"Camp GLOW is going to be awesome!" (Quote from a learner of mine)

This camp is going to be great... count down = 5 days!

Dear Family & Friends,

First, I want to thank you all, supremely for your continuous support and well wishes during my service here in Namibia! Time has flown by and I have grown so much from my experiences in ways that I never expected.

One of my main projects this year has been organizing youth camps for learners (students) from all around the country. Myself and several other Volunteers are finalizing preparations for the national camp, which will be held in the capital during this August holiday (August 25- September 2). Previously, this program has been funded by UNICEF and the U.S. Embassy in Namibia; however, this year they were unable to support us due to budget constraints. Therefore I am kindly requesting funding to make this event happen!

For the past 12 years, Peace Corps Volunteers have helped organize Camp Girls and Guys Leading Our World (GLOW), a leadership camp for exceptional students from communities throughout Namibia. This year, Camp GLOW is being sponsored by KAYEC, a local NGO dedicated to empowering young people in Namibia and helping them reach their full potential. The camp is a potentially life-changing experience for these young people: many of them have never travelled outside their village, and this will be their first experience seeing the capital of their country and interacting with peers from other cultures.

Camp GLOW’s activities are designed to help our campers explore their potential as leaders and make plans for their future. On Future Day, campers visit Parliament, a college campus, and hear about different career opportunities; for many kids, this opens up a world of new possibilities that they’d never considered possible for themselves before. A large portion of camp is also spent discussing healthy relationships, communication skills, and risks that Namibian youth face such as peer pressure and HIV/AIDS. By the end of Camp, all of our kids will be able to set goals for their future and discuss their plans for achieving them, as well as ways to take the lessons of Camp back to their villages and start local clubs to help solve the problems in their communities, assisted by their local Peace Corps volunteer. All campers have been nominated by a Peace Corps volunteer or KAYEC staff, so they are kids that we have close relationships with and really want to give the encouragement they need to shine.

80 students aged 12-18 from across Namibia have been invited to participate in this 8 day camp at the end of August 2011. Most of them come from poor rural villages, and many are orphans and vulnerable children who have been directly affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS. Camp is free to these participants – all costs related to transportation, accommodations, food and activities are paid for through generous donations.

This is where you come in! Unfortunately, funding for programs such as Camp GLOW has been on the decline in recent years, and we don’t currently have the money to cover the operating expenses of camp. Money Matters! We now have a PayPal account where you, your family, friends, or other fans back home can make donations. (PayPal, for those who haven't used it before, is a secure way to send money without revealing banking details to the other party. If someone wishes to make a donation, they simply need to sign up on the website (paypal.com) with their email and credit card information (it's free), and then they can send money to our account.) The email address associated with our PayPal account is my colleague’s e-mail address (l.a.jenkins@live.com), and you can choose to send it as "Personal - Gift."

Donations of any amount can make a huge difference to these kids:

$10 buys one child a Camp t-shirt, a cherished keepsake of this unforgettable experience.

$50 covers 3 meals per day for the entire camp for one child.

$150 pays for the entire Camp experience for one child.

$500 will allow us to rent the buses that we need to transport the children for Future Day.

Donations can be made to our PayPal account: L.A.JENKINS@LIVE.COM

Disclaimer: All funds go to our local partners, KAYEC Trust- not the U.S. Peace Corps or our volunteers- solely for the use of Camp GLOW!

Don’t delay- donate today! (We are very time sensitive, so all donations must be made by August 15, 2011!)

Everyone can afford $5 or $10 and it all makes a difference here!

Please consider contributing to our Camp GLOW fund, and passing this message on to any other individuals that you think might support the mission of Camp GLOW! With your help, we can make this experience possible for a group of truly amazing kids.

Thank you so much!

Liz Wise

U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer & GAIN Committee Chairperson

Dear Family & Friends,

First, I want to thank you all, supremely for your continuous support and well wishes during my service here in Namibia! Time has flown by and I have grown so much from my experiences in ways that I never expected.

One of my main projects this year has been organizing youth camps for learners (students) from all around the country. Myself and several other Volunteers are finalizing preparations for the national camp, which will be held in the capital during this August holiday (August 25- September 2). Previously, this program has been funded by UNICEF and the U.S. Embassy in Namibia; however, this year they were unable to support us due to budget constraints. Therefore I am kindly requesting funding to make this event happen!

For the past 12 years, Peace Corps Volunteers have helped organize Camp Girls and Guys Leading Our World (GLOW), a leadership camp for exceptional students from communities throughout Namibia. This year, Camp GLOW is being sponsored by KAYEC, a local NGO dedicated to empowering young people in Namibia and helping them reach their full potential. The camp is a potentially life-changing experience for these young people: many of them have never travelled outside their village, and this will be their first experience seeing the capital of their country and interacting with peers from other cultures.

Camp GLOW’s activities are designed to help our campers explore their potential as leaders and make plans for their future. On Future Day, campers visit Parliament, a college campus, and hear about different career opportunities; for many kids, this opens up a world of new possibilities that they’d never considered possible for themselves before. A large portion of camp is also spent discussing healthy relationships, communication skills, and risks that Namibian youth face such as peer pressure and HIV/AIDS. By the end of Camp, all of our kids will be able to set goals for their future and discuss their plans for achieving them, as well as ways to take the lessons of Camp back to their villages and start local clubs to help solve the problems in their communities, assisted by their local Peace Corps volunteer. All campers have been nominated by a Peace Corps volunteer or KAYEC staff, so they are kids that we have close relationships with and really want to give the encouragement they need to shine.

80 students aged 12-18 from across Namibia have been invited to participate in this 8 day camp at the end of August 2011. Most of them come from poor rural villages, and many are orphans and vulnerable children who have been directly affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS. Camp is free to these participants – all costs related to transportation, accommodations, food and activities are paid for through generous donations.

This is where you come in! Unfortunately, funding for programs such as Camp GLOW has been on the decline in recent years, and we don’t currently have the money to cover the operating expenses of camp. Money Matters! We now have a PayPal account where you, your family, friends, or other fans back home can make donations. (PayPal, for those who haven't used it before, is a secure way to send money without revealing banking details to the other party. If someone wishes to make a donation, they simply need to sign up on the website (paypal.com) with their email and credit card information (it's free), and then they can send money to our account.) The email address associated with our PayPal account is my colleague’s e-mail address (l.a.jenkins@live.com), and you can choose to send it as "Personal - Gift."

Donations of any amount can make a huge difference to these kids:

$10 buys one child a Camp t-shirt, a cherished keepsake of this unforgettable experience.

$50 covers 3 meals per day for the entire camp for one child.

$150 pays for the entire Camp experience for one child.

$500 will allow us to rent the buses that we need to transport the children for Future Day.

Donations can be made to our PayPal account: L.A.JENKINS@LIVE.COM

Disclaimer: All funds go to our local partners, KAYEC Trust- not the U.S. Peace Corps or our volunteers- solely for the use of Camp GLOW!

Don’t delay- donate today! (We are very time sensitive, so all donations must be made by August 15, 2011!)

Everyone can afford $5 or $10 and it all makes a difference here!

Please consider contributing to our Camp GLOW fund, and passing this message on to any other individuals that you think might support the mission of Camp GLOW! With your help, we can make this experience possible for a group of truly amazing kids.

Thank you so much!

Liz Wise

U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer & GAIN Committee Chairperson

Facilitator training for Camp GLOW 2011 was a success! We had an great team of 16 young Namibians who attended, contributed, and learned what skills it takes to become a Camp GLOW Facilitator. We had fun and learned a lot.

Training was busy and lasted two days. Our schedule included education, games, and sharing new ideas. We ran through the entire camp, covering ideas from each day (HIV/AIDS , Leadership, Community action, Public speaking, and more). As not all of the facilitators in training will be offered a spot to lead at camp: we evaluated each attendee on their skills: observing their speaking, ability to explain complex concepts to others, and ability to work well with others. Our staff was taking careful note, choosing the best qualified candidates to help our campers.

Despite the long days and intense sessions, everyone was energetic, happy, and a ton of fun to be around. Picking the final list of facilitators who will attend the actual camp was an incredibly tough decision.

Camp GLOW 2010 is over and went off without a hitch. From transport to programming, everything went smoothly, thanks to the hard work of 16 Namibian facilitators and 10 PCVs. Without this group of dedicated individuals, Camp GLOW would not have been possible. Thank you!!

In the posts below, you can find detailed descriptions of each day from Camp GLOW 2009. The days’ themes remained almost the same this year.

Day one is “Character Day,” which encourages each learner to examine his/her own personality and identify personal character traits. Through group discussions and written activities, campers embark on a path of self-discovery. They “define character trait” and examine why certain traits are important for being successful leaders. The discussion culminates with an activity that tests the artistic skills of each learner. Every camper is given a plain white t-shirt, which they must decorate with words and/or pictures to display their positive character traits.

The second half of Character Day is a discussion of stereotypes. After defining “stereotype,” campers engage in a discussion of common stereotypes that exist in Namibia and why these stereotypes are a major challenge to getting to know other people. For many GLOW learners, this is the first time they have interacted closely with Namibians of different tribes and cultures. Consequently, the stereotype discussion is particularly pertinent in this setting. As a large group, campers create a “wall of stereotypes”—literally a wall (made of cardboard boxes) that displays prominent stereotypes and represents the obstacle they pose.

Day 2 is “Team Building and Gender Diversity Day.” The morning is spent playing a number of games (e.g., a blindfolded obstacle course and water balloon volleyball) that aim to promote teamwork, good sportsmanship, and effective communication. Set up like a miniature Olympics (complete with an “Olympic” torch), the games force teams to rally together and get campers excited about and involved with camp. The afternoon consists of three activities that focus on gender awareness and diversity. Through these activities, campers are encouraged to examine their own views on gender, society’s role in determining “acceptable” gender roles, and how successful leaders can promote gender equality.

Day 3 is “HIV/AIDS Day.” The title explains it all; this information-intensive day is entirely about HIV/AIDS. We discuss the basics of the disease: how it is transmitted, what it does to your body, and how to protect yourself against the virus. Group discussions and activities examine common myths about HIV, how individual choices have direct consequences for you and your partner’s health, how to use male and female condoms, and the role of alcohol in HIV transmission. The day ends with a guest speaker, a HIV positive Namibian woman who is very well-known and an inspiration to us all.

Day 4 is “Leadership Day.” As part of the premise of Camp GLOW, we encourage every learner to become a leader at their school or in their community. This “GLOW Challenge” can manifest in many ways. Some learners choose to start school clubs; others find different ways to help their communities, such as tutoring younger children or helping at orphanages. On leadership day, we aim to equip each learner with the skills and resources they need to become community leaders. After brainstorming qualities of effective leaders, campers spend the morning practicing public speaking. In the afternoon, they brainstorm and create an action plan for a school club that they will start when they return to their communities.

Day 5 is “Future Day.” In an effort to expose the learners to the options their futures hold if they study hard, we start off the day with a career panel. This year we brought a fire fighter, pilot, chiropractor, entrepreneur, veterinarian, and geologist in to talk to the learners. Set up in stations, each professional takes the time to describe to each team their job and what they had to do to succeed in their line of work. After the career panel, we pile all 80 learners on a bus and take them on a tour of the Namibian parliament and Polytech University. This is an incredibly special opportunity for our learners, most of whom have never been to Windhoek, let alone sat in the same seats as their representatives. To cap off the day, we surprise the learners with a trip to the movies, which for most is a highlight of the week.

Day 6 is “Discovery Day,” aimed at wrapping-up and reflecting on the activities of the previous 5 days. By revisiting the discussion of stereotypes and character traits, the learners are encouraged to examine what they’ve learned about themselves and their diverse group of peers over the past week. They also take time to write notes to their teammates, exchange contact information, and create thank-you cards for all of Camp GLOW’s donors.

All in all, Camp GLOW 2010 went better than we could have hoped. Everyone was happy, had fun, and learned a lot. To everyone who donated time, money, supplies, or support, thank you for making Camp GLOW 2010 a success! Because of you, 80 Namibian learners are more confident, better educated, and ready to become future leaders in their schools, communities and country!

We just finished facilitator training for Camp GLOW 2010. We had an amazing group of 23 young Namibians attend.

Training lasted for two days and was packed full of lessons and games. We essentially ran through the entire camp, covering major topics and games from each day. In the process, we evaluated each attendee on their facilitation skills by observing their public speaking skills, their ability to explain complex concepts to others, and their ability to work well with others. Despite the long days and intense sessions, everyone was energetic, happy, and a ton of fun to be around. Having to pick the 16 facilitators who will attend the actual camp was an incredibly tough decision. Nevertheless, the decision has been made and we are very excited to for camp! Only three weeks to go...

You can find pictures of training here:

Greetings all!

Welcome to the newly updated Camp GLOW 2010 blog! We are in the thick of planning for this year’s event and are very excited about the developments and progress we’ve made so far.

This year Camp will take place from 23 to 30 April at Concordia College in Windhoek.

Currently, we are preparing for facilitator training which will be held 19 - 22 March. We have invited 25 potential facilitators—all out of school youth (aged 18 to 30)—to Windhoek for an intensive two-day training session. At this event, we will give an overview of the Camp and walk the participants through many of the Camp activities. During these lessons, we will use discussions and role plays to assess each individual’s ability to teach, lead and facilitate Camp activities. From here, we will choose the 16 most promising participants—8 men, 8 women—to serve as facilitators for the actual camp.

Many thanks to all who have donated their time or money to help make this year's camp a success! Thanks in part to the many donations we've received from friends and families in America we do have enough money to run the camp this year! That being said, if you have not yet donated but are still interested in helping our cause, we will still gladly accept monetary donations and/or supplies for use in other gender-awareness activites and camps that will take place this year in Namibia. For more information, please contact Jessica at jlaskyfink@gmail.com

On this blog you can find information and videos from previous Camp GLOWs, as well as a general background of Camp GLOW in Namibia. Please continue to check this site for updates. Pictures of facilitator training will be posted at the end of the month.

Camp GLOW teaches learners a lot about leadership and character, but it also provides them with an opportunity to realize their potential and plan for their futures. On Leadership Day, learners are introduced to new possibilities—career options, university studies, political activism and life in the big city. But unlike classroom learning, which offers education in the form of books and lectures, Future Day gives kids a first-hand look at all that lies ahead.

Zoo Park

Campers start the day with a trip to Parliament. For most learners this is their first time in Windhoek, and seeing where decisions about their country are made is powerful stuff. Learners march up the same steps as their representatives, and sit in the same chairs as the president and his council. The experience makes what once felt far away and impersonal, instead feel very tangible and real.

Learners Line Up In Front of Parliament

National Council

Inside Parliament

Zumbureeke, the Littlest Learner, Sitting in the President's Chair

New Friends. Future Leaders.

Afterwards, they tour Polytech University. For these kids who have spent years in hostel schools with inadequate classrooms without enough texts books, desks or supplies, seeing a fully-accredited college is a truly eye-opening experience.

GLOW Goes to Polytech

Campers Filing in to a Polytech Classroom

Inside the Classroom. Kids Were Amazed by the Technology and Resources Students at Polytech had Access to.

Polytech’s library shelves are full of books. Their lab has actual computers. Classrooms have new desks and enough chairs for everyone. And learners here come from every part of the country. It’s incredible to see how the experience of walking though a university helps campers to feel like the possibility of attending one could indeed become a reality. They asked honest questions, and walked wide-eyed through the strange hallways, which we hope one day, some of them will call home.

Campers on Their Way to the Library

Inside Polytech Library. This is the Tallest Building Many Learners Have Ever Seen.

In the afternoon, professionals from across Namibia came together at Camp GLOW for a career panel, where learners could explore new possibilities and prepare for their futures. It was a chance to ask questions and seek advice from nurses, pilots, tour guides and teachers. Campers wanted to know about courses of study, income and (believe it or not) health benefits, too.

A Peace Corps Employee Talks to Learners About HIV/AIDS Work

Two Reporters from The Namibian Talked about Careers in Journalism

Everyone Was Excited to Talk to the Pilots!

For learners who have never left their village, never voyaged beyond their region or to their country’s capital, Future Day is about visualizing their potential and realizing their dreams. It’s about exposing them to possibilities, and about helping them prepare to be the future leaders of not just their schools and communities, but of Namibia as well.

Camp GLOW is all about leadership, which is why we have an entire day dedicated to helping these 80 promising learners become leaders in their schools and in their communities.

Leadership Day focuses on identifying the qualities of a good leader, using teachers, friends, relatives and community members as examples. This year’s learners came up with a long list of impressive character traits—like good listener, ability to admit when wrong, organized, kind, enthusiastic—without much trouble. I think that may have been because so many of our campers embodied these qualities already.

Much of the morning was spent emphasizing the importance of good public speaking and practicing a passage from Nelson Mandela with team members. Facilitators read the paragraph a variety of different ways—too fast, too slow, no eye contact, too much movement—to illustrate the wrong approach to public speaking before showing them the right one. It made the kids aware. But it also made them laugh. (A good thing, considering how nervous some of them were to perform!)

Robert Practicing Nelson Mandela's Speech

Clinton Giving it a Go

Afterwards, campers joined up into tiny teams and practiced the passage in front of a small audience. They provided positive feedback, as well as points to improve upon. We were all impressed by the learners’ ability to take Nelson Mandela’s speech and read it as if it were their own. With pride in their voices. With perfect eye contact. And without much hesitation.

More Practice!!

Once they had practiced the speech of someone else, they were asked to write one all their own. Learners stood before their teams and told the story of their future. Where they would be in ten years, how they got there, and the challenges they faced.

Peter Telling His Life Story to His Team

Two representatives from every team (a boy and a girl), stood before the entire camp and told their stories in perfect form.

Charisma Volunteering to Tell Her Story to the Camp

We were especially impressed with one learner, Raymond, a tiny Nama boy from the south. He’d been silent all week. He’d barely spoken to his team and hadn’t really talked to us. But on Leadership Day, he stood before the camp, and in a booming voice, told everyone how he’d attend university, work as an accountant, and when he retired, open two shops in neighboring towns in the south. We were all amazed by his composure, his projection, and his pride.

Raymond

But being a good leader is about more than public speaking. It’s about being a good example. That’s why outstanding learners from last year’s Camp GLOW were invited back to discuss what they’d done with the skills they gained, and how they’d improved their own communities with their new knowledge. Speechless, a facilitator in 2007, talked about how GLOW had given him the confidence to seek out new opportunities in volunteering. He went from working in his own community, to working in Windhoek, where he helps young kids learn about self-confidence, health and character through sports.

Jeremy, an outstanding learner from last year’s camp (who can be seen on the Camp GLOW video), discussed how it’s up to learners—not just adults—to identify problems in their communities and solve them. He’s started work at the orphanage in Khorixas, teaching kids there to read. He also taught himself a new language so he could communicate with two of the kids there. He charged GLOW campers with making their world a better place, and the power of his speech made us volunteers want to do the same.

Jeremy, Richel and the Khorixas Learners Discuss How They'll Take Camp GLOW Home to Improve Their Community and Schools

Kim Helps the Kids from Okongwati Plan Their Post-Camp GLOW Projects

Learners in Namibia are used to getting information about HIV/AIDS. The prevalence rate here is just over 17 percent, and in certain parts of the country (particularly along the Caprivi strip), that number can skyrocket to about 49 percent. HIV/AIDS is a serious problem here, just as it is most of Southern Africa. And while the government has done its part to implement educational programs like Window of Hope from Grade 1, much of the focus is on memorization rather than application. For instance, any primary school learner could tell you the ABCs of safe sex (abstain, be faithful, condomize). But few can actually explain what those concepts really mean. How far does abstinence go? How do you use a condom properly? And who decides whether to use one at all?

Paddy's Male Condom Demonstration.

Despite the efforts made to reduce infection rates, there is still a lot to be done. A lot of misinformation. And a lot of unanswered questions. For that reason, an entire day of Camp GLOW is dedicated to furthering learners understanding and knowledge about HIV/AIDS day. We give them a chance to learn about the disease using games that emphasize application and comprehension rather than memorization. And our gender-specific informational sessions provide a candid, comfortable forum to pose questions they might be too shy to ask teachers at school.

A blindfolded learner makes her body from playdough. This session taught campers about self-imaging and gender identity. It also generated a lot of discussion.

This year we added a power point presentation (advanced, yes?) about the science of HIV/AIDS. Some of us worried the information might be too much for some learners. But the kids were excited to understand the roots of the disease—where it came from and how it spreads. It made making connections while playing games like Sharks and Minnows and Baby Elephant later on, much easier.

But general information just isn’t enough, and this is one of the things that makes HIV/AIDS day at Camp GLOW so unique. In addition to educational sessions and break out games lead by facilitators, a representative from the New Start Center, a free testing clinic with locations across Namibia, confronted the fears of testing in a very real way. She used the Handshake Game to illustrate how quickly HIV/AIDS can spread among the population, and later explained the mechanics of testing. From pre-test counseling to post-test support, she talked openly about what New Start clients can expect when waiting for results. For many of the learners, this is their first exposure to information like this.

Our New Start speakers talks about testing and the importance of knowing your status.

The games and sessions are fun and informative, but it’s Jackie, our HIV positive speaker, that truly humanizes the disease. So many of the GLOW learners (and volunteers, too) know someone who is living with HIV or someone who has died of AIDS, but few have met a person who is as open and honest about the disease as Jackie. One learner from the Caprivi was impressed by her story, but refused to believe Jackie was actually HIV positive. He assumed we’d paid her to come and talk as if she were living with the disease, because in the village where he stays, no one would ever admit to being positive.

Jackie talks to learners about living her life HIV positive

For most learners, this is a first. And it’s empowering to see a woman who is open about her status, and despite being positive, still really living life. They get to ask questions, and for the first time, they get real, honest answers. It’s an eye-opening moment for these kids.

Team Building Day is by far one of the most fun days at Camp GLOW. Modeled after the Olympics, a series of games and physical challenges are meant to teach campers about teamwork, trust and communication. It’s particularly important to achieve these goals early on, so that campers feel comfortable with their teammates when the time comes to explore and discuss more sensitive subjects, like HIV/AIDS and sexuality later in the week.

This year’s PCV team did an amazing job organizing the events, and even added a few new games to the usual line up. (Not to mention the fact that Ryan came dressed in a Greek toga, carrying a real Olympic torch. I’m pretty sure that campers thought he was dressed as Jesus. But I think that just made it twice as funny for us.)

After breakfast, campers raced around the school grounds, following Ryan (and his torch) to the opening ceremonies.

We were all surprised that nothing caught on fire during opening ceremonies.

Team cheers before the big events! It doesn't take long for teams to get in the spirit.

Water Balloon Volleyball was a huge hit. In this game, communication is as important as coordination.

Teams used a bed sheet to catch and throw the water balloons. We used old bed frames to hold up the net.

Campers learned to trust their teammates during the blindfolded obstacle course. At the end of the week, we asked them to do a similar blindfolded obstacle course on their own.

Trust falls always began the same way: with nervousness and hesitation.

But they always ended the same way, too: BIG SMILES!

The 4x4 Relay (although I'm pretty sure these were 2x6s)

This makes a three-legged race look easy.

I was in charge of Crocodile Crossing--Probably my favorite problem-solving game

I also helped out with the Human Knot game.

My adopted Camp GLOW team.

The Puzzle Race was especially challenging because some kids (mostly those from villages) had never seen a puzzle before and weren't sure what to do.

There weren't any gold, silver or bronze medals at the awards ceremony--but there were Certificates of Awesomeness and candy bars for the top-scoring teams.

Some of our amazing facilitators: Janne and Romanius

Johnson and Christina

Rosey and Peter

Our big day was topped off by a special performance by Bullet, a Kwaito dance team from Opuwo. They showed the kids what they can accomplish by working together.

Kauruia's face sums up how all of the campers felt at the end of the day: AWESOME

Peace Corps volunteers in Namibia invite outstanding learners from across the country to attend this week-long leadership camp in Windhoek every year. And while it's an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many bright and caring kids, a few of their stories always seem to stand out and leave a lasting impression.

This year, one of those learners was near and dear to me, mostly because he came from Khorixas. Two days before camp, Jessica sent me a message saying Selvanus, one of my learners from last year, had decided not to go to Camp GLOW. He'd made up an excuse about his father being sick, but we realized he was nervous to leave home (he hadn't been away in ten years, and only then to visit his sister a couple of hours away). He didn't have pocket money or new clothes to take to Camp, and was worried what the other kids would think.

I was already in Windhoek preparing for GLOW--buying supplies, visiting the bank and meeting with Peace Corps. Otherwise, I would have marched over to his house for a face-to-face talk. Instead, I did the next best thing. With the help of another volunteer (who was able to explain the situation to his mother in Afrikaans), we managed to convince Selvanus that he'd make loads of new friends, travel with other learners from his school and not have to worry about new clothes or spending money. (Especially since Camp is free and learners have to wear their Camp GLOW T-shirts!)

In the end (after more than a couple of phone calls, a visit from Jessica and a whole lot of convincing), Selvanus decided to come. And he did GREAT. He was nervous at first, but after a couple of hours he had an ear-to-ear grin that lasted for all of camp.

On the last day of GLOW he gave me a homemade thank you card. It was all the proof I needed that he'd had an amazing Camp GLOW experience.

Dear Miss Jill,

All I wanted to say was thank you for telling me that clothes are not important. So thank you very much and big big big thank you. I love you as my mother. Plz forgive me for being blind.

-Selvanus

Gerson was another learner who left a lasting impression on us. He had a great attitude, a giant smile and he gave awesome hugs. He was also incredibly bright.

We were all a bit worried that the connections and allusions we made to the book, "Oh! the Places You'll Go!" throughout the week might be lost on some of the campers. But when GLOW ended and Gerson sent us the following SMS, we felt like everything had fallen into place.

Once again I thank you and the whole PCVs for the great support and in enriching our minds with better education. Camp GLOW was the best experience I ever had in my life. Now finally I packed my backpack and brought with me all the leadership skills I gained. Camp GLOW contributed a lot to my life, my self confidence and my self-esteem. WOW! I wished it would be forever. HOW SAD! Good things really do come to an end. But I remember to pack all of the good memories gained. I moved the mountains. I believe wherever I fly, I'll be the best of the best. Wherever I go, I'll top all the rest. THANK YOU CAMP GLOW!

Gerson

Even if all of the campers didn't make the connections, we knew at least some of them did--and that made all our planning and hard work worth it.

Each day of Camp GLOW has a theme. A theme that lessons are planned around. That games encompass. And that facilitators are charged with driving home to the learners. It’s an effective way to make organizing and planning easier. And it also ensures that the main objectives of Camp GLOW (leadership, diversity, gender equality, HIV/AIDS awareness and future planning) are covered.

Day one of this year’s Camp GLOW was Character Day. And it just so happened to be my day as well (Along with Ashley and Jeffie B). Character Day is the real kick off to camp, when learners are assigned their Camp GLOW teams, which include kids from all over the country and from every tribe. They’re taught about ideal character traits that make good friends and great leaders. And they’re introduced to the idea of stereotypes—something they all face but have never really defined.

The first day of camp is usually a lot of fun—we get to welcome the learners, hand out their T-shirts, and get to know some of their names. But it can also be a big challenge. For a lot of learners, this is the first time they’ve left home, and coming to the big city and interacting with kids from all over the country can be a bit overwhelming. While some kids thrive in this new, challenging environment, many are too shy to talk. So while Character Day is about showing the kids what it means to be a good person, it’s also about getting them comfortable and secure in a strange new environment.

Once campers have been assigned their Camp GLOW teams, they must work together to come up with a team name, poster and cheer.

Doing something artistic early in the day seems to help campers get comfortable with the idea of opening up to their peers.

Team posters are the first exercise in different tribes working together. This is one of the most important lessons at Camp GLOW.

One of the finished posters. B.O.B. (Bringing Out the Best), designed their banner to look like a bag of chips. They said they wanted to be a refreshment for the entire camp.

T.S.G. (Teens Simply GLOW!) had TONS of spirit. And Zumbureeke, the small boy in front (who's actually 13 years old), quickly became one of my favorite learners at camp.

The GROW team working on their cheer before performing it in front of the entire camp.

Lunch Time!(The food wasn't always good, but we were always hungry!)

Jeffie B's icebreaker, Evolution Paper Scissor Rock, was a huge hit. Kids started out as eggs, and winners moved on to become chickens, dinosaurs, and eventually, the ultimate Camp GLOW Campers.

Learners got their own Camp GLOW T-shirts, but they were also given plain white ones to design using colored fabric pens (thanks Darby!) and adjectives that described their positive character traits. Felly, one of the facilitators, did a great job helping the kids.

Zumbureeke hard at work on his character shirt.

A work in progress.

There have been a lot of highs over the last two years. But the biggest one came last week, when after 11 months of planning, Camp GLOW became a reality.

There were times when we questioned whether it would actually happen. Particularly when, nine days before camp, funding from the usual donors still hadn’t been approved. And again, with a week to go, when the government mandated all ministry vehicles be serviced, which pretty much blew our chances at free transport for our 80 learners and 16 facilitators. Then we got word on the day before camp that the stove at the school, where caterers were supposed to cook each and every meal, was actually broken.

But, like most things in life (and all things here in Namibia), everything worked out. The donors came through (and so did family and friends from home—so thank you all for that!) and every region somehow secured a government vehicle. (It was a miracle!) The stove, though wonky, eventually came around. And in the end, things lined up to make this year’s camp a huge success.

The learners, who came from every region in the country (like my new friend Robert, pictured above), were unbelievable. And our facilitators, who we’d trained the month before, were absolutely amazing. Together, they reminded us of why we’d worked so hard, and proved that the endless stress and sleepless nights leading up to camp were totally worth it.

All the chairs that had to be moved before learners arrived

Dar hauling boxes of Camp GLOW T-shirts to the main hall

Camp GLOW T-shirts ready and waiting. The theme of this year's camp was, "Oh the Places You'll GLOW!" We found ways to incorporate ideas from the book into every activity, and we were lucky enough to have an artist like Eric, to design this year's shirts.

Kim, a Nam 29er, making posters to decorate the hall.

Message of the week: LOVE GLOW

Camp G.L.O.W. is still a couple of weeks away, but already we’ve completed one of the most important tasks: selecting the 20 out-of-school youth who will be charged with making this year’s camp the biggest success ever.

Each year volunteers around the country are asked to nominate outstanding young adults whose leadership skills shine in the workplace or in the community. PCVs write recommendations and the out-of-school youth answer essay questions about leadership and role models. The best and brightest are then selected to attend facilitators training, which is essentially a combination of an audition and a mini Camp G.L.O.W.

The weekend-long training is designed to be a dry run for camp. Volunteers can test run their sessions, potential facilitators are taught all of the camp games and activities, and we’re able to watch nominees interact with one another to scout out any potential problems.

Not only is it a great vetting process, it’s a whole lot of fun. And regardless of whether they are selected to attend camp, potential facilitators go home with a toolbox full of trainings and teachings to use in their communities.

We were lucky to have an incredible group of young Namibians this year. They were enthusiastic, energetic, educated and aware. Perhaps most importantly, they were eager to share their knowledge with the young people who will be attending Camp G.L.O.W. It made selecting this year’s facilitators a serious challenge, but I’m confident we’ve got an amazing team of ten men and ten women to lead our learners into a glowing future.

Facilitators were placed in teams on day one. Together they had to come up with a name, a banner and cheer. Some wrote poems while others performed songs or danced. Rising Hope, pictured here, had a pretty well-known musician on their team. It didn't take long for him to pen some lyrics while others designed and drew.

It was amazing to see the degree of creativity facilitators used in developing their names and designs. It was also really fun to listen in as they brainstormed ideas.

We played a lot of games as part of the Team Building Day. It was a great for observing facilitator interactions and really helped us see people's strengths and weaknesses, particularly when it came to communication, patience and leadership.

The human knot game is a perfect icebreaker but also a good exercise in communication and order of operations. Team members put both their hands in the center of the circle and grab hold of another person's with each hand. The object of the game is to untangle the team without letting go. It's fun to play and hilarious to observe.

Team Building Day also included a game of volleyball. But instead of hitting a ball over the net, teams had to use a sheet to catch and toss a water balloon across the court. It was another exercise in the importance of working together and communicating well.

There were obstacle courses, t-shirt decorating and other interesting activities to keep facilitators and volunteers entertained. And on the last night, we ended with the spider web. It's an old camp favorite that uses a ball of string and memories of the weekend to show how we've all become connected.

Facilitator training may have only been three days, but we shared a lot of laughs, a lot of experiences and a lot of personal growth. I met some incredible men and women that I will feel lucky to reconnect with at Camp G.L.O.W. later this month.

It’s all about Camp GLOW. Its all about future leaders.

Camp GLOW has made Namibian’s new generations understand their roles to the nation, how to keep our Independence sustainable, and how to form a healthy nation. It is through Camp GLOW that our enemies (the propaganda that separates our ethnic groups and differences AND HIV/AIDS problems) will come to an end.

Hopefully, none of our youth will commit crime or abuse if Camp GLOW is available. It gives knowledge to new generations who are not yet responsible for anything in life. We learn how to help people, be responsible and have leadership skills.

Camp GLOW is a conference where we discuss and prepare ourselves to fight for a better life in the future whereby our nation will gather and produce a healthy nation to sustain our Independent Namibia.

First of all, I would like to thank the organizers of Camp GLOW for making this camp happen and to everyone that took part.

Camp GLOW made me realize that there is something I needed from life that I did not know I was missing. I needed to refine my skills as a teacher with developing and improving my characteristics in honesty, hard work and most of all CARE. Thanks to Camp GLOW for making me look deep inside my heart and make me change for the better.

I am a young boy of 17 years. I like to enjoy many different activities that will happen wherever I am with different people. I want to tell you about the program Guys and Girls Leading Our World which I have enjoyed a lot. There are a lot of activities which I have done there which will help me in my entire life. I especially learned how to be a leader. I have learned what skills and knowledge that can promote a good leader, especially like how a young leader should be or act with other people, that a good leader always shows his/her ability to other people, and that he/she represents his/her kindness whenever working with people in the society. I also learned about how an HIV test works and where I can go to find out my status. All this information really provides me with good quality skills in education so that I will have a good standard of living in my future. Please, fellow colleague, I wish you to support Camp GLOW because I know this camp will help to provide good skills in education to the boys and girls in the country of Namibia. I hope this experience will upgrade me in my study work at school and my ability to work well with others.

This was done by the participant of Camp GLOW 2008, Mukishi Pontianus,

from the Kavango Region

Gelda was in Grade 8 when she attended Camp GLOW in 2008. Nearly a year later, she still remembers the friends she made, the games she played and the experiences she had there.

Today, Gelda is working hard to help learners at her school to become leaders just like her.

I just want to say that I really learned a lot from Camp GLOW. And I want to say thank you for the chance to learn things that I did not already know.

Camp GLOW touched my brain because I didn't know a lot of what we were taught. It was just like school to me, but I was having so much more fun.

We learned everything there--about what it would be like to go to the University of Namibia, about how to be a leader and how to protect myself from HIV/AIDS. Facilitators also taught me how to make my own decisions and they showed me how to not be afraid to use my voice in public. I also learned a lot about teamwork and communication from the games we were playing. Thank you so much to everyone who helped.

Now, I am teaching learners at my school about they can be leaders, too.

Camp GLOW unites 80 learners from around the country and from diverse cultural backgrounds for a week of fun and education in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. But students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the Camp GLOW experience.

Peace Corps Volunteers train 20 out-of-school youth and place them in a position of leadership as Camp GLOW facilitators. These 18 to 35 year-olds often walk away having learned as much about teamwork, tolerance and diversity as the campers they are charged with.

In 2008, one of the youngest facilitators, a 19-year-old named Speechless, also turned out to be one of the most enthusiastic. Here’s what he had to say about his time at Camp GLOW:

Camp GLOW was a fun and educational experience—not only for learners, but also for us as facilitators. Camp GLOW is something useful to us. The best part about it is that it contains facilitators and learners from all parts of the country.

We learned to change some of our cultural stereotypes. We also learned each other’s cultural backgrounds and that we concentrate too much on gender. Camp GLOW brought in the idea of sharing work that our parents did not teach us about. We were always treated differently because of our gender. For example, I never had to do as much work because I am a boy.

I’m truly convinced that Camp GLOW is changing our lifestyles. I hope that it will continue to grow in the future. It is with these few words that I say Let us not stop ‘til we GLOW enough!

Speechless with last year's Camp GLOW co-chair and a fellow facilitator

Olivia* was a learner who didn’t speak much.

Actually, when camp began, she didn't speak at all. She sat silently and observed the first five days of GLOW. She followed what the other learners did, but never talked, laughed or smiled much. While others pushed forward, she always seemed to hold back.

On Leadership Day—a day that, as its name suggests, focused on leadership skills and qualities—learners were asked to practice public speaking. Olivia's team members laughed and talked, but she just sat quietly. It took some prodding on the part of her facilitators, but after some jokes and some silliness, Olivia began to make a little noise, too.

Other learners practiced speaking with each other, but Olivia practiced with the Facilitators. “I want you to talk loud enough that the person in the very back of the room can hear you!” one person told her. And after several attempts, she was actually doing it.

Olivia waited as her teammates went around the table, standing up, taking turns and talking about their topics. When her name was called, Olivia stood up. And for the first time, she did not hold back. Instead, Olivia spoke in a loud and clear voice and made eye contact with every person at the table.

This tiny, shy, and quiet girl had found her incredible voice. A voice that she used to tell her team about her aspirations and her dreams. And a voice that, three days later, she used on stage as a lead actress in a Camp GLOW play.

After five days of silence Olivia was finally comfortable enough with the group--and herself--to speak.

With the help of facilitators, she broke out of her shell and she finally found her voice.

*name has been changed

Day one of Camp GLOW introduced learners to the concept of character: the qualities that make average citizens exemplary and good leaders great ones. Learners decorated shirts with the adjectives that described their best qualities and showed off their unique traits.

Most of the kids huddled over their work—marker in hand—and tried to list as many positive characteristics as they could, while they talked with new friends. But one boy, a quiet learner from a village outside of Etosha Game Park sat in silence and covered his shirt with the letters "NB".

Nothing else.

We later learned that "NB" was short for Nobody. It was the name our camper went by at school. It was the name his friends called him. And sadly, we found out that Nobody was a nickname assigned to him by his teachers. The adults he was supposed to look up to and respect had given him a name that had ultimately caused him to lose all respect in himself.

Once facilitators and volunteers heard this story, they decided it was unacceptable to repeat or encourage the use of this name. So starting that day, Nobody began to go by SB—Somebody. From that moment on, when a facilitator said, “I need somebody to help me with this,” SB would step forward and say, “I’m Somebody!”

On the last day, when learners added the new qualities they’d discovered about themselves to their shirts, Somebody changed all his NBs to SBs. And finally Nobody became Somebody.

Dear Friends and Family,Peace Corps’ Gender and Development Committee strives to promote cross-cultural understanding in Namibia, expand the definition of traditional gender roles and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among youth. To achieve these goals, the GAD Committee hosts Camp GLOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) each year. This weeklong event unites 80 promising young learners from low-income schools across 13 regions and 15 cultures, for a life-changing experience. Out-of-school youth, trained by Peace Corps Volunteers, use games and group exercises to illustrate the importance of teamwork. Breakout sessions and small-group discussions encourage self-discovery, while guest speakers and fieldtrips to Parliament and Namibian universities encourage future planning and goal setting. This August, Camp GLOW will once again provide a unique opportunity for learners—some who have never left their villages—to interact with peers from different cultural backgrounds in a safe space. It will give adolescents the chance to learn about their futures, and it will help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS through candid and informative conversations. Camp GLOW will also continue empower out-of-school youth by teaching them the fundamentals of leadership, then positioning them as role models for Namibian learners. The benefits of Camp GLOW are huge, but the operational costs are high. We need your support to make this fun and educational week a reality! We receive funding from UNICEF and similar organizations, however it costs approximately US$200 to send just one child to camp. Because of this, private donations play a huge part in making Camp GLOW a success. If you are interested in helping 80 exemplary learners become future leaders, experience new cultures and gain a deeper understanding of gender and diversity, you can make a financial donation to the GAIN Committee via PayPal using the following email address: jill.nawrock(at)gmail.com. (Money will be transferred to the Camp GLOW account and receipts can be sent upon request.) Please include your name and mailing address to receive a special note from learners at the end of camp. If you would like to donate to GLOW through a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization then go to our Facebook Cause at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/219176/22562343?m=23f25a44.Thank you for your kindness, and for your help in making this year’s Camp GLOW a success.If you have any questions please contact Amanda Rucker at ajrucker(at)gmail.com. Sincerely,Amanda Rucker

Camp GLOW Chair

Jill Nawrocki

Camp GLOW Co-Chair

Leah RubinCamp GLOW Co-Chair