[sl] Camp GK Participants Report on Experience
At the end of the Camp GK all campers filled out a lengthy online survey which asked about such things as what they liked about the program and what they learned. As these surveys were completed with the expectations of anonymity, they will be referred to below in the aggregate. However, we can share some of the wonderful names taken by these TSL residents, such as Keleus Ferguson, Lucky Figtree, TheCoolLeader Boyer, Tin Bling, and Itokuzu Shimada.
The most common issue raised was that they had learned about world issues, often a sense of discovery. One camper wrote, "I came into camp thinking yea the world is big but after I realized its not just big its HUGE!" A second wrote, "I learned how many things I don't know or weren't aware of." A third wrote, "I learned more about the world and issues I never even knew
existed." As a result, a number reported being better prepared for the new school year, as this one camper reported: "You all prepared my brain for my first year in High School, and I will make you all proud one day!"
The second most common issue mentioned was the sense of personal and collective agency they developed. Five examples are: "I learned that in a short amount of days ANYTHING can be done," "I learned that if you put your heads together, anything is possible," "I learned that people can do things you never expect of them," "Before camp I never thought about issues in the world. Well I did but I never thought there was anything I could do to fix them. But I've found out thatŠ I can help to make a difference," and "I am going to make a difference in the world, and I will have all of you to thank for giving me that big push!"
One of recurring items in the surveys that surprised us was how often they comment on the programs "fun-factor." Three examples are: "I didn't think I'd have that much fun when learning," "I learned sooo much there is not enough paper in the world to write it on and the best part about it I learned it having fun," and "It was so fun I wanted it to go through the weekend."
Less surprising was their delight in the maze and what they learned from building and promoting it. Three examples are: "I think the final project was awesome. I loved building and helping out and I feel like we have reached a lot of people," "I was surprised by how dedicated these teens are; we all worked hard and we completed our goal," and "The final activism was great! It was fun, educational, and we got to help out kids at the end!"
Finally, a number of campers appreciated their opportunities to express their opinion and learn new things from their peers. Two examples are: "Discussions with other teens can happen with them being very mature," and "I liked how all our ideas were heard."
