The dream of spending a Summer at AmeriCamp actually started with the hope of spending more than two weeks there. My fifteen year old self along with my good friend Molly wanted to save up to take ourselves to AmeriCamp to be a #AmeriCamper. With the not so realistic goal of saving just over £3000 for the two of us, we set off with our large and appropriately decorated money jar, desperate to make it happen.
We spend weekends trying to save money, through car boot sales, washing cars and going round our neighbourhoods asking if we could do some odd jobs for anyone who was willing to let us help. We spent a few evenings over Skype, thinking of new ways to save. Mostly though we looked at AmeriCamp watching (sometimes amazingly cheesy) intro videos, reading reviews and making a list of the possible options.
Eventually we got to the stage where we had about £200 in the pot which isn’t bad for two fifteen year olds (lets not mention the fact that I’d had a birthday during the month we had been saving.)
Just as we were growing more confident of our money-saving abilities, our parents noticed that our efforts where more than just talk. They realised that we were actually a bit more serious about the whole plan than they first thought. They sat us down and explained that they wouldn’t be particularly happy with two fifteen-year-old girls flying off to the US on their own and finding their way out to the middle of no where, to go to a Summer camp.
Though we protested, the decision was made and to be honest, I doubt we would have raised the total amount in the end. This probably saved us a lot of trouble. Regardless I have never stopped wanting to live the ‘American Summer dream.’
Since then I have had my fair share of experiences working with kids. I found an enjoyment in seeing kids develop outside of a classroom environment. I learnt a lot about just how important extra curricular activates were for a child’s wellbeing and education. Nothing seemed more rewarding than watching a child you have worked with overcome a fear, or finally succeed in something they were struggling with.
With over ten years of horse-riding under my belt I knew exactly how I could help provide a group of kids with some of the best summer experiences, even if I didn’t get to experience them first hand myself. So I finally made the decision to apply to AmeriCamp! I will now be a Ranch Camp Counsellor at Camp Namanu and after several years of wondering, I will finally get to experience camp life! I simply cannot wait!
-Kate Marron
