Sib Camp 07
Sib Camp 07 is finally over after an exhasting two days one night. For the first time in 5 years, i am not the group leader. Requested to PS that i ought to fade out since i will not be here next year, hence was helping with the logistic and was supposed to be the facilitator for one of the group.
Yes. Supposed to be. In the end, i still ended up doing the group leader job because 1) the actually group leader had to run other activities for the camp and 2) it takes time and committment (yes, some experience helps too) to hold a group of 8 kids together. Especially when all are of different personalities, have different needs and one of them happened to be ASD.
I realized that after doing sib camp for 5 years, it really takes alot of energy, patience and some amount of flexibility to have the kids gel within the short time given in the camp. You will need to be in tune of the minds of youngsters as well as the teenagers. You will also need to know how to have fun and yet maintain a sense of discipline so that the children know where are the boundaries. You will need to be a leader, a playmate, a disciplinarian, a facilitator and strategist throughout your interactions with the children. If there are not personal commitment to this role, it is actually quite difficult to do it well. After all, being a group leader/facilitator doesn't mean that you are just supposed to bring the children through the activities. You have to help them cooperate with each other, pick out instances when learning opportunities arises to build on their communication and team building skills and last but not least, be part of the group and have fun with the kids.
I am personally very fulfilled whenever i take part in sib camp, especially this year, when i saw how much some of the 'old-timers' had grown. Was just telling PS and the rest how well sib camp has 'grown' as a project and deserve to be given more attention and strategizing to improve upon. I think i have shared my opinions about this time and time again and it is really up to the people who are in charged on how they want to continue with this. As i said, there is a reason why some kids keep coming back for sib camp and form bonds with the adults involved. This is one reason why resources for sib camp has to be built up and the system of putting any staff each year isn't quite gonna cut it. Just need to compare the group from our school, who has been doing sib camp for at least 3 years (internally we have decided to have 3 year commitment to the committee so as to have time to build the skills and pass over when new people come on board) to those people from the other school who just take on any staff they are assigned each year. I am not trying to put those staff down (esp when they really tried their best) but honestly, it takes more than just participation, and there are skills that need to be built.
Another grouse i have of this year camp was that there wasn't any debrief and that's really something that should not be done next year. Esp when the staff are new, debriefing is even more important to let everyone match up to speed with how the kids are, what to take note, what to do or not to do (e.g. not PAMPER the children and allow them to dictate what to eat or not eat). Frankly, for adults who had not done the camp before, they would not know what the expectations or the objectives of the camp are. It is really the old timers who are holding things together and at the end of the day, these are the people who are knackered out because they are the last ones to sleep, first one to be up and generally taking over the duties from newbies who did not know what it is that they are suppose to do. Yet, these old timers are the ones who stayed the lastest on the last day and managed to debrief and come up with ideas to push sib camp to greater heights (cross fingers that some of these ideas could come to fruition).
It is not surprising too that only staff from our school are there at the end of it all.
Sigh.
There is a reason why there is this idea of job placement in this world and i totally subscribe to it. Place people who can excel in the job in it's placement. Train those with potential and provide opportunity to facilitate them to use their skills. Who do what job should not be dependent on who is available from time to time.
Sigh.
My last year in Sib camp... am missing the kids and the interactions i have with them. It is an undescribable feeling when you have made a connection with a child and know that you have made a difference (no matter how small).
