This week during camp the campers participated in an all-inclusive game called, “Cross the Line.” The premise of the game was to cross to the other side of the room if the prompt that was read out applied to you. By participating in this activity, the girls were forced to be honest with others and themselves and to be vulnerable to the people around them to let them in. Many of the campers shed tears—as did the counselors—and we all walked away having learned something about the people around us. I learned that many of these girls have had very difficult childhoods and that they have done a lot to even just to be attending the camp. The girls learned that I have had my own struggles as well. We all walked away with more empathy and understanding. It was a very beautiful moment as we all silently acknowledged that we are at this camp to better ourselves through STEM exploration and fellow female support.
This week we also taught the curriculum that we designed especially for the Eureka! camp. We taught the girls how to build a simple circuit, which they then put into a water bottle and designed to be flashlights. It was a very frustrating week as many of the circuits had problems and the week required a lot of troubleshooting and thinking quickly in the moment, but in the end, all of the girls had working flashlights and the delight, excitement, and pride that these girls had when building their circuits was inspiring. We, as DukeEngagers, felt intense pride and joy that these girls learned something new and had fun doing it. Our curriculum was a success!
We are now halfway through camp and I cannot believe it! Even though work is exhausting, every day reminds me of how great of an opportunity this is.