“Youth camp allowed me to be my true authentic self for a week”
– Jada Middleton, Sherwood Park, Alberta
I have been going to family camp since the age of eight or nine, I loved being at camp and would later have my cousins come along with me. Even though I had been a part of other functions and events with the Community of Christ, attending camp has had the most permanent and lasting role in development and life. Later in my childhood I started attending junior camp. I fell in love with the feeling camp brought me, with the guaranteed weeks of fun at the end of the school year, with the lifelong friends I had met there. Even though I never got the chance, I longed to bring my school friends with me too, just so that they could experience what would become one of my favorite parts of life.
Even later in my childhood, I began attending youth camp. It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed my time there! I was reunited with many friends that I had lost contact with. I was fairly shy and guarded at first, but after a few days I began to open up and trust those others around me. Youth camp allowed me to be my true authentic self for a week. The campers, counselors, and friends I had there helped me through many growing pains of my older childhood; I felt loved and wanted every time I stepped through the Hills of Peace gates. Memories of those times I still hold dear, hoping that one day I may get to go back and experience it one last time before being thrown into adulthood.
Because of the current events in our world, I have not been able to go back in almost two years, I miss it terribly. The community and support that camp introduced me to I still carry with me today, the fond memories providing me with comfort when I cannot be there in person. Moments and memories like these drive me to continue to be a part of the Community of Christ.
I'm excited to be able to go back to camp, but also be able to go to Spectacular (SPEC). I had planned on going this past year and this upcoming summer, but due to Covid-19 that is not a possibility right now. If possible, I would love to attend both in 2022 as it would be my last opportunity to go as a camper to both SPEC and youth camp. Additionally, I have been looking forward to being a Leader-In-Training (LIT) at junior camp, I am excited to be able to give back those experiences and memories to other children in our community.
At Community of Christ camps and events we are able to open not only myself but my peers to tough conversations and topics that we face as we grow older, having such important discussions with an open minded and listening group is something I believe to be beneficial in our current worldly climate.
Even later in my childhood, I began attending youth camp. It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed my time there! I was reunited with many friends that I had lost contact with. I was fairly shy and guarded at first, but after a few days I began to open up and trust those others around me. Youth camp allowed me to be my true authentic self for a week. The campers, counselors, and friends I had there helped me through many growing pains of my older childhood; I felt loved and wanted every time I stepped through the Hills of Peace gates. Memories of those times I still hold dear, hoping that one day I may get to go back and experience it one last time before being thrown into adulthood.
Because of the current events in our world, I have not been able to go back in almost two years, I miss it terribly. The community and support that camp introduced me to I still carry with me today, the fond memories providing me with comfort when I cannot be there in person. Moments and memories like these drive me to continue to be a part of the Community of Christ.
I'm excited to be able to go back to camp, but also be able to go to Spectacular (SPEC). I had planned on going this past year and this upcoming summer, but due to Covid-19 that is not a possibility right now. If possible, I would love to attend both in 2022 as it would be my last opportunity to go as a camper to both SPEC and youth camp. Additionally, I have been looking forward to being a Leader-In-Training (LIT) at junior camp, I am excited to be able to give back those experiences and memories to other children in our community.
At Community of Christ camps and events we are able to open not only myself but my peers to tough conversations and topics that we face as we grow older, having such important discussions with an open minded and listening group is something I believe to be beneficial in our current worldly climate.
