common bonds...tribal unity and friendship

Blog post by Grace Haynes, Counselor  for Summer YDA

This week at camp I had a blast.  Each week I grow closer, and closer to my kids. Each one is so unique, and different in their own way. Although I am their counselor, I sometimes find myself learning more from them than they are from me. When you see a kid who is different, but very confident, and proud of who they are, despite what others say, it is inspiring. Some of the kids in my group are going to be great future leaders, and artists.

One of my favorite activities at camp this week was the tribal art. I loved the idea behind the tribal art. There were many different signs that communicated messages of unity, and coming together. I thought it was such a powerful message that transformed into an art lesson. All of the kids were very excited when it was their time to be painted, and overall they learned an important message in a cool, unique way. I thought it was awesome that Sharefest was able to provide such an opportunity for all 200 plus kids.

It just shows how much Sharefest cares for the kids, and their experience here at the Summer Youth Development Academy.

Throughout Summer YDA I have had the opporunity to get very close to a couple of the kids in my group, as well as outside of it. One kid that always sticks around is my friend Umma. I first met Umma last week, and now we have become really close. It was funny, because when we first met we automatically clicked, then later on we found out that my mother was her teacher. We were both really shocked, and Umma almost stopped liking me  because she said my mother was mean, ha ha. But eventually, she confessed that she loves, and misses my mother. Umma touches my heart a lot. Even though she is part of a special education program, her intelligence proves other wise. She is very smart, and she she is absolutely hilarious. She always has something very funny to say, and makes my day at Summer YDA so much more fun. My goal is to get her to swim by the end of camp. I would love to see her in the water.

I still cannot believe we are already half way through Sharefest Summer YDA. I still remember being at the orientation thinking "this is all just beginning."  

I feel so blessed to work for Sharefest's Summer YDA, and everyday I find some sort of inspiration from the kids, and those around me to feed off of.  I can't wait to see what else Sharefest Summer YDA has in store!

The Teachable Moments

Blog post by Michelle Lee, Summer YDA "Avengers" Team Lead

For the past week and a half at YDA, I have had the privilege to witness and participate in many unique moments with the students. Some of these include seeing typically shy and reserved students share their creative poetry in front of one hundred of their fellow peers. Others include discovering how much fun a simple game of “Ninja” can be with a group of 7^th grade boys. But today was particularly special.

As one of the team leads at YDA, I have the responsibility of supervising both the counselors and students at the camp. This role gives me the opportunity to take a step back and watch the interactions that take place. Yesterday, one rambunctious 8^th grade boy named Jonathan was just learning how to dive into the pool from his counselor, Courtney. A few hesitant leaps and belly flops later, he was diving head-first into the water with ease. Today, Jonathan continued to practice this newly learned skill by perfecting it while Courtney gave him tips from the sidelines. After his near perfect dive into the pool, I complimented his plunge and he responded with an enthusiastic, “Thanks! AND DID YOU KNOW I ONLY LEARNED THIS YESTERDAY?”    It was an expression I cannot forget. He was wide-eyed and had a toothy smile as he exclaimed his great news. Soon after my conversation with Jonathan, an 8^th grader named Angelica helped me fix what I thought to be an awesome breaststroke. As someone who hasn’t taken a swimming class in over ten years, I was happy to learn from Angelica, who was currently on a swim team and needless to say, knew much more than me. Although I was more than happy to unlearn whatever incorrect form of the breaststroke I had been doing for years, I could tell that the experience was much more important for Angelica. Essentially, our roles were reversed; I became Angelica’s swim student, and she became my coach.

Rather than just supervise and lead a group of counselors and students, it was my turn to be teachable and learn from her.

Just as Jonathan had a hungry, teachable attitude to learn to dive, Angelica also thrived in teaching me how to swim properly. I hope that the next few weeks at YDA will be full of more teachable moments from both counselors and students, so that together, we can dive in to even deeper, more meaningful experiences here at Sharefest Summer Youth Development Academy.

Dive today...confidence for a lifetime!

A blog post by: Courtney Freitas (YDA Counselor)

Since we began swim lessons at camp, all of the students have made tremendous strides in all aspects of swimming, but today I definitely saw the most drive and progress. After days of begging and pleading, today was the day that the intermediate swimmers learned how to dive.

The vast majority of the campers in the group had never attempted to dive before in their lives, and it was a very foreign experience for them. After they learned how to stand with their arms above their heads and one foot in front of the other, the real work began. Many of the kids would start out in the diving position, and then jump in feet first at the last minute when they got nervous. After a few tries, I could immediately see how quickly they were learning, and how eager they were to perfect their dives.

 Usually after the lessons are finished and the whistle blows for free time in the pool, campers yell and scramble to get away from the counselors and have some fun. The case couldn't be more opposite today. I felt overwhelmed with pride when at least five kids came to me after the whistle asking if we could continue diving lessons! I took my group to the corner of the pool, and taught each camper individually how to improve their technique.

One camper in particular made me overwhelmed with happiness. He never dove before today, and by the end of the swim session, he dove as good (if not better) than me! The smile on his face every time he came back up to the surface of the water let me know that his confidence was building by the second.

I am so proud that I was able to teach the campers something that they were not yet familiar with, and to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were vastly improving with every attempt. Not only will this make them more confident in the pool, but I whole-heartedly believe that it will affect them in many other areas of their lives.

First week down, three more to go!

Blog Post by Eunie Park, Summer YDA Counselor 2012

Week one has officially ended, and I am actually a bit sad that I won't be getting to see the kids until Monday morning. This past week at Sharefest, I was already able to build relationships with many of the kids. These kids are gems, and I cannot get enough of them!

Friday, we started off with breakfast as always. As the kids picked up their food, I spent the time to have conversations with them before we headed to the tennis courts for roll call. However, we did something Friday that we haven't done before. Anwar, the camp director, pumped up the kids as always, and he introduced us to his famous WATERMELON TAI CHI. I had such a blast doing this with all the kids. The kids were not ashamed to do the funky moves, and went all out. It was hilarious, and outrageous. You just have to see for yourself! 

My team, The Avengers, was dismissed for creative art. We were introduced to Mrs. G. She is the art instructor from Angels Gate, and she did an excellent job explaining each activity. The kids were really engaged. Each of us made a paper airplane, and she explained the science behind a flying paper airplane. We all took our airplanes outside, and launched them into the air. It was really awesome to see the kids participating in the activity, and having fun with it.

After creative art, it was time to swim! For most of these kids, swimming is the best part of their day! I teach the kids in the advanced swimming area. Friday we taught the students how to tread in water in preparation for a game of water polo. After practicing the basic techniques of the game, we began to play. It was my first time ever playing water polo, so I was a bit nervous. I was afraid I would get too tired, or even worse, have a ball slammed into my face! However, it was the complete opposite. I was having the time of my life! These kids are super athletic, so they were launching balls here and there, and swimming as fast as dolphins to get to the ball. I loved seeing how they all worked together. This was the highlight of my day.

The reason I'm here at YDA is not for my benefit, but I am here for these kids.

I never realized how much my students looks up to me. I have already fallen in love with these kids, and have grown attached to them like crazy.  Week one has been filled with so many amazing moments already. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next three weeks!

I LOVE SHAREFEST!!!!

Exceeding Expectations

 Blog post by Grace Haynes (YDA Counselor 2012)

Walking into Sharefest I wasn't sure what to expect. In fact, I wasn't even sure that I would get the job! I came into Sharefest Summer YDA assuming that I would have a great time, and I was correct. So far everything has been super fun, and enjoyable. This camp is definitely worth waking up early for.

My first encounter with the kids at camp was at the morning Carnegie bus stop. The kids were surprisingly very social, and seemed to be excited about the camp. There were a few who flat out said that they didn't want to be here at the camp, and a couple were so shy. However, at the end of the day they always had a smile, and they always came back.

When we first arrived at Cal State University Dominguez Hills, all of the counselors got to take a good look at the kids, and possibly see who was going to be in their group. I had no idea what kind of kids would I have. I was worried that they wouldn't like me, or that they would want someone else. I knew that all I could do was be myself and, hope for the best!

When I first saw my group I was pleased, most looked happy. When we did the first couple of activities, we all got used to each other right away, and I started seeing all of the different personalities come to the surface. Boy, do I have such a diverse group of kids! There's the shy one, the loud one, the sarcastic one, the athlete, the 'cool boy', and the artist. But somehow we all work well together.

After spending time with my kids, it is great to see them open up even more, and getting to know them better. A couple of my kids gave me a hard time about doing the activities, but I felt so accomplished when I got them to join in, and then to see how happy they were. I can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks have in store.

I am really happy with my group, and the whole experience so far at Sharefest's Summer YDA.