Camps.... Camps.... I LOVE CAMPS!

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Trip Start Mar 21, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Oct 05, 2008 Next
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  Baguio City, Philippines
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Greeting's to all!

My last few weeks have been filled with camps, camps and more camps! They have each been equally amazing in their own ways and I am needless to say on a huge camp high!!

Two weeks ago we held the first of hopefully many more Environmental Youth Leadership Camps at the farm. Ten Boy's and Girl Scouts from the high school in my town participated and we spent a wonderful three days at the farm. With the help of my co-facilitators including Suzie, Dave and Dave (three fellow PCV's), two volunteers from a local environmental NGO called the Cordillera Green Network, and one teacher from the high school we had a fantastic camp and I know the kids enjoyed themselves. We taught them the Leave No Trace Environmental Ethics, did interactive activates about proper trash segregation, conserving water use, forest preservation and a variety of leadership and team building activities. Despite the daily afternoon rains the spirits were high and we jimmy rigged a tarp and were still able to have a campfire and roast marshmallows in the evening. I mean what is a camping trip without SMORES? The ten students that participated were all extremely engaged and excited about the idea of creating an Environmental Youth Corp/Club at the high school this coming school year.

I just arrived to Baguio today after helping co-facilitate another camp with three of my favorite PCV Gal's. Carrie and Kate both work at Department of Social Welfare shelters for women and girls. They, along with Suzie (PCV who helped with the camp at the farm) have been working to make this camp happen since October.

And the laugh after success.....

They received a grant through the U.S. Embassy to help with the funding and the last four days at camp were well worth all of their hard work and preparations. The girls at the camp ranged in age from 12- 17 and have all either been raped, victim to incest, or forced in to childhood prostitution. Sad stories, however you would never know it to meet them or through their actions at the camp. They were all so loving, active and strong young women! Girls L.E.A.D. standing for Leadership and Empowerment Through Active Decision making focused on life skills including, goal/future planning, friendships, and positive decision making to name a few. It was so amazing to watch them all grow and see the light bulbs go on as we discussed and went through the modules. The last day of camp they each picked a module and practiced facilitating it to the group, because the goal is to have them implement this camp back at their centers for the other girls. They all did such an amazing job and it was as always so fun to co- facilitate. I was of course known as the Ice Breaker Queen!

I have been very busy the last month preparing for these camps and am looking forward to a bit of a break come July. However, it is successful events like this that remind me why I am here and how important the work that so many PCV's do is to the Philippines and all around the world.

I am off to the farm tomorrow for three days with about six fellow PCV's. We are going to hopefully do some trail work (if the rains hold's up) and enjoy the beauty of the space. I talk about it all the time and I am so glad we are starting to get visitors.

I hope you are all doing well and know that I am sending my love and thoughts to all of you daily.

Peace,

Sherry

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Animal Farm Ice Breaker Skits	Auntie Marilyn Greets participants	Banna Split Ice Breaker	Boy Scouts of Tublay
Boy Scouts set up their tent	Camp Fire	Dance Party Time	Dip Back.......
DJ Ice Ice Baby!	Drawing thier Ideal Friend	Drawing thier Ideal Friend #1	During "A Roost Ta Sha" Ice Breaker
During Goal Planing Activity	Enjoying facilitating	Excited Participants for the Camp	Facilitating Evolution Ice Breaker
Facilitating the Spider Web	Filippino Facilitators	Getting through the Spider Web	Gilrs during Agree or Disagree Activity
Gilrs during communication activity	Gilrs Facilitate "A Roost Ta Sha" Ice Breaker	Gilrs LEAD Group Photo	Girl Scouts during the trust walk
Girl Scouts of Tublay	Girl Scouts set up their tent	Girls Facilitating	Girls Facilitating #1
Girls from NE sign in	Girls from Pampanga Sign in	Girls performing skits	Girls presenting their Ideal Friends
Girls Scouts during the trust walk	Girls sharing during Agree or Disagree Activity	Girls Working Hard on their Facilitations	Girls working hard on their timelines
Glady and I Facilitating Future Vision Activity	Great in action Facilitating shot!	Group Shot at the end of a wonderful camp!	Group Shot on our Way to Farm for Camp
Group Sit Activity	Group Sit Activity #1	Happy PCV Facilitators	Human Knot Activity
Human Knot Activity #1	Kate and Carrie Shraing their life timelines	Leave No Trace Skits	Listening to activity instructions
Mabel facilitates Sum of All Parts discussion	Mabel facilitating from CAR Green Network	Me facilitating friendships activity	Me Facilitating Future Vision Activity
Me Facilitating Ice Breaker	Me facilitating Spider Web Activity	Me facilitating Who I am As A Leader Activity	Our yummy breakfast
Participants arrive to camp	Participants during the trust walk	Participants play Evolution	Participating During the ECHO
Pass the Orange Game	PCV Carrie and I attempting to dance	PCV Dave and Dave facilitate H2O cycle discussion	PCV Dave cooking our lunch
PCV Dave helps with the broken tent poles	PCV Facilitators	PCV Kate and counterpart during Agree or Disagree	PCV Suzie and I enjoying the hike down to the farm
PCV Suzie Facilitates creation of camp rules	PCV's having a blast	Performing Leave No Trace Skits	Pizza and Beer after a successful camp!
Practice facilitating	Preparing from their ECHO's	Relay Race	Relay Race #1
Segregation Bins (Remember the 3 R's)	Segregation Relay Race	Segregation Relay Race in Action	Segregation Relay Race in action #1
Setting up campfire in wet conditions	Spider Web Activity	Spider Web Activity #1	Spin Out......
Success after dealing with broken tent poles	Sum of All parts drawings	Suzie leads opening ice breaker	Tayo ( Native Dance) around the fire
Teamwork water bucket	Teamwork water bucket #1	Teamwork water bucket #2	The Crocodile at the Farm
The Facilitation Team	Trust Walk at the farm	Trust walk getting through the obsticles	Turst Fall activity
View of our camp spot at teh farm	Web of Learning Activity	Web of Learning Activity #3	Welcome from Carrie and Glady
Welcome to Girls LEAD	Who I am As A Leader Activity	Woking on Renewable resouce list	Workign together to get through the web
Working during Cause and Effect Relationships acti	Working Hard	Working Hard!	Yoga in the AM

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