Camp Update July 16, 2015

Dear Friends

Camp has gone really well with 34 campers in house.  The weather has been perfect and the sea has been great for swimming.

We are using Charlie and the Chocolate factory to support our preparations for our trip to the Hotel Chocolat for a tour of their plantation next week.  What fun as Willy Wonka (Auntie Tippy) sends them hunting for their Golden Ticket or the Golden Eggs.

They are loving all the crafts with Auntie Olivia and Auntie Kristine.  Auntie Anna is keeping us all on schedule while the Rug Rats and assisted by CJ are keeping busy up on the balcony.

There are several family situations in the village that continue to be of concern.  Please pray for protection and provision for these children and wisdom for us to know how to encourage and support.

Blessings

Auntie Shel

A letter from a camper

Dear Friends

I wanted to share a letter with you that I received at mini-camp last month.
Shyan has been at camp for 3 summers now.  She is the top student in Form 1 at her High School in Castries where she now lives with her father during the school year.  Her mother lives in our village as does her aunt and grandmother.

Shyan wrote:

Dear Aunty Shell and other camper helpers 

Good morning aunties, I am just writing this letter to inform you all that I am really grateful for your return back to our lovely country St. Lucia.  I am only sorry about what happened before..  I thought that camp was never going to go on, but from the moment I heard that camp was still going on I actually rushed down to my mom's house. 

Camp is not only about fun for me, it is like going to school on holidays and weekends, we read, eat, drink, go to the beach and we play. 

At camp we get sponsored with lots of things.  Especially school items, we get vouchers, groceries, and the most important thing we get at camp is love.  Aunty Shel thanks for everything you have done for me and the other camping students.
Thank you very much.  We love you all so much. 

Shyan

It is so nice to know that Camp Sylvester is a special place for many children in the village of Anse La Verdure.  Thank you for partnering with us to make this possible.

We have registered 33 campers for this summer.  All our junior leaders and junior staff are returning which is very exciting.  We currently have a small waiting list and hope to be able to accommodate.
There has been a great response to our camper support this year but we still have a number of campers who are awaiting their Canadian Friend.
Thank you so much for your continued support.

Blessings

Auntie Shel

May Team Update

Our first ever May team was a huge success.  Eleven volunteers arrived in St. Lucia on May 7th and immediately got to work.

Our first stop was a morning visit to the Canaries Pre-School were we played games with the children, read stories, and enjoyed being together.  We even used a parachute in the parking area of the old service station across the road!

We immediately shifted into camp mode as the courtyard was converted to our space station.

For 5 days of Saturdays and Sundays, the campers came down to join us as we learned all about our solar system, space travel, and rockets.  The whole team got involved in acting out the skits, doing crafts, playing games, community time, and then heading down to the beach for sand play, soccer and swimming in the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

On Sunday our 13th volunteer arrived just in time to switch gears again.  We spent Sunday evening making sure everything was ready for our Monday morning arrival at Canaries Infant School.  We ran a 5-activity rotation that kept every student and teacher involved using a turtle theme.  There was turtle science, crafts, games, math, and literacy activities that featured Canada’s own Franklin!

The conditions were very hot and dusty but the volunteers did a super job of keeping the students engaged.  Recess was spent reading and playing.  By lunchtime we were ready to return to the house for some quiet time and a great meal from TiTi, Joanna, and Katie.

On Friday we created special activities that began with a community challenge around the village to answer questions.  Both students and teachers enthusiastically led the volunteers around the village.  Part of the challenge was to deliver donated medical supplies to the village health clinic along with a commode chair that was carried through the village by the Grade 2 students.

After a great first week in the school, camp began again Saturday morning with some children arriving by 7:30. The Junior Leaders did a great job of helping, continuing many of their summer jobs, including making Sunday morning pancakes with Uncle Scott!  

We celebrated Mother’s Day in St. Lucia by helping the campers to create cards and gifts for their mothers.  We were able to let the campers select from a wide variety of toiletries to create a bag of goodies.  We also found creative ways to share t-shirts, school bags, and flip flops that had been donated.

Sunday at noon we had to say goodbye to 5 volunteers as they headed off to the airport for home.  The campers gave them a great send off but we were sad to see them go.

Monday morning the remaining 7 volunteers returned to the school to become classroom helpers.  We were not quite sure how this would work out but we all felt it had been very worthwhile and the timing was perfect.

One of the Kindergarten teachers had begun her maternity leave early.  The replacement teacher would not begin until June 1!!  The classes were combined making 37 students.  Two of our volunteers joined this group and did a fantastic job of assisting the teacher while working with individual and small groups of students.

Meantime, 2 more volunteers agreed to take the 7 lowest Kindergarten students each morning and try to work with them in the special education space using the learning carpet.

The other volunteers spread out in the remaining classrooms and found themselves involved with helping with all aspects of the programs.

On Friday we took part in a Mother and Father Day program that celebrated literacy.  We were surprised by the turnout and the enthusiasm of the parents, especially when they competed in Jeopardy.  It was wonderful to see how many of them seemed to feel very comfortable being in the school and how enthusiastic the students were to share the day with them.

Saturday was our last day of camp and our Blast Off to space.  It is always a difficult time as we prepare to say goodbye.  This time it was particularly hard as we had learned that several of our campers were in very difficult family situations.  In one case, a mother of 3 campers had left with only the baby, and was not expected to return.  The children were struggling to get to school although women in the community were trying to help out.

In the other case, the child’s mother was struggling greatly and the child was becoming more and more withdrawn.  They were about to move house again but would be remaining in the village.  It is more difficult for others to help as the mother has no family and has kept herself quite apart.

The team committed to pouring as much love into every camper as we could with special attention to the four, in particular.  It was hard to see them leave.  The only consolation was that another team would arrive in July.

Summer camp is full with every camper and Junior Leader returning along with a few new ones.  We are still in need of a few volunteers to round out our teams.  If you would like to experience Camp Sylvester first hand, this is your chance!  Come and find out why so many return.  Learn how you can make a difference in the lives of some special children.

We are also in need of more camper support.  For $130.00 you can help us to provide 2 nutritious meals/day, a camp shirt, a Blessing Bag, enriched programming, a field trip, swimming lessons, and lots of love and encouragement.

For more information contact Michelle Anderson at auntieshel12@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued interest in the lives of the children, women, and seniors of the village of Anse La Verdure as well as the students and teachers in Canaries.

Blessings to all

Auntie Shel

If we can only help one ….?

I want to share a story with you, not to take credit, but to show what is possible when people decide that something needs to change.

The story starts 11 years ago.  Camp Sylvester was new, so new, it didn’t have a name.  We didn’t know the children but we had this idea that we could spend 4 weeks together and make a difference.

We knew that one of our biggest challenges would be behaviour.  The children were very excited, the culture was different, and our expectations were high.  We expected them to listen, we expected them to co-operate, and we expected them to learn.  We expected the same from every child.

It soon became clear that most of the children wanted to listen, co-operate, and learn.  But…. some found it hard.  One in particular stood out.  His name was Aloysius and he was different, we could see that.  He was only 9 but he had a lot of “baggage”.

The other campers were quick to blame him for everything.  His behaviour towards others was often unacceptable.  We had made it very clear that no camper would be allowed to hurt another in any way.  They were given very clear expectations.  They were also told that if they failed to co-operate with us, or each other, they would be sent home until the next day.

Among the volunteers, there was speculation about who would be sent home first.  We felt it was only a matter of time before one of several boys would cross the line.

It didn’t take long.  Aloysius had been warned a number of times that his behaviour towards others was unacceptable.  Each time his behaviour seemed to escalate.  Finally it became obvious that we needed to follow through and Aloysius was sent home.  He was told to return the next day for a fresh start.

The next morning word came down from the village that Aloysius’ mother had beaten him.  Yikes!!  This was not an acceptable outcome.   We needed to rethink out strategy.

Aloysius did return to camp and from that day on he lost his swimming time when his behaviour deteriorated.  This served 2 purposes.  It made it clear we were serious in taking away something we knew he loved to do.  It also kept the others safe when his behaviour could be the most disruptive.

We managed to get through the rest of camp keeping everyone safe.  We were also starting to figure out what and who were triggering his negative outbursts.  We made it clear that everyone was welcome to return to camp the following year.

The next year was not quite as bad but Aloysius was still not spending much time in the water.  We were realizing however, that several other campers were very good at “setting him up”.  We began to help him develop strategies to deal with this.

By the end of the first week of year 3 we made a sudden discovery.  No one had had any discipline problems with Aloysius.  In fact, we found ourselves complimenting him on his participation and thanking him for his help.  He was in the water everyday and the only problem was that he had not learned to swim.

Camp was going very well for Aloysius and his thank you letters to his Camp Supporter indicated how much camp meant to him.  Unfortunately, school was not going well.  Aloysius had never learned to read and write well.  When it was time to enter high school, he was sent to the catchment school for the lowest students.

This school should have offered just the help Aloysius needed to catch up.  He was eager to improve.  However, the staff had no special training.  The curriculum and expectations were the same as those of the top schools on the island.

Aloysius struggled through his first 2 years.  In the summer before his 3rd year was to begin he approached me to ask for help to attend the CARE program.  CARE is a wonderful program for students who are not academically inclined.  It provides a first year program called the Adolescent Development Program run by a wonderful, caring teacher.  The students are encouraged to learn more about themselves, their background, their strengths and weaknesses.

With financial support from 2 of our volunteers, Aloysius did very well at CARE and began to display more confidence at camp and in the village.  At camp he had become a Junior Leader and he took his role seriously.  He was especially watchful when the children were in the water.  He still needed help to write his Thank You letters but it was obvious that he felt much better about himself.

At CARE, Aloysius decided to study to become a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician.  Over the next 2 years he worked hard at his studies, kept himself out of trouble, and became a very reliable Junior Leader at camp.

This past summer, on the 2nd day of camp, Aloysius came down early and asked to speak to me.  Shyly he handed me his certificate of graduation from CARE and his trophy.  It was a special moment!

Not only had he graduated but also he was given the award as Most Skilled.  In a trade that is a big deal.

He made a speech I am sure he had rehearsed for days, thanking me and his sponsors for making this possible for him.  I was in tears as I hugged him and congratulated him on all he had achieved.

The economy in St. Lucia has never recovered from the recession.  Many have lost jobs or have had their hours cut.  Many have given up, some have never even tried.

Aloysius has applied to every company on the island that needs his skills.  He has been told that no one is hiring right now.  When I asked him what he planned to do, he looked me right in the eye and announced he was to keep visiting them again and again.

Here is a young man who was given the opportunity to reach his true potential.  He seized that opportunity and he made it his own.

If Aloysius’ story was the only positive one I could share with you I would be disappointed.  So many people have invested their time, energy, financial support, encouragement, and love in the kids at Camp Sylvester over the past 11 years.

His is not the only positive outcome and I am grateful but if he were the only one, he would be enough!

This is not quite the end of Aloysius’ story.  I just received the best news ever.  Aloysius has a job. All his hard work and perseverance paid off.  I can’t wait to hear all about it.  What a wonderful role model he has become for the entire village.