Camp Sky Amazingness

November 9th to November 22nd I spent at Camp Sky; a camp for Malawian students (junior year of high school) who exhibit superior behavior and academic potential in the schools where we work. There were roughly 100 students in total representing all districts in Malawi. We gathered in Zomba, located in the Southern part of the country. The purpose of the Camp Sky is to give opportunities for our brightest students to gather and be exposed to different experiences i.e. photography, ballroom dancing, and computers; while also dedicating a bulk of time to core academic classes that are crucial to their national exams. The camp is put on by the first year education volunteers each year, so this year was my group's turn. The theme of the camp was, "Find your path"-Pezani njira yanu. At the onset, our students were separated into one of the following career tracks: Business, Health, Environment, and Creative Arts. Students took core classes in English, Biology, Physical Science, and Math with time for independent reading and had afternoon sessions that focused in on their career areas. For example, business students explored journalism and economics, while environment learned about composting and tree planting. We had field trips for each track including visits to a hospital, newspaper, tree nursery, botanical gardens, artisans guild, and the stock exchange. We took a group trip to Liwonde National Park and saw my first elephants, hippos, and different species of antelopes. With that formal introduction and explanation, I must share on a more personal level that Camp Sky was a pure delight and inspiration to me. I have never seen such dedicated students! They were up at 5am in the dining hall doing homework or reading. They were so eager to learn and so grateful for the opportunity to gather with other top notch students and gain a leg up on their competitors. They had unlimited, pure, inspiring energy. We had little sleep as we started each day at breakfast: 6:30AM and ended our evening game sessions at 9:30. Then we had staff meetings up to 11PM each night. Although I had little sleep, each day I was motivated to wake and prepare for my classes. I taught English everyday to the Business students and in the afternoons I held a career seminar for all four career tracks touching upon resumes, interviews, applications, and goal setting. I was also crucial in arranging a dance on the last night that was a success! Enjoy the photos and Video.