It's okay to not have all of the answers. Find the people who listen and believe you, and hold on tight. Be the person who listens, who validates, who leans in and loves.
No one can ever prepare us for the stories we hear, the vulnerability the students or families or coworkers or friends may share, and circumstances surrounding the pain, the hurt, the trauma, etc. that those we interact with in our work and in our personal lives have experienced, or that we ourselves have experienced.
Being unwell is a sign that something is wrong and there might be something that can be done to fix it, but sometimes there isn't anything that can be done, and that loss of agency is one of the most devastating impacts of unwellness.
We might not always be able to fix it, but we can do everything in our power to make it hurt a little less. The tools we put in our toolbox might not make the problem go away, but may arm us with a shield and sword to keep it at bay.
What are your tools? A doctor who validates your symptoms and experiences? A friend who texts on a weeknight just to say hi? Going for a morning jog or bike ride? Playing a game with the people you love? Reading a good book? Meditation for 5 minutes every day? Having a consistent adult or friend or mentor in your life you can go to for advice?
Unwellness comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it is visible and sometimes it is not. How can we provide consistent and stable support for our children and families?
Young people are just learning about what tools work best for them - do you know of any they might find helpful from your own experiences that you could share?
"Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, but what you do consistently." --Marie Forleo
"Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways." --Glennon Doyle Melton
Highlights
Campers watched "Inside Out" and observed how all feelings are important, including sadness and anger, then shared their own memories and discussed the different emotions they felt when they remembered a specific memory.
GBC and Arrowwood campers had a spa day!
Announcements
THREE more weeks of summer camp left?! Do a self-check in! How are you doing? Start thinking about how you want to say goodbye to the campers at the end of the summer - I can't believe it's that time already.
August 2-6: Wrap-Up Week
This final week, even though there will not be any campers, is an important week! Staff can plan to sort and organize leftover bin supplies, clean community spaces and prepare them for After School Programs, reflect and share stories from summer camp for future newsletters, write mini-camper bios for future adults working with the students and/or letters to teachers sharing what the campers did over the summer and advocating on their behalf so they start out on the right foot in the fall, and complete a survey with specific, anonymous feedback on the summer camp training and summer camp experience.
YOUTHWORKS! CAN's teen work-readiness program, lead by Director Danielle Dicks, is starting up next week and will run through August 12. We are so excited for this summer program to begin!
Tips & Tidbits
This Week's Strive to Thrive Theme
Unwellness
Mindfulness Focus: Physical Unwellness, Mental Unwellness, Self-Care, Basic Breathing
Thematic Projects: Self-Care Scrapbook, Relaxation Stations, My Big Bad Monster, The Good Egg
Non-thematic activities with Daily Discoveries:
Balance Scales
BLM Movement*
Slime
Making Bacteria Visible
Money Bags
LGBTQ+*
Whole Body Spelling
Hand Sanitizer
*The overall goal of these activities is to promote and cultivate spaces founded on empathy and respect - just as we aim to listen to and validate the experiences of others when we talk about wellness and unwellness, we want to teach our students to do the same when people share about their personal experiences as a recipients of racial oppression, gender discrimination, LGBTQ+ discrimination, ableism, and all of the intersections where we see a lack of valuing other humans' right to dignity and equal access to opportunity in our society, systems, communities, and relationships.
A Look-back at Orientation Topics
Educational Summer Camp Overview 2021
Why Wellness?
How to Read & Interpret Lessons
Tips for Lesson Delivery & Classroom Management
Student-Centered Learning
Understanding Student Behaviors
Access Your Online Training Materials
Access The Orientation Materials
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Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments (or highlights, announcements, etc.), please email Katie at klampen@canwashtenaw.org.