Taylor Swift visits USA summer camp

COUNTRY: USA
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building, renovation & conservation
WRITTEN BY: Ewan Tracey

The second session of camp is over but it seems like I only just started! Since my last post, a lot of exciting events have taken place including July 4th, Community Spirit Day, and Mini-Olympics day! July 4th was easily one of the highlights of camp. The morning began as normal until the morning announcements when about ten celebrities came to say hi.

These included Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Scooby-doo and Shaggy, and Justin Bieber, just to name a few! The kids were so excited to see them, and so was I, until I finally realised they were just the counsellors. The day continued as normal until the evening activity which consisted of a series of performances from the kids and counsellors. Three other Australians and I dressed as The Wiggles and put on a performance which was loved by the kids. After our evening activity, we went to the waterfront for a fireworks display which was very exciting!

Community Spirit Day was the next big event. Each unit of kids was assigned a charity that they were playing for and throughout the day they would earn points for participation, enthusiasm and excellence. They all got very competitive, however it was all in good spirits. Most of the units attempted to bribe the organisers, who for this Community Spirit Day consisted of the AI (athletics instructors), waterfront and adventure teams. The day was a huge success and everyone had an amazing time.

Every Friday night there is a camp-wide evening activity. One week we had International Night. All the Australians danced to the song ‘Land Down Under’ which was great fun, and then The Wiggles performed again. One of the kids in my assigned bunk ran up on stage during this performance because he was so excited, which was one of the highlights of camp for me! Last Friday’s evening activity was ‘SummitStock’. Everyone wore tie-dye all day and did performances of songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The most recent big event was the Mini-Olympics day. It was one of the most emotional days at camp so far. All of the kids blew me away with their determination and enthusiasm. The best part of the day was definitely seeing the kids get their certificates at the end of the day. Their smiles were so inspiring and it is a day I will never forget.
Camp is now in its final session which is three weeks long. There are fewer kids this session but I think that it will be just as great!