For those who don't know what UniCamp is, UniCamp is UCLA's official philanthropy. Over 500 volunteers come together all Spring Quarter to train and prepare for a week long of Summer camp for children that come from underserved communities. Serving different communities and focusing on specific topics, each camp is different. For my session, all our campers were African-American students who were given the opportunity to learn about their history and culture with the resources of The Village Nation in hopes to inspire and empower them to do more in their community.
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I am not going to lie. Camp was nothing like I expected. It was tough. It definitely tested my mental, emotional, and even physical capacity (you try not showering for almost a whole week). Nevertheless, I would not trade it for anything in the world. When people ask me, "how was camp?" it's hard for me to put it into words because it was a rollercoaster. I had my share of breakdowns and wanting to give up, however I also had moments of complete happiness that numbed me.
At first, I found it difficult because here I was being responsible for 15-16 year old boys when
1. I am the youngest of my siblings- I never knew what it felt like to have to take care for people younger than me,
2. I only grew up with a bunch of girls, and
3. I was afraid that our cultural differences would serve as a hindrance when trying to connect with them personally.
However, what I learned was that I needed to let go of what was out of my control. I needed to let go of this "I'm here to help you" mentality, because at the end of the day, the best way to inspire one another is with love and support- and doing it in the best way you know how to. Whether that means listening to someone, exchanging stories, or just reminding them to use the "biffy" aka restroom, because people will notice and feel cared for - and that is the least you can do. And one thing I treasure most from camp was that feeling.
These volunteers that I've only known for a quarter and these campers that I was only with for 5 days, have all touched my life in some way shape or form in such short amount of time. From just watching all these passionate volunteers with their campers, to my knuckle-head boys performing a surprise dance for me, I hope to be reminded that this form of love and support does exist. It is beautiful and what will keep me going, motivating me throughout life and encouraging me to keep doing work for the community.
Thank you to all the people who donated to my fund to make it all possible. Thank you UCLA UniCamp. Thank you Co, Miyagi. Thank you Session 3 L-Ship. Thank you Volunteers. Thank you The Village Nation. And thank you Campers.
(P.S.: There are so many stories and so much more that I'm willing to share but I don't want to spoil it on a blog, so just ask me in person!!)
- i keep saying "love and support" but it is so so so important
- do community service work
- step out of your comfort zone
- love each other
- support each other
- learn more about other cultures
- make a checklist to prepare your things for camp
- some bugs are immune to bug spray at this point
- always check your sleeping bag before you go to bed
- you can learn from children
- be the person who would inspire you
- do UCLA UniCamp
