This past week was filled with last minute preparations for camp. We had practice presentations and met some of the campers in orientation, and now camp is starting! I am nervous, but there is a wonderful support system of Girls Inc employees and the other Duke Engage students, and I am looking forward to starting what we have been preparing for four weeks.
During all of the preparation and excitement of this past week, we were asked to reflect on our own camp experiences, and what made them memorable or not. I can clearly remember one middle school and high school engineering camp I went to and disliked, and it reminded me of all the things not to do as a mentor at a camp. The counselors were completely not engaged, the material was dry, and there were no enjoyable activities or icebreakers. I might be a little dramatic, but overall it wasn’t an experience I want to repeat or the energy I want to bring to another camp. With Eureka being a virtual camp, the main goal is to be engaged and attempt to form connections through a computer screen. While this will inevitably be difficult, I am excited to begin camp, meet the girls, and present the material we worked on preparing!