Summer Camp News
Solar Youth’s 2019 Stewardship Summer camp for participants ages 9-13 came off to a colorful start on July 8th! Themed ‘Camp Avatar,’ we aim to bring our youths in meaningful relationship with themselves and their community through the underlying values of Solar Youth. In Westville Manor we named our group “Camp Avatar,” which borrows its thematic threads from the Nickelodeon show, Avatar, The Last Airbender. In this story, one reaches full balance through making and reestablishing connection with one’s self, community and the world. Camp Avatar encourages our stewards to become their best selves.
Camp Avatar conducts team building and restorative activities which creates a sense of trust and interdependence among our participants in the initial stages of program. These include among others, starting each day with mindfulness practices and check in questions.
Stewards also learn that they are connected with their environment as much as with each other. In order to solidify this lesson camp Avatar is classified according to the natural elements of the world by week. Each week is themed by an element; earth week, air week, water week and fire week. Stewards learn about the essential role of each element to their ecology of existence. As is true in any relationship, there are symbiotic benefits. Stewards take care of the earth and the earth returns this care in abundance.
During week one, i.e. earth week, our youth also learned about some of those beautiful lives that we must share our world with. Since the participation makes for great learning, Stewards planted flowers from seeds, enjoyed hikes, and came in close contact with friendly animals. This included learning about Pythons at Dinosaur State Park!
In order to further explore the idea of our interconnection, we did the yarn web activity to end week two. This activity makes visible and tangible to participants that there are connections between individuals and the world in which they exist. In this activity, any decision that each person makes to move will have some impact on the whole and thus, to remain comfortable in the web communication was key.
By the end of the first two weeks, one of the most significant lessons that our campers have learned is that although the differences of characters often make for a rough plot, our story is as beautiful and interesting because of those differences. All together, an inspiring experience, with plenty of more fun to come in the next few weeks!
In order to further explore the idea of our interconnection, we did the yarn web activity to end week two. This activity makes visible and tangible to participants that there are connections between individuals and the world in which they exist. In this activity, any decision that each person makes to move will have some impact on the whole and thus, to remain comfortable in the web communication was key.
By the end of the first two weeks, one of the most significant lessons that our campers have learned is that although the differences of characters often make for a rough plot, our story is as beautiful and interesting because of those differences. All together, an inspiring experience, with plenty of more fun to come in the next few weeks!
