I am unsure if this week
will ever go as planned. It seems like forever that we have been working out
the details, running around town finding trainers, securing financing and
nominating children to participate, but the time is finally here. Kids hide
behind their parents as they walk up to the welcome table with their little bag
full of nothing more than a change of cloths and maybe a toothbrush. The first
activity, a simple name game to get them familiar with each other, goes about
as you would think considering it is the first activity of the first day of
camp. Students are shy. Speaking softly. Referencing nametags. Unsure of how to
act around the foreigners and what exactly they can get away with. The sounds
of laughter slowly start to become more apparent as clicks are being made and
our walls start to come down as we feel more comfortable laughing and joking
along side them.
There are certain projects
that you do because it is a part of curriculum of your specific sector, there
are the ones that you do to help a friend out with and then there are those
that you do for yourself. At the end of the day when kids are harassing you,
the sun seems unbearable or you just miss home it’s the projects that you do
for yourself that keep your attitude positive and the future bearable. The
Velingara Work Zone held a Youth Empowerment Camp for 24 students (12 girls and
12 boys) during Easter vacation over a period of four days and three nights at
a hotel two kilometers outside of town at the Campement Lew Lewal. While planning
of the camp took more time and energy than I think any of us had planned it was
well worth it considering how well it turned out. Camps in Senegal tend to
focus on English or girls so we wanted to be sure to include the boys (gender
equality!). This allows the kids to work and play together, which doesn’t seem
to happen all too often considering the gender gaps that still have a large
role in the Senegalese culture.
The 13 volunteers that
participated in the camp each planned at least one session in various areas
including: a career panel (my session!), personal financial management, yoga, tae
kwon do, gender equality, first aid, reproductive health, theater and
leadership. Sessions were put on by the volunteer in some circumstances but for
the most part they were led my local counterparts, or host country nationals in
PC lingo. At the end of the camp it was obvious to see, and made perfect sense,
that the sessions that was led or assisted by a local counterpart were more
successful. The kids don’t have to worry about trying to understand us and they
got the exact message not the one that we knew how to say.
One thing that I took out
of the camp that I didn’t think I would was an attachment to the students. The
first day was a little awkward as far as how we all interacted with each other
but with the passing of each meal or session the kids quickly became a little
bit more comfortable with us and were soon enough dancing, laughing, mouthing
off (there were a few sassy kids) or hanging on us as if they have known us
forever. There was one moment specifically where one of the male students
Suleman had to try and pickup one of the girls during the Gender Equality
session. He had kids rolling around on the floor laughing and covering their
mouths trying to prevent whatever that may come out; I don’t think the kids
could have had a moment like this together if it would have been a session on
the first day. There were just not there yet.
Our work zone plans on
replicating the camp next year and future years to come; unfortunately, I will
be basking in the luxuries of America and will be unable to attend the camp but
I have full faith in the volunteers in our little corner of Senegal. Our hard
work paid off and we proved not only to ourselves but also to the students in
our area that while sometimes our mission and objectives may get lost in our
work we can produce projects that will influence for a lifetime.
When asked what some of the
kids wanted to be once they grew up we found ourselves in the presence of
future lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers and government ministers. While
I have no doubt that they are able to accomplish these great dreams I just hope
that their surroundings don’t get in the way. Girls get pulled out of schools
to get married, boys work in their father’s shops and everyone finds themselves
in the fields if the season is right. Let your youth grow and get an education
Senegal, because whether you like it or not they are the future and will run
this country someday.
Cheers.
