Getting Ready to G.L.O.W!

Camp G.L.O.W. is still a couple of weeks away, but already we’ve completed one of the most important tasks: selecting the 20 out-of-school youth who will be charged with making this year’s camp the biggest success ever.

Each year volunteers around the country are asked to nominate outstanding young adults whose leadership skills shine in the workplace or in the community. PCVs write recommendations and the out-of-school youth answer essay questions about leadership and role models. The best and brightest are then selected to attend facilitators training, which is essentially a combination of an audition and a mini Camp G.L.O.W.

The weekend-long training is designed to be a dry run for camp. Volunteers can test run their sessions, potential facilitators are taught all of the camp games and activities, and we’re able to watch nominees interact with one another to scout out any potential problems.

Not only is it a great vetting process, it’s a whole lot of fun. And regardless of whether they are selected to attend camp, potential facilitators go home with a toolbox full of trainings and teachings to use in their communities.

We were lucky to have an incredible group of young Namibians this year. They were enthusiastic, energetic, educated and aware. Perhaps most importantly, they were eager to share their knowledge with the young people who will be attending Camp G.L.O.W. It made selecting this year’s facilitators a serious challenge, but I’m confident we’ve got an amazing team of ten men and ten women to lead our learners into a glowing future.


Facilitators were placed in teams on day one. Together they had to come up with a name, a banner and cheer. Some wrote poems while others performed songs or danced. Rising Hope, pictured here, had a pretty well-known musician on their team. It didn't take long for him to pen some lyrics while others designed and drew.


It was amazing to see the degree of creativity facilitators used in developing their names and designs. It was also really fun to listen in as they brainstormed ideas.

We played a lot of games as part of the Team Building Day. It was a great for observing facilitator interactions and really helped us see people's strengths and weaknesses, particularly when it came to communication, patience and leadership.


The human knot game is a perfect icebreaker but also a good exercise in communication and order of operations. Team members put both their hands in the center of the circle and grab hold of another person's with each hand. The object of the game is to untangle the team without letting go. It's fun to play and hilarious to observe.


Team Building Day also included a game of volleyball. But instead of hitting a ball over the net, teams had to use a sheet to catch and toss a water balloon across the court. It was another exercise in the importance of working together and communicating well.

There were obstacle courses, t-shirt decorating and other interesting activities to keep facilitators and volunteers entertained. And on the last night, we ended with the spider web. It's an old camp favorite that uses a ball of string and memories of the weekend to show how we've all become connected.



Facilitator training may have only been three days, but we shared a lot of laughs, a lot of experiences and a lot of personal growth. I met some incredible men and women that I will feel lucky to reconnect with at Camp G.L.O.W. later this month.