This past summer, BYSC sponsored a trip for 25 boys and girls (ages 6-16) who traveled from Mount Vernon to Brant Lake to spend a weekend enjoying the camp. The kids are part of BYSC board member Nesta Felix’s Newflex Youth Program which aims to build leaders in struggling communities through mentoring, leadership and sports programming. We recently got a chance to sit down with Brant Lake Camp veterans (and high school juniors) Charlie Block and Jonah Segal and asked them about their experience working as first time volunteer counselors on the trip.
Favorite memory from the weekend (Charlie):
We were eating dinner and gradually everyone migrated over to the basketball court. At first it was just me and a couple of kids, and then eventually more kids showed up and everyone was playing basketball and having fun. It reminded me of my own camp experience and it just made me happy to know that these kids, many of whom probably haven’t been able to do something like this before in this kind of setting, were able to experience the same kind of fun that I had when I was a camper.
Favorite memory from the weekend (Jonah):
On the first afternoon, I remember the kids were all settling in and figuring what to do and there was one boy playing basketball alone on the court. And I knew from my experience that it can sometimes be difficult to try to integrate yourself into these social situations, especially when a lot of these kids are new and it’s an unfamiliar environment. So I played around with him, I stole the ball, he stole it back and we were able to play a one on one game. I think that was very helpful for him and for the rest of the time he seemed so much more relaxed and happy.
How this experience was different from previous BYSC experiences (Charlie):
The biggest difference, of course, was that during the weekend I had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with the kids. Eating with them, going on long bus rides, playing sports, doing bonding activities like campfires, swimming and playing with them on the beach. Just getting to know each other in a different way than I normally would working with them for one hour a week. The extra time made me feel like I was really bonding with some of them and made it a lot more fun.
Thing you will remember (Jonah):
This weekend is very special, a combination of really good leadership, really good kids and an excellent environment for a camp. I think these three factors combined makes it not only unique, but really helpful in allowing these kids to grow and allowing them to experience things that they are not usually able to experience and hopefully find new passions. I am a tennis player and while we were there I was teaching a tennis lesson and Danny brought me over after I was finished and explained that tennis is not a sport these kids usually get to play. The fact that they could experience this at the camp and possibly find a new passion was really special. And even if they never become lifelong tennis players, they had a new experience which is the whole point of camp.
