Hi everyone!
It's been a while since I last posted a blog; I wish I could
come up with a legitimate excuse, but I've just not done anything interesting
enough lately. However, this summer I spent ten weeks working at a summer camp
in New York that caters for individuals with special needs, and I want to share
my experience with you all.
In September, I applied through USA Summer Camp to work at
camp in America, having heard many first-hand accounts from my friends who had
done the same thing.
The process of interviews was very laid-back and
comfortable, with an initial phone interview before meeting up with a
representative in Belfast for a second interview. After this, I had officially been
accepted on to the program! After being accepted on to the program, I signed up
for a job fair that would take place in Dublin in January of this year where
there was an opportunity to get hired on the spot by a camp on the day.
I travelled solo to Dublin the night before the job fair and
prepared myself for what seemed like a daunting task; trying to convince a
director in five short minutes that I was the perfect fit for their camp.
The day started off pretty badly, and only seemed to get
worse. I stood in each line for a long time before inevitably being told that I
wasn't the right fit for the camp’s needs. SIX interviews and four hours later,
I stood in line for a camp that I wasn't entirely sure about. It was a camp
that catered for individuals with special needs, and I had never worked on a
one-to-one basis with these individuals before; but it was the only camp left
in the room and I was desperate to be hired.
I sat down in front of a man named Michael Rose, director of
AHRC Camp Anne in Ancramdale, New York, and something seemed to click
instantly. We chatted for a few minutes before the obvious ‘I’ve hired too many
people today’ line blurted out; but what followed afterwards was unexpected. ‘But
I can’t let you leave this room without offering you a job’.
The initial feeling of being hired after being rejected by
six other camps was amazing, but after signing the paperwork and leaving the
job fair, the feelings of anxiousness and apprehension began to kick in. I wasn’t
quite sure what I had got myself in to.
For the next few months, I concentrated on finishing my
final year of university whilst trying not to focus too much on preparing for
camp. I had plenty of time prepare myself, right?
Yet early 2015 passed so swiftly that I barely had time to
comprehend how close camp was; and in mid-June I hopped on a plane to begin a
10-week adventure working in the USA.
When I arrived at Camp Anne, I was placed in my cabin almost
instantaneously and was assigned to ELM; an all-girls cabin, which was
conceivably my worst nightmare. Twenty girls and twenty campers in the cabin at
any one time? Not my cup of tea, considering I grew up with four brothers at home. Yet this group of girls would turn out to be
a massive part of my summer.
The first week of camp life was intense and tedious; with an
overwhelming amount of presentations and information to take in. Its purpose;
to best prepare us as counsellors for the most demanding and gruelling summer
of our lives. However, nothing could possibly have prepared us for what we were
about to experience at Camp Anne.
Camp Anne’s schedule consisted of five sleep-away sessions
for adults and children with special needs. These sessions were broken down in
to three adult sessions (12 days per session), followed by two children’s
sessions (10 days per session). The campers that attended Camp Anne had a wide
range of disabilities; some so severe that they needed complete assistance with
all aspects of personal care, others being very high functioning and highly
independent. However, they all had one thing in common; they were all human
beings that deserved to be treated with respect and they were all delightfully
unique.
Initially I was anxious about the thought of being solely
responsible for a camper, particularly because I had never experienced anything
like this before. My first session was made even more challenging when I found
out that I actually had two campers to take care of. Second session took my
patience levels to another level; and by the time third session arrived, I had
a broken wrist and was ready to book a flight home and leave it all behind. But
there was always something stopping me from doing so.
Being physically exhausted and mentally drained by the end
of each session was tough, and seeing my campers leave on the bus back to New
York City at the end of a session was heart wrenching. When waving goodbye to
the campers, there was a feeling of despondency at seeing them leave. However,
there was also a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that you made a positive
difference to that person’s life. A feeling that cannot be described, only
felt; which rejuvenated the staff at the end of a session and motivated us to kick
off the next session with as much enthusiasm and eagerness as we had on our
first day of work.
Each session passed, and instead of saying ‘we've been here
for eight weeks already’, many were downhearted at how we only had two weeks
left. The initial feelings of excitement and anticipation were overcast by reminiscence
of the previous sessions; nobody wanted to leave.
My experience during the second half of my time at Camp Anne
was personally challenging in so many ways; and it made me think about life in
a completely different way.
After five weeks of being at camp and half way through third
session, I was playing football after work and broke my wrist. The pain was excruciating
and not only this, it hindered me in more ways than I could ever possibly have
thought.
For five weeks I was incapable of many of my daily tasks;
such as putting my hair up in a ponytail or putting on a bra on in the morning.
I had to get one of my fellow counsellors to put a hair tie around a blue trash-bag
and put it on my arm before I took a shower so as not to get the cast wet. I had
to sleep on a bottom bunk because I couldn't physically climb up to the higher
bunk.
But there was one tremendously important lesson I learned
from this experience that I will remember for the rest of my life; that there
were hundreds of campers at my camp who were in much worse positions than me
and had severe physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities that profoundly
affected their daily lives. This taught me a very important lesson, and whilst
having a broken arm was an inconvenience and an utter nuisance, I learned to be
thankful for everything that I had.
It is difficult to try and explain to others the impact that
someone with special needs can have on your life until you feel that influence
yourself. It is tough to describe to others how much you can change as a person
when working with individuals with special needs. I cannot possibly put in to
words how much of an impression my campers have left on me. I cannot even begin
to describe the feeling of seeing a smile from a person who has not been able
to speak their whole life, or the heart-warming moment when a deaf person tells
you that they love you in sign language. I am incredibly thankful to have been
blessed with the opportunity to work with such inspiring people.
Despite the difficult times at camp, I feel as though I have
had an experience that I cannot find in any other job. At the beginning of the
process way back in January, I was apprehensive about working at a camp that
catered for those with special needs. I never wanted to go to this type of
camp; partly because I felt as though I was out of my depth, and partly because
I didn't want to be taken out of my comfort zone.
I also never wanted to be in an all-girls cabin; because I thought
as though I wouldn't fit in. And in reality, I have amassed a group of friends
who helped me through the toughest time of my life and supported me when I struggled
desperately to understand my purpose at Camp Anne. These girls have had such an
impact on my life, and I cannot even begin to explain how their encouragement
and constant support has benefited me. Saying goodbye to this group of friends was one of the toughest moments of my life.
The strange thing about this whole experience is that everything
that I thought would be my worst nightmare actually ended up being a key part
of an unbelievable summer. My experience at Camp Anne is almost indescribable,
but I hope that by sharing these few words with you that you will understand
how wonderful it is to be involved in the lives of those with special needs. This place encourages everyone to embrace their differences and respect each other. No other job in my life will ever compare to this. I feel
thankful and blessed to have been a part of a life-changing experience and I hope
to inspire others to get involved.
I'm already looking forward to going back to Camp Anne in
2016.
