldCamps" and send it to the address below. Credit cards are fine, too. Thanks!
Warm regards,
Phil
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Camp Sizanani
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