Ahhh, finally! At midnight, Camp Aldersgate felt immediately like an oasis after a seventeen-hour flight from Toronto. Sarah and I were delayed in Toronto for five hours due to a flight cancellation that resulted in us having to sit through a six-hour layover in Washington D.C. We were elated and relieved upon our arrival in Providence, Rhode Island.
The first night at camp, I had one of the best rests of my life on my bottom bunk bed. I felt fully prepared for the activities of the week. I had a glance at the week’s itinerary the night before and I was fully aware of the jam-packed schedule planned for this summer’s Youth United for Global Action and Awareness Camp.
Apart from the beautiful lake, the fresh air and the hot mid-July weather, the first thing that caught my attention was the diversity of our international group. Many campers flew long distance from USA, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Sweden and Haiti to arrive at Camp Aldersgate. For me, the diversity was one of the highlights of the camp. The opportunity to be in the presence of so many youth group members from around the world who work to make change was truly inspiring. Everyone had a unique perspective of the world. It was exciting to get the chance to blend ideas together.
It’s only mid-week and there have already been many highlights. On the first day, we were split up into smaller groups to try out the Low-Ropes Course. Our first challenge was an unbalanced platform reminiscent of a large teeter-totter. The challenge was to get everyone on the platform, while balancing it so none of the sides touched the ground. The second part of the challenge required us to choose one person to walk the perimeter of the platform, while the rest of the group worked to keep the platform balanced. It took us a little while to figure out our strategy. We had decided that we needed to counter balance the person walking around the platform in order to keep it from touching the ground. So we had to lean the opposite way that the person was walking. We were successful after only a few tries. The communication needed to complete a Low-Rope Course makes it a great team building exercise.
An exciting experience for all the international campers was the opportunity to visit the massive Plan U.S.A. National Office. We were treated with an Ethiopian lunch and the chance to observe the workings of a true headquarters. The Plan Staff was all exceptionally accommodating and open to any questions we had.
Another highlight of the first day was African Dancing. We were lucky to have Freddy from Cote D’Ivoire with us the whole week. He was a great teacher. The African beats were easy to move to and the dance moves were fairly simple, so everyone caught on quickly. We had fun stomping our feet, clapping our hands and occasionally flailing our arms to the sound of the music. There was so much passion put into every move. I don’t think anyone was self-conscious, not that there was any reason to be, and this made the experience that much more fun.
Day two, was another packed day. We started off with a YUGA campaign issues round robin. This gave us the opportunity to participate in workshops facilitated by Plan Staff, YUGA members and people from other organizations. I participated in workshops on Children in Armed Conflict, Climate Change and HIV/AIDS. All the workshops were very interactive and informative. I particularly liked the workshop on HIV/AIDS. The workshop was a game that required us to post different ways of giving or receiving HIV/AIDS on a scale based on their level of risk. I personally did not know that HIV/AIDS could be transferred through breast milk!
In the evening, we heard from a Panel of Peace Corps Members. It was interesting to listen to these people who gave two years of their lives to aid communities in remote, underdeveloped regions of the world. The members and former members of the Peace Corps were just average people with a big heart. They had the will and perseverance to commit to a community that they had never visited before. From what I learned, Peace Corps is a rewarding experience that is not for everyone. It takes about one year to complete the application process and tons of courage to follow through with your mission. In the end, many Peace Corps members end up falling in love with the communities which they helped. The placements range from South America, Asia and even Africa. Today, you can help in many ways, depending on your specialty. It’s a learning experience that could change you forever. Most countries have their own version of the American Peace Corps.
For me, the highlight for day three was Capoeira. Capoeira was really fun because it is like a mix between martial arts and dancing with unique music. The Brazilian dance has a strong African influence. We started out gathering in a circle for a demonstration. Everything seemed a little overwhelming at first. I watched as our demonstrators moved smoothly from side to side while kicking, blocking and dodging to the music. All the moves looked very advanced. I felt more comfortable after we split up into smaller groups to practice simpler moves. The first move was the basic side-to-side stepping. This is done in a sort sweeping motion in unison with exaggerated arm movements. Then, we moved on to different blocks and ducks. The best part was the opportunity to try out our new moves with our instructors. I tried it and enjoyed the experience exchanging kicks with my teacher.
Well, that’s a wrap for the first three days of my experience at YUGA camp. It has been packed, but I don’t even feel tired yet. The end of each day leaves me yearning for the next.
