Hwee Yann's Reflections from Survival Camp 2007

This was my first time facilitating a camp – furthermore for young children (P1 – P6), so I must say it was a pretty good experience. I think the children generally enjoyed the camp because it provided them with opportunities and adventures they may otherwise not get in the school context.

Though they all came from different schools/clubs, by the second day, the ice was broken and they had already made new friends. It was quite touching to see them bond over the mass outdoor cooking session and the beach games (eg. tug of war), also the campfire mascot.

Despite being quite burnt out after the rather gruelling Bukit Timah hike, I think that they have probably explored themselves more and challenged themselves more as a result.

We were in charge of a group of 13 children and we had to take responsibility of their safety and well-being. Initially, it was quite difficult because some of the children were really active and they tend to not stick with the group. Fortunately there were three of us so we managed to split up the work and ensure the whole group's safety. The children at the camp are not as privileged as we were when we were their age. As a result it was quite interesting… somewhat depressing to attempt to see things from their perspective.

Facilitating the camp put us in the leader's shoes – it is all about striking a balance between maintaining a good relationship with the children and also knowing when to stand firm with them. From facilitating this camp, I learnt that patience was something that is very important in handling these kids. They may not understand our instructions because of certain hard vocabulary.

At first it was quite trying to repeat yourself over and over again, but after a while we got used to it (by trying to simplify the language used). This was a very valuable learning point that I learnt – to truly benefit the beneficiary, you must always have him/her (his or her needs) as first priority.

Yes perhaps sometimes it can be emotionally very draining, but that is what community service is all about in the first place. At certain points in time, we have to make certain personal sacrifices. This may be a little hard to take in at first, but at the end of the day, looking at the smiles on the children's faces, they are all worth it.

Even though I was quite tired during the camp (this was the third consecutive camp I attended), I quite enjoyed myself there as it was a really rewarding experience.

Like what Mother Teresa once said, "we can do no great things, only small things with love."

I look forward to facilitating such camps again in the future.