Summer Camp!

August 17-21st I volunteered at my friend Martha’s Youth Summer Camp. Together with four other PVCs and four other local volunteers, we took 26 kids (between 13-17 years old) 3 hours north of Jalal Abad into the mountains. We stayed at an old soviet-built camp in a small village named Kizulunkor.

The camp was a huge success, despite the decaying condition of the camp facilities and the lack of amenities – such as running water.

Each morning we broke the group into teams and they rotated through three 1-hour sessions on topics such as: goal setting, self-esteem, nutrition and fitness, sexual health, gender roles, giving presentations, and critical thinking. Each afternoon the campers had their choice of arts and crafts, sports, games, or free time to work on preparing for the talent show. Night activities included movies, games, a talent show, and a bonfire.

On the 21st we traveled back to Jalal Abad and a married couple – Fritz and Ginger – cooked a huge delicious chili dinner for all of the camp volunteers.

It was definitely an exhausting (and dirty week – no showers!) but I’m so glad I helped out. The other volunteers and I maintained a super positive attitude all week and we had a lot of fun spending time with each other. We left with the sense that the campers all benefited from the camp too.

Above are some pictures from the camp. We took over 300 photos and videos so I’ll be happy to show more when I get home in 3 weeks!