Lessons From the Kids
Written by Gabriella Moro
Being a staff member has impacted my life because by working with campers and fellow student counsellors over the summer, I have been able to gain insight into new perspectives while developing both my professional and people skills. Personally, I have been able to grow my abilities to practice compassion, patience and empathy. I have learned through my experience at this Camp that they are the greatest personal skills to have, as they allow you to resolve conflict with grace so that the best possible resolution can be achieved for all parties. Furthermore, my maturity has greatly grown at Camp Dakota, as with the development of these skills, I am able to be the best version of myself.Only when I engage with these skills can I have the greatest, kindest interactions with others which raises my life to a whole new level.
In terms of working with the children, the most eye-opening thing was that despite the fact that life has challenging circumstances, such as a difficult home life, bullying by fellow peers or being a new immigrant, engaging in small, positive actions everyday such as laughing, engaging in creativity and building community are the keys to leading a wonderful life. The children showed me that by playing around and having fun with people you care about is the best thing you can do in difficult situations because it allows for human connection to develop. It was extremely eye opening to see the way that the children affected my life because they always brightened my day which made it so much better and I learned so much from them because they gave me insights on who I wanted to be by showing me the funny, creative and kind way about how to get through life, which were the exact skills I need to be a resilient adult.
During my second summer at Camp Dakota, I had the opportunity to work at the Burlington campuses and meet a girl named Maya. She taught me how to break out of my shy shell a little more because she always had the biggest smile and played with the most passion. By seeing her have these traits in her own life, she pushed me to practice them in mine and I am so much the better for it. By playing, engaging and talking to her I learned that I don’t have to fear being myself around others as she showed me that by having energy and being the brightest, happiest, most authentic person in the room, people will respect you and the confidence you get from displaying these traits means that no one can ever hold you back.