We received some wonderful letters from the kids who participated in the camp. Those letters are very touching and they show us, that we do make a difference in their life with our camp and maybe this little "something" can grow inside of them and motivate them in their future. We wish to share this lovely letters with you... they are all in english and so we kept this section in english too, thanks for understanding. Further below you will find some statements of the mentors that participated (also in english). Their quotes show that the aim of the camp is working and we all take a step towards each other :)
Now enjoy the reading...
Some statements from the mentors:
"I had such an amazing team and each and everyday of the camp they had tried to support each other and cheer each other on. There was very little conflict, infact there was none."
**********
"Throughout this time i had to discuss different life topics with my group. i found that i had to apply alot of the things i learned in peer counselling. The kids were very interested in what i had to say and took active participation in the discussion which was very encouraging."
**********
"Monday was the last day of the trip. We baked cookies it was amazing, the kids were sad to leave, they claimed that this trip had been the best of their lives. It was beautiful to have been part of all of this!"
**********
"The BSDaT youth camp was a great opportunity to give back to the community by helping underprivileged children from around Namibia. We exercised with the kids, had a treasure hunt with them...The people from WIS who participated were assigned as mentors to the kids, and it was our responsibility to be positive role models. I learned how to handle small crowds of people, as the groups consisted of less than 10 people...We spent all day with the kids, so it was important to stay focused on the needs of the kids."
**********
"I noticed that some of the kids were really shy, but by the end of the camp we had become friends.
This summer camp was definitely important to the children involved as they had the opportunity to interact with each other and ourselves in a safe environment. Ms. Susanne Lachmann did a great job with the planning of the holiday camp.
My highlight of the youth camp was winning the sports tournament, my team gave 100%, and there weren't really any negative moments I had.
I definitely noticed how privileged we (the kids from WIS) really are. And this activity was an experience that I won't forget. I will take a few elements from this youth camp with me when I leave school, I definitely want to help people who need help, such as the underprivileged youth of Windhoek."
**********
"Overall I would say that it was a very rich experience, I learnt that money doesn’t bring happiness in fact it is something you find within yourself."
**********
"I learnt that there are a lot of underprivileged kids in the worlds and that everything that you can do to help should be done no matter how small. I also learned to be patient and try explaining things through your point of view as some of the children in my group were uncooperative. Overall it was a new experience and the sports tournament especially pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me try new things."
**********
"We were the first stop in the route and once we were on the bus, we were ready to go pick up the other kids. We went through zones of Windhoek that were really poor compared to the zones I usually go to. I was amazed by the fact that it was really organized in some areas where they don't have a lot. I think it's good to have this contrast of the two worlds once in a while because it really opens our eyes to what we have and how grateful we should be for having what we have even if it's just slightly more than what these people have."
**********
"It was really nice to see the kids happy and running around. At night we had dinner and after that one of the mentors played the guitar and sang. To be honest, I didn't really like it because it was very religious and religion is not something I strongly believe in. But the kids enjoyed it so I was happy. Sometimes in order to see others happy we have to go through bad things just to see that glimpse of happiness on their faces."
**********
"The activity is great as children who are underprivileged get to have great experiences which can build great characters. I enjoy enriching our society as it has benefits towards me as well, I am extremely happy when I hear events like this are planned as it benefits individuals and society as a whole. I have learned how to deal with different people in a respectful and mannered way, which can help me managing people in the future. I have also gained the skills of noticing problem before they arise in some social situation which helped me eliminating them before they raised. I learned how to explain things more detailed and understandably, which can help me explain points in the future. I learned how to make decision based on the views of others."
**********
