The highlight of my Peace Corps service in Belize thus far was my experience at Camp GLOW from July 23-27.
GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World, and was
initiated in the 1990’s by a Peace Corps Volunteer in Poland. Since that first camp, Peace Corps Volunteers
throughout the world have worked alongside local girls’ clubs leaders to
provide a rich camp experience.
Throughout the school year GLOW Clubs meet weekly to develop leadership
qualities in participants, to have fun together making crafts, to complete
community service projects, and to discover the girls’ potential dreams and
goals. The girls who attended this
year’s camp in Belize raised money for their week-long adventure and we Camp
GLOW organizers also raised money, developed schedules, planned activities, found
a venue, developed menus, purchased food, and met throughout the year to bring
this camp to fruition. It required a lot
of planning and teamwork to make this dream a reality.
Seventeen girls attended, along with their Belizean club leaders and
Peace Corps Volunteer counselors. There
were also Belizean and Peace Corps presenters, and some of us lucky ones had
the wonderful opportunity to stay from Monday to Friday to
help in the kitchen and with crafts and activities. Camp began
Monday at noon, and many girls left their villages in the wee hours of the
morning to arrive at midday. We stayed
at Log Cab Inn, a Belizean-owned camp with lovely cabins, a large meeting hall,
kitchen, and a pool. It is in the lush
green surroundings of San Ignacio Town, and thankfully, it is right off the main
road, so that we could catch the bus easily.
The girls were reticent and shy on that first day, but a few hours
after they were shown to their rooms, and worked together as teams to decorate
their room doors, they began to relax, smile and speak a little more. Most of these 8-12-year old girls had never
been away from home before, and had not been outside of their small villages.
I enjoyed working with my new Belizean friends and my Peace Corps
volunteer colleagues to cook for the girls and help them prepare a performance
for a talent show performed at the end of the week. On that first evening we all breathed a sigh
of relief as we went to bed, grateful that everyone had arrived safely and had
enjoyed their first day at camp.
Each day began with either yoga or zumba, and then time for reflection
in a journal that our friend Meredith helped us create out of beautiful
paper. There were other craft
activities, including jewelry making from recycled materials. Several speakers and presenters shared their
experiences with the girls. There were
sessions on a successful high school experience, developing inner beauty,
nutrition, female reproduction and sexual health, self-defense, and healthy
relationships. Interspersed with
sessions, were many occasions to swim in the pool and play games and sports
outside. On Tuesday, the girls were
treated to a field trip to Chaa Creek to visit the butterfly farm and nature
center.
On Tuesday night we all sat around the campfire and Yours Truly, along
with two other Peace Corps Volunteers led the singing. The girls ate s’mores for the first time,
and learned how to roast marshmallows without charring them. Many girls mentioned that the campfire was
their favorite activity at camp that week.
It was a joy for me to work with our truly cohesive team in the kitchen
throughout the week. As soon as we
finished washing the dishes from one meal, we would begin to chop and cook for
the next one, and everyone pitched in, including the girls. It made my heart sing to work with such
selfless volunteers (Peace Corps as well as Belizean), who worked tirelessly,
cheerfully, and joyfully to provide the girls with a positive experience away
from home. I cherish these memories and
the close friends I made this past week.
On our last night at camp, every person participated in a talent show,
even we camp counselors. I have attached
a video to this blog post so that you can see some of the talent that was
displayed at Camp GLOW. Thankfully, I
was dancing in the back of the dance line, so you do not have to witness my
missteps. It was great fun dancing to
the song “Hey, Soul Sista” (which we changed to “GLOW Sista”), which was
choreographed by our Peace Corps friend, Mallory Begley.
We're all glowing! Check out: Camp GLOW on Youtube
