Camp: a sequence of seasons
The start of my AmeriCorps term held many unknowns. I had no expectations, and no idea how it would all go. Because I am at a summer camp for Boston youth, I knew my everyday work would be much different than most of the other LRCC host sites. Some days, service meant hauling boats around at the waterfront, or moving chairs out of storage for the start of the camp season. Sometimes it meant camp activities to get to know the new counselors that would be living with us for the next few months. I could be teaching a nature lesson to 10 kids one day, and building a new nature trail the next. Camp has been fast-paced, unpredictable, and memorable.
My time here has progressed and evolved somewhat like seasons. The first season was pre-camp, when I was just getting used to the site before anyone had arrived and getting to know my AmeriCorps partner. Then it was training season, when the counselors all arrived and took part in a 2 week long crash course on everything from diversity training, to CPR, to lifeguarding, behavioral management, and even an environmental training led by myself and my fellow AmeriCorps. The anticipation grew as boys camp quickly approached, until the season changed yet again, and the boys had arrived. Camp got into the swing of having the boys there just as soon as their three-and-a-half-week stay was over. Cue girls’ season! The girls arrived just 3 days after the boys had left and came in with just as much enthusiasm. It was interesting to observe the turnover that camp was able to pull off in such a short time.
When boys and girls camp was in session, I was teaching nature lessons, supporting admin staff with daily activities and trying to help out when we felt the pressure of our limited staff. This was more of a struggle this year due to the pandemic. In normal years, camp has a large international staff that come from South Africa, Turkey, Mexico, Columbia, the UK, and so on. Unfortunately, all of those international staff that were meant to be at camp were unable due to travel bans following COVID restrictions. This is why I feel my placement at Camp Hale was more important than ever. They are a non-profit camp that runs at a financial deficit in order to offer underserved children a once in a lifetime opportunity to go to summer camp on Squam Lake. They were understaffed and underfunded, but still managed to run a successful and fun season of both boys and girls camp in the midst of an ongoing pandemic without a single case of COVID.
Having completed the camp season, I am now proud of that feat, and looking forward to the calmer days here in the final post-camp season. Now, in our final weeks here, myself and my partner will be working on completing a nature trail that goes around the perimeter of the camp property. In addition, we will be helping with any maintenance that needs to be done before closing the site for the winter and planning future nature curriculum to be implemented next year. I look forward to watching the leaves change, a symbol to remind me of where I started just 4 months ago, and all that I have done since my uncertain arrival at camp.
