Oh! The Places You'll GLOW: Team Building Day

Team Building Day is by far one of the most fun days at Camp GLOW. Modeled after the Olympics, a series of games and physical challenges are meant to teach campers about teamwork, trust and communication. It’s particularly important to achieve these goals early on, so that campers feel comfortable with their teammates when the time comes to explore and discuss more sensitive subjects, like HIV/AIDS and sexuality later in the week.

This year’s PCV team did an amazing job organizing the events, and even added a few new games to the usual line up. (Not to mention the fact that Ryan came dressed in a Greek toga, carrying a real Olympic torch. I’m pretty sure that campers thought he was dressed as Jesus. But I think that just made it twice as funny for us.)


After breakfast, campers raced around the school grounds, following Ryan (and his torch) to the opening ceremonies.


We were all surprised that nothing caught on fire during opening ceremonies.


Team cheers before the big events! It doesn't take long for teams to get in the spirit.


Water Balloon Volleyball was a huge hit. In this game, communication is as important as coordination.


Teams used a bed sheet to catch and throw the water balloons. We used old bed frames to hold up the net.


Campers learned to trust their teammates during the blindfolded obstacle course. At the end of the week, we asked them to do a similar blindfolded obstacle course on their own.


Trust falls always began the same way: with nervousness and hesitation.


But they always ended the same way, too: BIG SMILES!


The 4x4 Relay (although I'm pretty sure these were 2x6s)


This makes a three-legged race look easy.


I was in charge of Crocodile Crossing--Probably my favorite problem-solving game


I also helped out with the Human Knot game.


My adopted Camp GLOW team.


The Puzzle Race was especially challenging because some kids (mostly those from villages) had never seen a puzzle before and weren't sure what to do.


There weren't any gold, silver or bronze medals at the awards ceremony--but there were Certificates of Awesomeness and candy bars for the top-scoring teams.


Some of our amazing facilitators: Janne and Romanius


Johnson and Christina


Rosey and Peter


Our big day was topped off by a special performance by Bullet, a Kwaito dance team from Opuwo. They showed the kids what they can accomplish by working together.


Kauruia's face sums up how all of the campers felt at the end of the day: AWESOME

Oh! The Places You'll GLOW: Learner Stories

Peace Corps volunteers in Namibia invite outstanding learners from across the country to attend this week-long leadership camp in Windhoek every year. And while it's an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many bright and caring kids, a few of their stories always seem to stand out and leave a lasting impression.

This year, one of those learners was near and dear to me, mostly because he came from Khorixas. Two days before camp, Jessica sent me a message saying Selvanus, one of my learners from last year, had decided not to go to Camp GLOW. He'd made up an excuse about his father being sick, but we realized he was nervous to leave home (he hadn't been away in ten years, and only then to visit his sister a couple of hours away). He didn't have pocket money or new clothes to take to Camp, and was worried what the other kids would think.

I was already in Windhoek preparing for GLOW--buying supplies, visiting the bank and meeting with Peace Corps. Otherwise, I would have marched over to his house for a face-to-face talk. Instead, I did the next best thing. With the help of another volunteer (who was able to explain the situation to his mother in Afrikaans), we managed to convince Selvanus that he'd make loads of new friends, travel with other learners from his school and not have to worry about new clothes or spending money. (Especially since Camp is free and learners have to wear their Camp GLOW T-shirts!)

In the end (after more than a couple of phone calls, a visit from Jessica and a whole lot of convincing), Selvanus decided to come. And he did GREAT. He was nervous at first, but after a couple of hours he had an ear-to-ear grin that lasted for all of camp.

On the last day of GLOW he gave me a homemade thank you card. It was all the proof I needed that he'd had an amazing Camp GLOW experience.

Dear Miss Jill,
All I wanted to say was thank you for telling me that clothes are not important. So thank you very much and big big big thank you. I love you as my mother. Plz forgive me for being blind.
-Selvanus

Gerson was another learner who left a lasting impression on us. He had a great attitude, a giant smile and he gave awesome hugs. He was also incredibly bright.

We were all a bit worried that the connections and allusions we made to the book, "Oh! the Places You'll Go!" throughout the week might be lost on some of the campers. But when GLOW ended and Gerson sent us the following SMS, we felt like everything had fallen into place.

Once again I thank you and the whole PCVs for the great support and in enriching our minds with better education. Camp GLOW was the best experience I ever had in my life. Now finally I packed my backpack and brought with me all the leadership skills I gained. Camp GLOW contributed a lot to my life, my self confidence and my self-esteem. WOW! I wished it would be forever. HOW SAD! Good things really do come to an end. But I remember to pack all of the good memories gained. I moved the mountains. I believe wherever I fly, I'll be the best of the best. Wherever I go, I'll top all the rest. THANK YOU CAMP GLOW!
Gerson

Even if all of the campers didn't make the connections, we knew at least some of them did--and that made all our planning and hard work worth it.

Oh! The Places You'll GLOW: Character Day

Each day of Camp GLOW has a theme. A theme that lessons are planned around. That games encompass. And that facilitators are charged with driving home to the learners. It’s an effective way to make organizing and planning easier. And it also ensures that the main objectives of Camp GLOW (leadership, diversity, gender equality, HIV/AIDS awareness and future planning) are covered.

Day one of this year’s Camp GLOW was Character Day. And it just so happened to be my day as well (Along with Ashley and Jeffie B). Character Day is the real kick off to camp, when learners are assigned their Camp GLOW teams, which include kids from all over the country and from every tribe. They’re taught about ideal character traits that make good friends and great leaders. And they’re introduced to the idea of stereotypes—something they all face but have never really defined.

The first day of camp is usually a lot of fun—we get to welcome the learners, hand out their T-shirts, and get to know some of their names. But it can also be a big challenge. For a lot of learners, this is the first time they’ve left home, and coming to the big city and interacting with kids from all over the country can be a bit overwhelming. While some kids thrive in this new, challenging environment, many are too shy to talk. So while Character Day is about showing the kids what it means to be a good person, it’s also about getting them comfortable and secure in a strange new environment.


Once campers have been assigned their Camp GLOW teams, they must work together to come up with a team name, poster and cheer.


Doing something artistic early in the day seems to help campers get comfortable with the idea of opening up to their peers.


Team posters are the first exercise in different tribes working together. This is one of the most important lessons at Camp GLOW.


One of the finished posters. B.O.B. (Bringing Out the Best), designed their banner to look like a bag of chips. They said they wanted to be a refreshment for the entire camp.


T.S.G. (Teens Simply GLOW!) had TONS of spirit. And Zumbureeke, the small boy in front (who's actually 13 years old), quickly became one of my favorite learners at camp.


The GROW team working on their cheer before performing it in front of the entire camp.


Lunch Time!(The food wasn't always good, but we were always hungry!)


Jeffie B's icebreaker, Evolution Paper Scissor Rock, was a huge hit. Kids started out as eggs, and winners moved on to become chickens, dinosaurs, and eventually, the ultimate Camp GLOW Campers.


Learners got their own Camp GLOW T-shirts, but they were also given plain white ones to design using colored fabric pens (thanks Darby!) and adjectives that described their positive character traits. Felly, one of the facilitators, did a great job helping the kids.


Zumbureeke hard at work on his character shirt.


A work in progress.

Let's Get GLOWing!

There have been a lot of highs over the last two years. But the biggest one came last week, when after 11 months of planning, Camp GLOW became a reality.

There were times when we questioned whether it would actually happen. Particularly when, nine days before camp, funding from the usual donors still hadn’t been approved. And again, with a week to go, when the government mandated all ministry vehicles be serviced, which pretty much blew our chances at free transport for our 80 learners and 16 facilitators. Then we got word on the day before camp that the stove at the school, where caterers were supposed to cook each and every meal, was actually broken.

But, like most things in life (and all things here in Namibia), everything worked out. The donors came through (and so did family and friends from home—so thank you all for that!) and every region somehow secured a government vehicle. (It was a miracle!) The stove, though wonky, eventually came around. And in the end, things lined up to make this year’s camp a huge success.

The learners, who came from every region in the country (like my new friend Robert, pictured above), were unbelievable. And our facilitators, who we’d trained the month before, were absolutely amazing. Together, they reminded us of why we’d worked so hard, and proved that the endless stress and sleepless nights leading up to camp were totally worth it.


All the chairs that had to be moved before learners arrived


Dar hauling boxes of Camp GLOW T-shirts to the main hall


Camp GLOW T-shirts ready and waiting. The theme of this year's camp was, "Oh the Places You'll GLOW!" We found ways to incorporate ideas from the book into every activity, and we were lucky enough to have an artist like Eric, to design this year's shirts.


Kim, a Nam 29er, making posters to decorate the hall.


Message of the week: LOVE GLOW

Special Delivery

Life here can be stressful (especially when the government issues an order for all of its cars to be serviced the week they're supposed to be transporting learners to Camp GLOW). But that just means the little things--things that I may have overlooked in a previous life--end up meaning a whole lot more now.

Like today, when 14 kids from the orphanage came knocking on my door. They formed a perfect little line--all smiles--and Fredrick picked his hand from his pocket, palm up, with a folded piece of paper inside.

It was a note from my friend Jossy, their big sister. I'd sent her a text message earlier in the day but she was out of phone credit, so she sent the kids with her response.

The tiny note made me smile.

My own Western Union. My personal pony express.

Only this one was a whole lot more fun.