Camp RAD Observation

On the evening of June 25th, 2014, head camp counselor for ForensiTech, River Forrest, was given permission

For over 60 years, Camp Young Judaea Texas (CYJ) continues to flourish and expand our reach in local Texas communities. We receive over 600 campers each summer and administer programming to over 5,000 individuals during the year. CYJ is committed to providing individuals of all financial backgrounds with opportunities to be a part of our camp programs. Through dynamic camp activities and superior retreats, our organization supplies both children and adults with a fun, educational space that fosters spiritual growth, social activism, philanthropy, and a passion for preserving the environment.

Both the youth and adult chaperones gained friendships and a greater understanding of each other and the world at large. Youth were able to practice life skills such as taking responsibility for oneself and building relationships with others different from you. As a result of this program, youth from Kanawha County participated as campers with the Wayne County 4-H Older Camp. The collaborative spirit among the Extension Educators was unparalleled. All involved recommended that these educational experiences continue in the

Waking up 6:30 in the morning isn't common for me but July 28th was the day I was driving up to Athens for Dawg Camp. I was waiting for this day since I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to go to Dawg Camp Discovery thanks to the UGA Parents Leadership Council. Every UGA event I attended, convinced me that Dawg Camp was an once in a lifetime opportunity. I was beyond ecstatic when I found out I was one of the recipient of the reward. Once arriving at UGA, I walked into Ramsey startled by the excitement coming from the basketball court. All of the camp counselors were beyond theatric when all of the campers came in one by one. As the day went on, I began to connect with my group, Silver 4, more and more. We were able to talk about our

"Don 't worry," Rachel and Ben said simultaneously, "It 's only like a four to five hour hike, unless you get lost." Rachel and Ben were my coaches while I was at camp. I could call them counselors, but they weren 't exactly counselors to me, more like second parents, or coaches. Little did I know, this "four or five hour hike" would be one of the worst experiences of my life.

The center originally began as the “Ron Wood Project” and the main focus was to be a truancy center. However, the “project” quickly grew into a Family Resource Center in order to meet the growing need of Carson City’s residents. The mission of the Ron Wood Family Resource Center is to create a lasting community-wide cooperative effort between the private

The facility that was assigned to work with is the Louisiana Baptist Home Residential Child Care Program. According to the Louisiana Baptist Children Home website, (n.d.), the residential child care program houses children from 5-17 years of age. It offers a safe environment for children of various races, cultural and religious groups. The children live in a family-style homes with assigned parents who provide them with love, support, and Christian leadership.

For the duration of a summer, I spent my time living and working on a remote mountaintop in Pennsylvania. As a Counselor at Outdoor Odyssey Leadership Academy, I had the responsibility of mentoring youth through personal growth and development. We took pride in being a different kind of summer camp. At Outdoor Odyssey, participants’ mental and physical comfort zones would be pushed. The common rhetoric was that we did not sit around “painting rocks and singing Kumbaya” like all other summer camps. Such mentalities were driven into us by the Director of Operations during our two-week intensive staff boot camp.

Plato, James Madison, and John Mills are all supporters of the idea that opinion must be discussed in public debate. In my own reason-based thought this idea that through silence ignorance grows louder is my own general understanding.

I knew my transition from an ordinary visitor to a volunteer would be a new and exciting experience. My task in the Summer Reading Program was to register patrons, explain how the program works, and give out prizes at the end of each week. The number of children who registered for the program impressed me. I enjoyed working with these children, since I knew exactly where they got their excitement from. I would look forward to seeing the smiling faces of the children as they received their prizes. Their faces made me reminisce about the joyful moments I had as a child when I couldn't wait for the grand prize week of the Summer Reading Program.

While being allowed to come into the camp, I learned a great deal about how the homeless live. This particular group was very self sufficient

Camp Happy Valley is a summer day camp which is located in London, Ontario. It formed in 1965, and as a not-for-profit organization. Camp Happy Valley engages in create a positive and safe atmosphere for children to increase their experience. Sue Johnson is the director of this camp and work for hiring the super staff team. Adam Cameron is the programmer for Happy Valley. The process of hiring and training staff was low efficiency, and the camp’s morale was depressed. Camp Happy Valley needs to make some decisions as soon as possible to improve this situation.

It was a balmy July morning when my family and I drove out to Lycoming College to begin my week at PFEW. An uneasy feeling set in as I realized that I will be surrounded by strangers in an uncommon environment for a whole seven days. Adding onto this stress was the fact that I have never been away from my parents for more than one night. Upon my arrival, all of the camp participants were ushered to a large auditorium and given a welcome presentation. Looking around at all the unfamiliar faces, I felt the urge to call my parents and avoid

Water. One of the world most powerful elements. Waves. Always moving. Always crashing. Always breaking. Something that has always pulled at my attention. Since I was little, I marveled at the waves and their great dominance and the endless amusement they offered. I longed to swim in these waves. I longed to roll with the great crash on the shore, to find the treasures that lurked beneath them, to surf.

This Summer, I had the best time of my life. I learned some valuable lessons, I made some friends, and I had so much fun. Even if I didn’t know it. This is the story of my summer camp experience.