Summer of Champions

To this day, I listen with a jealous ear to people reminisce about their time at summer camp—cabin rivalries, pranks, counselor crushes and camp romances, friendship bracelets, and snail mail from home. Campers know all the cool songs; campers can craft any costume in ten minutes when markers, paper, and tape are in good supply. They have ridden a horse and shot a bow, jumped in a lake, and harmonized around a campfire all in the same day.

My fascination with camp has never wavered, so imagine my excitement when I learned I would be a counselor at an English language immersion camp in El Jadida. The Ministry of Youth and Sports and Peace Corps host four ten-day sessions. Moroccan youth (age 13-15) come from all over the country to attend. While camps are commonplace in America, for many Moroccans, this might be their first opportunity to interact with other youth from outside their hometown. PCVs either teach an English class in the morning or lead a club activity in the afternoon; Moroccan staff plans activities during the evening. I was to teach an intermediate English class for the first two weeks of July. And I was beyond excited, with a healthy dose of anxiety, of course.  What if the kids didn’t like me? Or my classes flopped? Maybe I’m just not camp material.

My unease quickly dissipated. Camp was an incredible, albeit exhausting ten days, some of the best since I’ve been in Morocco. There was beach time every morning and dance parties at night with the campers; counselor camaraderie was at an all time high, despite the suspicion that accompanies any friendly game of assassin. My class was a success and a reminder that I am, in fact, a competent teacher. I organized my initial lessons around July 4^th, which coincided with our first day at camp. I used the national anthem in a listening exercise, and students learned relevant vocabulary, like dawn, perilous, and brave; we talked about American traditions for the holiday, e.g. parades and fireworks. Then every one of my students prepared questions, so the next day they could interview the other counselors about July 4^th. I was so impressed by how many students took the initiative to inquire about the history behind Independence Day, rather than only asking about the celebration. Later, the students prepared skits in small groups to share with the class what they learned. 

You would think my students were the highlight—and they were certainly a close second—but it was the Champions who were the real rock stars. All of the campers are divided into teams, and throughout camp, they can earn or lose points in order to win the Camp Cup. (For Harry Potter fans: yes, it is exactly like the House Cup.) I teamed up with another PCV, Kyla VanderHart, to mentor our group, the Champions. Teams are deliberately organized to bring together the young and old campers and also include different levels of English speakers, from beginner to advanced. There were so many moments when Kyla and I felt like proud parents, as we watched our team take initiative or work through conflict. I watched Bouthenia and Selma with pride as they stepped up as captains to facilitate discussion between bickering teammates; confident young women who speak up and take the lead are a rare site in my Peace Corps experience thus far. I watched Driss and Anass include the younger boys during the team’s final project to ensure they had a part to play; everyone collaborated to make a short movie about teamwork to share with the whole camp. Their second place finish for Camp Cup was a testament to their perseverance and winning spirit.

The Champions. Go team.

I would be remiss not to mention how amazing it was to work with Kyla; we were the perfect team. We quickly learned to recognize when the other was having a particularly taxing day, so we could cover for each other. We both knew our roles to be facilitators, not leaders, believing it offered campers the best opportunity to learn with and from each other. Enthusiasm and positive reinforcement were our most important duties, especially on days when the team lagged behind in the competition. It was readily apparent to me that Kyla was someone I would want to collaborate with later on—we’ve already discussed teaming up again for El Jadida next summer—but it was when we had the same idea for a team gift, that I knew she would be great friend, too. We spent our last afternoon at a café, writing personal notes on the back of a team photo to every Champion, thanking them for a wonderful session. 

Maybe I haven’t convinced you that camp truly is a magical experience, but for me, it was definitely a turning point. My favorite part of every day was our team meeting, which took place in the afternoon when the Champions finished their club activity. I loved the moment when I saw their faces light up upon my arrival, when they shouted out “Layla!” and reached up for a high five. I loved that brief moment of reunion each day because it’s when I learned that my service would make an impact; it’s when I started believing that my position as a role model has much to offer Moroccan youth.

Published November 8, 2012.