Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Campamento Survivor, Colorado, 2010

It's been a while since I last posted anything, but I wanted to quickly post a copy of a letter I sent out describing a camp I'm putting on in conjunction with Iglesia Centroamericana in Caribe for at-risk youth, along with a few pictures of the island where it's going to take place:

An amazing opportunity has recently come up for me—along with a pastor of the local church Iglesia Centroamericana, Cristian Gómez—to organize a survival style camp for at-risk youth in the community. We plan to conduct this four-day camp at the beginning of February, 2010 on an undeveloped and uninhabited island near Barra Colorado, a few hours northeast of Caribe de Cariari. Camp participants will be sleeping in tents and spending the four days in very basic conditions. The goal is to provide an opportunity for thirty at-risk youth between ages twelve and sixteen to appreciate the natural beauty of their own country, while at the same time learn about life skills, building friendship and discovering more about themselves.

The camp will be programmed to keep these youth extremely busy during the day with a wide range of activities. The thirty youth will be divided into three groups, or tribes, and each tribe will go through all of the activities as a group. While there will be activities incorporating all of the participants, the idea is to develop confidence and trust among each tribe, thereby making it easier to discuss sensitive topics in smaller groups. The discussions will touch on such themes as leadership skills, making good decisions, drug prevention, and health and gender issues, since the camp will be co-ed. There will be competitive games and recreational activities pitting the three tribes against each other. Hopefully, competitive activities will bring out leaders in each tribe, along with building self-esteem in each participant. At the end of the camp, awards will be handed out to various campers who have demonstrated exceptional participation.

Regarding materials and personnel, the camp will have three cooks, ten adult leaders, and, if enough funds are raised, a doctor; if not, then someone who is at least well-trained in CPR and first aid. A rustic eating area will be constructed, along with very basic bathing areas and latrines. Water will be extracted from local sources and boiled for purification. Since all of the adults will be volunteers—with the exception of a doctor, if available—fundraising needs to cover materials for constructing the eating area/kitchen/bathing areas/latrines, tents, sleeping pads, food and transportation.

This camp was put on three years ago and was very successful (albeit with a much smaller group), but due to a lack of funds Iglesia Centroamericana has been unable to continue it in the last two years. The church will contribute as much monetary support as their fundraising will allow, as well as manual labor and adult volunteers; however, due to a scarcity of funds within the community, outside financial support is a necessity. I have applied for other grants, but there is significant competition for these funds and I have not heard back yet.

The cost of the four-day camp is estimated to be $1,000. Iglesia Centroamericana hopes to raise $300 toward this cost. I am soliciting donations to cover the balance—a total of $700. If you can help provide these at-risk youth with a challenging and fun camp experience, please see the email for how to donate. It would be great to receive any donations before Christmas, but, of course, will accept them up until the camp in early February.

Iglesia Centroamericana, the youth in my community and I greatly appreciate any financial assistance you might be able to offer. Every little bit is a huge help and goes a long way here. This is an outstanding opportunity for underprivileged youth in my community and hopefully will be a life-changing experience for many. If you would like to support our efforts, please contact either Connie Fevold, at clfevold@msn.com, or myself at adurland08@cmc.edu. Thanks for any support you might be able to offer!

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