Camp and Resiliancy
A parent shared a story today (Friday) about the power of the camp experience and resiliency in girls and young women. Unfortunately a not so uncommon experience involving a girl (in this case, a current WeHaKee camper and the parent’s child) being bullied in the classroom and a school’s conflicted and reluctant approach to respond with care and compassion. It seems she has been fending off teasing and bullying for quite some time. Approaches to the school for assistance repeatedly resulted in a mild response – usually not much more than a shrug and a warm fuzzy discussion about turning the other cheek. This young woman however, demanded more today – she stood up for her right to be at school and to feel safe. And she did so with respect, yet firm insistence. It seemed however that the school was perplexed by such a response and shimmied about not knowing what best to do. Hurt and with tears in her eyes, she persisted wondering aloud why fairness was so difficult to grasp asking again and again ‘Why can’t I go to school and be safe?’ ‘We have policies’, ‘we have procedures’ was the response, but her tenacity remained. With bullies on one side and administrative resistance on the other, she remained strong and persevered with remarkable resilience!
These parents know that the situation is not yet entirely resolved and that much work needs to be done, but the confidence of this girl has risen several degrees this evening and will undoubtedly grow as she moves forward. She moved a mountain today! Her parents truly believe that her camp experience has influenced her ability to strive for and insist that we ‘do the right thing’ and not to give up in this pursuit. She has admired strong role models in her camp counselors, young women that have guided her to reach for more, yet stop to help others along the way. She has lived in a community that accepts and embraces each girl’s uniqueness positively and warmly. And this experience has motivated her to accept nothing less beyond WeHaKee. Camp made a difference in her life and she made a difference in her world today. Not only for herself, but for others who will face similar challenges. Servant learship in its purest form!
We’re proud that Camp WeHaKee has influenced her life and has helped her remain resilient despite the turbulence around her. It gives her – and us – hope that the world is a little bit better today.
