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!

First blog from the U.S.A!

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

After a long and tiresome twenty-one hour journey I arrived in New York City. I stayed at a hostel filled with other people going to summer camp, but unfortunately I found no one else going to Summit Camp. The next morning, however, I hopped on the bus with twenty-five other camp specialists and athletics instructors (AI). Arriving at camp was a bit of a nerve-racking experience as we all walked into a dining room filled with people who had already been at camp for a week. Luckily, everyone was super friendly and inviting so it was easy to get to know everyone.

My first week at the camp was orientation week for the waterfront and adventure staff as well as the specialists and the AI team. It mainly consisted of getting-to-know-you games and getting the instructors’ enthusiasm levels up. My team (AI) was responsible for organising the round-robin night which was essentially an excuse for everyone to dress up in silly costumes (in this case, the round-robin was sci-fi themed). The orientation continued with getting all the athletics areas organised and meeting new people.

After ten days of orientation, the big day had arrived - the kids had come to camp! I spent the first day outside on the basketball courts in the 30+ degree heat. Every hour or so I would go to my bunk to meet the kids who were slowly arriving. I was placed in a lower boys bunk (7 to 9 year-olds). They are full of so much energy, but I only see them in the morning, night, and the occasional free period I get. Most of the day is filled up with different sports that I am assisting with or teaching. The past two days we have had general AI (where all the kids do the same sport) and AI combo (where the kids can choose from 4-5 sports to play).

This week during our general AI sessions we have been playing baseball, so I have learnt plenty of tricks from the softball/baseball specialist who used to play college softball. Meals have been surprisingly good, however, some of the returning staff have told me that the food goes downhill from when the kids arrive. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!!! Day three of camp has just finished and I am super tired, but super excited for the rest of camp!