GLOW Girls are Leaders for Life
By Ella Robinson
How to write an article about GLOW. Mm...write about how inspiring the girls were? Nope, that's a given. Write about our statistics? Nope, people will fall asleep. Write about...the food? Getting closer.
When I was asked to write an article about the Nyamagabe GLOW camp, I had trouble figuring out where to start. I was overwhelmed with the pressure of it—oh my God, an article about GLOW? I was drugged up on Benadryl for most of our camp, how in the world can I write about something that's a blur to me? I thought about all the other people that are more qualified for this daunting job, and I thought about the likelihood that I will not successfully capture our camp in a few lackluster paragraphs. And I thought about how each day was full of activities and classes and funny little moments that are impossible to recreate here.
But...here's me giving it a shot anyway.
When I was asked to write an article about the Nyamagabe GLOW camp, I had trouble figuring out where to start. I was overwhelmed with the pressure of it—oh my God, an article about GLOW? I was drugged up on Benadryl for most of our camp, how in the world can I write about something that's a blur to me? I thought about all the other people that are more qualified for this daunting job, and I thought about the likelihood that I will not successfully capture our camp in a few lackluster paragraphs. And I thought about how each day was full of activities and classes and funny little moments that are impossible to recreate here.
But...here's me giving it a shot anyway.
There are certain things that you can expect from a GLOW camp. You can expect shy girls to begin with—girls who speak softly and infrequently, who need a little extra nudge at the beginning of each game or class discussion. Girls who don't
know you or each other, who all order orange Fanta and huddle close together in groups that all went to the same school. Eager, intelligent girls who are willing to learn but hesitant in such an unfamiliar setting.
Then, as the week goes on, you can expect to notice a slight shift in the demeanor of each camper—each girl a little more outspoken, a little more sure of herself, a little stronger. For the Nyamagabe camp, this shift in demeanor was accelerated by the unique presence of our junior facilitators; girls who had gone through the camp last year who wanted to take a leadership role this year. For each team of campers we had one or two such girls, and to me it seemed as if this minor change in the structure made each new GLOW-er a little more comfortable right off the bat.
This difference was at the heart of our camp, along with not choosing to rotate between PCVs and their respective groups—we taught all the lessons to our individual teams, staying with the same group of girls for the whole week. At
first I was a bit skeptical about the changes, but I suppose that's because the first camp I participated in was successful, and I was unsure about whether the alterations would produce the same results: but I was pleasantly surprised when
they did.
know you or each other, who all order orange Fanta and huddle close together in groups that all went to the same school. Eager, intelligent girls who are willing to learn but hesitant in such an unfamiliar setting.
Then, as the week goes on, you can expect to notice a slight shift in the demeanor of each camper—each girl a little more outspoken, a little more sure of herself, a little stronger. For the Nyamagabe camp, this shift in demeanor was accelerated by the unique presence of our junior facilitators; girls who had gone through the camp last year who wanted to take a leadership role this year. For each team of campers we had one or two such girls, and to me it seemed as if this minor change in the structure made each new GLOW-er a little more comfortable right off the bat.
This difference was at the heart of our camp, along with not choosing to rotate between PCVs and their respective groups—we taught all the lessons to our individual teams, staying with the same group of girls for the whole week. At
first I was a bit skeptical about the changes, but I suppose that's because the first camp I participated in was successful, and I was unsure about whether the alterations would produce the same results: but I was pleasantly surprised when
they did.
The changes even seemed to make the girls progress faster, getting bolder quicker. They really got to know the PCV who was in charge of their group, as well as the
junior facilitators. Having been through the camp so recently, the experienced girls were the perfect combination of peer and guide; teacher and friend. It's hard for me to provide any wisdom about whether or not this method was 'better' than the first camp that I was a part of, but I can say with relative certainty that it was just as successful in creating a comfortable and safe environment for the campers. In short, our camp fulfilled all of the usual expectations for GLOW. The hard-working members of our administration team survived, and the girls visibly became more confident and self-assured by the time we had to say goodbye. But I'll also add that our camp exceeded expectations (as I believe every camp does in its own way); not because of all the growing confidence or because of expectations met, but because of what set us apart. The Nyamagabe camp changed the structure of GLOW in a way that was beneficial to both the girls and the PCVs involved, and it made a difference. We had a lot of disasters (sickly PCVs, inappropriate consumption of Benadryl, scheduling conflicts), but having junior facilitators was just one of the many things that we did right. Our camp, and everyone involved with it, truly was 'successful' (in whatever way you choose to define the term). |
Photos by Megan Haggerty Foster and Christine Hooyman