Super Camp guest blogger: Can you name the guest?
Supercamp is the best camp I have ever been to, and the most difficult to leave. The name Supercamp really defines this camp to the greatest extent. The things you learn here benefit you for the rest of your life, and the experiences you go through are like nothing else. Even though the Senior Forum only lasts for ten days (ten days!), the emotional bonds and trust you build with those around you are comparable to those you have with your best friends. You learn to push yourself both mentally and physically, and with all of the skills you pick up at Supercamp, you return home well-prepared to continue the pattern in school, at home, around your friends, wherever you go. The tears, the sweat, the hunger for learning—this is all created by the bonds you create with those around you, and the team leaders and facilitators help and support you in every way. This camp has changed my life in so many ways, and I can guarantee you that the people who leave the camp are different than the people who came into this camp.
This camp is not what changed my life though, it is what I did at this camp that has helped me. While I struggled to accomplish certain tasks, questioned whether I was able to complete an activity, my team had my back the whole time. They were the ones to help me see what I can accomplish with a strong group of friends who’ll be there, whenever I need them. The people here give you all their support and trust, and you give back all that you can—not because you’re forced to, but because you want to help your friends out when they need a hand too. Your teammates are always there for you, and the team leaders give up so much just so they can make your time at Supercamp… super, really. You might only be at this camp for ten days, but the people you meet are so comfortable around you that it feels like you’ve known them for years. What you build and learn at camp never leaves you if you keep working at it, and you’re certainly given enough tools and options for implementing the techniques when you leave. Remember to remember, focus on the important, focus on your life, but most importantly, don’t give up hope. If you are given a great opportunity, don’t turn it down; I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? Anything is possible if you just believe. No matter how corny it sounds, it’s true.
The experiences at camp are honestly one-in-a-lifetime adventure. One decision can change your life completely. Going to this camp will change your life forever. It’s not just the activities you participate in, the study tips you learn, the life-long lessons you are taught, but also the people you get to know. Although you’ve only known them for barely ten days, it seems like you’re known them since childhood. To be honest, I am a very outgoing person, so it’s easy for me to make friends and start a conversation, but the bonds you create at Supercamp are so much more fulfilling than many I have with friends from home that I’ve known for much longer. The teams are groups of about eleven to thirteen campers, as well as two team leaders. They soon become your best friends, and they’re your comfort/safety zone whenever you’re out of your comfort zone. Supercamp helps you with your physical needs, your mental capabilities, and your emotional cries. I got more out of ten days at camp than months of my life back at home, the experiences were so unique. When you achieve your goals at camp, it isn’t only a statement saying that “I did this,” it’s a statement that says “I can do this for the rest of my life if I keep my mind set on this, focus, and believe in myself.” At camp, you learn how to believe in yourself and give support to others, returning the physical and verbal support—by lifting them up, making sure that they don’t hurt themselves, and complimenting them on something that they’re proud of accomplishing. It’s appreciated in many ways, and the more you give, the more you get back.
Every day you learn something different, but everything you learn there is so important and helpful in life. Every day at camp there was a different topic or every time you entered the room, there was a different mood to help you get ready to learn your next topic. On one night, there was a poetry night and we were given a little time to create a poem. Whether it was good or not you were given a chance to share. I did not share my poem because I was writing the whole entire time and I unfortunately made many errors while writing and I ended up correcting my poem when I got back from camp. The topic of my poem was about time and how you want to use your time to live on earth. Each of us are only given so much time to live on Earth and some of us do not use it to potential. My poem was explaining many ways you can use your time and what memories you create, but there are some times where you do something and the next day you forget what you did because it was so uneventful or not interesting. The last statement I made was, what do you want to do with the time you have on Earth? When you go home, are you going to give your time to be committed to the things or people that mean a lot to you, or are you going to waste your time wishing you had done this or thought of that? After I wrote this poem, I started to think about my life and what I want to do with it. At camp, there is another night where we spent creating a list of what our goals are and what we want to accomplish. I realized what I want to do with my life. I want to help others in any way I can and every way they need my help, I want to be supportive of my family, my friends, my God, and I really want to build my relationships with the people I love and the people I care for and fully commit to these goals of mine. Without going to Super Camp, I most likely would have not given any thought to these goals of mine and I would have been living life just because I was put on this planet and not living in the moment. This is it people, we are not given a second life, use it to your potential.
For me, Supercamp was a very personal experience. I learned so many things about myself that I never knew, and they can be useful now and when I’m older. The school tips and strategies I learned will significantly increase my grades and my attitude towards school. I’ll never forget the physical accomplishments I achieved, like climbing 30 feet in the air and walking across a little piece of wood, or jumping into the sky, or even walking across a rope with a partner saying, “look at me, we are not going to fall, just keep going.” And of course, the emotional skills like the four-part apology, the affinity process, OTFD, even goal-setting skills will help me so much in my social life and who I want to become. It’s my choice in who I want to be in life, and what I want to do. But there’s only one life, and it is worth living with no regrets. So take a stand in what you believe in. If this does not excite you, then ignore it, but if this has given you a better taste of what camp is like from the viewpoint of a camper, and you want to learn more-explore. If you don’t feel like going, that’s a waste of time because I can promise you that almost all of the campers didn’t want to be there on Day One, and didn’t want to leave on Day Ten. It’s your choice, live life how you want to—no regrets. Earlier I talked about my poem that I wrote and I asked many questions about what you want to do with your life. I do not know if you realize this but, life seems like forever, but that is only because you live your life doing the same thing over and over again. If you are doing something you do not enjoy change it. If you have a dream or a goal, achieve it. What you put into the camp is what you get out of it, so give it your all. Maybe by the end of Supercamp you’ll think it really lives up to its name and you can question yourself whether it was worthwhile or not. The moments you let yourself engage in can change your life forever. We have one life on this Earth, how do you want to live it?
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