Their names are Silvia, Neige, Virginia, Marin, Lilianne, Ashley, Joanna, Maya, Sabrina, Jackie, Jose Roberto and Jacinta. They come from Mexico, Saint Lucia, Ohio, Taiwan, Massachussets, New York, Tennesse and Canada. They are the new WYA campers for this summer 2012!
Since their arrival on Sunday, campers have gotten to know each other and become a unified, fun group. Activities and lessons have been happening during these first days through which they have not only learned, but also experienced the ideas of human dignity and solidarity that WYA promotes. By interacting with each other and learning about each other’s countries and cultures, our campers now realize how we share a common identity and that we need to look for the common good by living in truth. As Silvia, our camper from Mexico told us, “It’s just amazing to be living with so many different people from different countries, listening how they speak French, Spanish and English at the same time, and learning from each other.”
As all the counselors and interns agree, this year the campers are really nice and all of them are enjoying the mutual interaction. Jackie, a camp counselor from Tennessee, feels really happy to be taking part of the camp, “It’s been great to see the campers evolve and grow so much in just a few days. Everyone shows such enthusiasm for the lessons and activities that it makes my job as a counselor ten times more rewarding.”
“I really enjoyed presenting to the campers on the subject of Solidarity. I think they all had a good understanding of what being in solidarity meant and their attentiveness and willingness to join in the conversation made my job easier,” that is what Elaine, one of the WYA HQ interns, said when she was asked about her presentation to the campers. The series of presentations at camp were of various topics and all of them contributed to the campers’ personal growth. They have learned about freedom, culture, human dignity, and the relationship between the intellect and will, just to name a few.
But there has also been time for sports and games–time to have fun together, experiencing each other’s dignity. On Monday they were in Central Park. Yesterday they participated in a scavenger hunt around Wagner College and this afternoon they kayaked in the Hudson River. This year’s camp promises to be a fantastic opportunity for fun, friendship and learning. We’ll keep everybody updated!
