An Experience of a Lifetime: AYC's Annual Leadership Camp
By Annabel Mumba
Annabel Mumba is AYC’s Donor Relations Coordinator in Zambia. She is a Scholarship Fund recipient, high school graduate and current college student, and also one of our Success Stories.
Co-written by Pamela O’Brien, African Education Program’s Development Director, who is mentoring Annabel as she pursues a journalism degree.
From August 7th to August 11th, 100 young people from the Amos Youth Centre, including the Read for Rose Special Education Program, convened at Shikoswe Secondary School for a fun-filled week of learning and engagement. From the training of the camp leaders, commonly known as Vochellis, until the last day of the showcase, we see it all unfold in this blog.
Vochelli Training
The 40 Vochellis trained for the camp for three days. This pre-camp experience was meant to prepare them for the long week ahead. Unlike the typical days at the Centre, camp is something quite different. Everything happens in a 'rush' at camp. A rush of 100 students moving and rotating from several rooms to take part in activities for 40 minutes or more. An enthusiastic flow of kids. The excitement of the students during camp must be meticulously prepared for and as intense as the training sounds, everyone receiving it was very excited.
Being selected as a Vochelli is an anticipated experience for the college students who make up the majority of the camp leaders, hence the excitement. Only student teachers who are deeply committed to AYC’s program and who give their all are given the opportunity to become a Vochelli, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Another added excitement is that the Vochellis were once student campers themselves and have now been promoted to become leaders at camp, something that they may have always wished for. The experience is thrilling! Vochellis learn first aid, facilitation, and important leadership skills. After all of the planning, it's time to have some fun and take the lead.
Two new camp leaders joined in the fun this year. Michael, an American volunteer who was visiting Zambia for the first time, and Momma Mario. Momma Mario is another volunteer from the U.S. who has been to every camp in the Amos Youth Centre's history.
Momma Mario, a longtime Amos Youth Centre volunteer, joined in the fun at camp!
It was an inclusive camp experience for all of the youth!
Day One
By 7:00 a.m., all the campers had gathered in anticipation of the first day of camp. With an official camp t-shirt and hat and a water bottle in hand – they were ready. The campers participated in a warm-up activity led by the Vochellis in charge of team-building and soon everyone was singing and dancing.
The warm-up activities were followed by a special sign language class. Six of the students from the Read for Rose Special Education Program who attended this year's camp were deaf or hard of hearing and relied on sign language for every interaction. Everyone needed to understand the fundamentals of sign language so they learned how to greet in sign language, as well as how to sign good morning, how are you, good afternoon, and the responses to all of them.
Each year, students are divided into groups according to their ages, and each group is given a name. This year, animal names were used: lion, elephant, eagle, lion, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. Next up, it was off to the Art and Craft room where everyone made their own name tag and decorated them however they wished.
Leadership, Theater, Team Building, Art and Craft, Entrepreneurship, and Health and Life Skills are among the activities offered at camp – each with its own room. Before the day finished, each camper is expected to visit all of the rooms and learn the teachings for the day.
Day Two
The excitement from the first day carried over to the second, and the students arrived early. On this particular day, the Theater room was set up to take the students on a day of fun and creation. Students were expected to recite poems, develop a dance routine, and compose a song for the showcase.
Group Eagle housed the youngest campers, who were also the most energetic. These campers were up for anything. They quickly mastered the dance routine. The poem and song were more difficult than the dance, but Team Eagle never gave up.
Every activity for this year's camp was designed to complement the camp's theme: "The Youth's Unite." The songs that the students sang and rehearsed for the showcase ensured that they were in line with the theme. Invaluable lessons about leadership were also imparted to the students through the theme.
Campers young and old, participated in activities together!
Never too young to learn leadership skills at Amos Youth Centre!
Day Three
By day three, most students were starting to realize that camp would be over in just two days. Charles, one of the Read for Rose Special Education Program students who has a vision impairment, expressed his dissatisfaction with the end of camp. “I have been so happy at this camp, and I have made so many friends. I just want every day to be camp. I don’t want it to end,” he shared.
Meanwhile, the Leadership room was becoming accustomed to functioning under pressure. The Leadership room is regarded as the more serious room because students have the opportunity to discuss subject matters and learn how to be effective leaders in their homes, communities, and country. This room was led by Momma Mario and Peter, one of our students attending the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, and Racheal who is spending her gap year at the Centre as a part of the College Prep Program. On this day, they decided to divide the students into groups of three and give them clay to imagine and design the future Amos Youth Centre. This lesson was intriguing since it helped campers to picture a building that they are all patiently awaiting. Some added more classrooms, a dining area, a larger kitchen, and a playground.
The campers learned valuable lessons in the Health and Life Skills room. They discussed self-esteem, HIV/AIDS, dealing with emotions, health and cleanliness, communication, passive and assertive behavior, and controlling sexual desires. Nanima was one of the facilitators who shared her experience of how it felt to lead these sessions with all the students. “This year’s camp was awesome and a different type of experience for me. The students, whenever they came through our room, never wanted to leave. I loved that; I had a great time." Nanima shared.
Day Four
By day four, everyone is ready for the showcase. Each group has learned the dance routine, planned their poem recitations, and polished their melodious tunes. Also, this is the day of the carnival. Wondering what happens at the carnival? Uniquely prepared activities awaited the students. Different stations were set up that allowed the campers to rotate around and explore everything.
There was the treasure hunt, an eating competition, a water game, and games including flipping the bottle and tossing the marble. Each activity held a surprise treat for the winners, either candy or snacks.
The exciting end to this day was the color festival. The color festival allows everyone to add color to each other, and the results are very colorful people from head to toe! The campers always target the staff leaders in particular. The campers teamed up and attacked the unexpected staff.
This year’s target was Joy Mweemba, Amos Youth Centre’s Finance and Operations Director; she had almost ten students paint her different shades. Michael was a special target too! He had to go into hiding, but they scouted him out and colored him green, yellow, red, and blue. He was a colorful sight. After the color festival, no one washes the color off; they all walk to their homes covered in the myriad of colors. Another interesting fact is that the people in the community get excited to see the colorfulness of the youth as they make their way home. They stop and stare in amazement.
The color festival leaves no one untouched!
During the Showcase, all the campers performed for their parents and the community!
Day Five
Finally, the long-awaited day -- the Showcase. But before the activity could begin, all students participate in community service. They go around the community collecting and cleaning up all the plastic and paper. They move in teams to divide and conquer. After the collection, they convene back at the campsite so that a waste management company can collect the trash and dispose of it correctly. The community service also teaches the students to be responsible for their environment and community, which is an important lesson to learn.
For the first time since the beginning of camp with Amos Youth Centre, the campers held a march guided by a band. During the march, everyone carried banners that they spent time creating for all to read. Displayed on the banners were messages on bringing an end to early marriages, the promotion of education, and many more other messages.
This is also the day that the students invite their parents and siblings to attend the showcase so that they can come and witness their hard work and all that they learned in the past week. This year’s showcase attracted a good representation from the parents. They all came to support their children and to have first-hand experience of what really happens in camp.
It ended with the dance of the parents with their children, until next year!
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“This year’s camp was so beautiful and so memorable, one of my greatest highlights this year was watching all the kids learn how to be leaders and identifying what problems there are in their community and identifying solutions to them.”
“I loved the camp and was happy to make new friends. The Vochellis were so kind to me and I loved interacting with Michael.”
“2023 camp was very exciting. Seeing all the students take part in different activities was so exciting and really fun!”
“I have learnt so much from this camp, I played with my friends and a great experience. Thank you for this camp!”
“Beautiful Camp experience as always and the students were awesome. I loved it!”