10 Aug Survival Camp

Just like the previous week, this past week was filled with joy, slightly less frustration, and tons of food. For this round of camp, we had 22 7th-9th graders. What’s really cool was that through the outreach that I and another intern did, we were able to recruit 2 Hispanic children to attend the camp, which is remarkable seeing that it’s the first time that has happened since the beginning of camp 6 years ago. I lead a lot of team building and survival activities. I also taught some basic knots and ropes skills, how to stat a fire using flint and steel, and basic first aid like burns, bee stings, and sprained ankles. We camped on a property that has its own lake and which is 0.5 mile to the beach. Kids were able to make their own debris huts. One day we had a beach day where we just played at the beach and had a bonfire. My favorite part of the camp was taking a night paddle with 4 campers. We attached glow sticks to our kayaks and paddled to the center of the lake to look up at the stars. I usually just work with elementary school kids so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this group. I was pleased when they turned out to be a good and curious group of kids. That same weekend I met and  camped with some other EFTA interns who also work in Oregon. We stayed two days in Mt. Hood National Forest where we were lucky enough to have a camp site feet away from a creek. It was a real pleasure meeting and hanging out with them. I just wished we would’ve met earlier.

Brenda & Lily