Learning Places

Well this is my last day to do this. I can't wait to come back during the school year. I will enjoy these experiences weather I'm tierd or not. I had fun this summer. I learned so much about myself than I would have ever learned in my entire life. I thank you for this chance to express myself and I will see you guys later!

This summer I was given the chance to participate in this camp called Camp Independence. Although I knew I was going to be working with kids that had cerebral palsy, I had no idea that this opportunity would be the most enriching and amazing experience in my life so far.

 

Cerebral Palsy is defined as a disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. So some of the kids may not be able to speak on their own, some have talkers, some don’t. Some may not be able to walk on their own or at all, some may be blind and with some of the kids you would never know they had CP.  The disability does not affect the intelligence of the campers or anyone with CP, they think and feel the same way as anyone else would.

 

Since Camp Independence is a sports rehabilitation camp for children with cerebral palsy, every day we did different sports and activities. So we would play tennis, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, do martial arts, dance and swim! Every camper has a buddy to hang out with them for the day. I had many buddies this summer and each one taught me something new and made the summer better.

Coming into the program I really didn't expect me to meet a lot of interesting people, I thought is was a job that me and my friends could work at and get paid together. As the days passed as a 1st year yes teen I started getting comfortable with new people around me and became more involved with all the activities they had planned for me.

My second year I seen myself more excited to work with the people I met my 1st year and the new teens that was coming that summer. I knew I learned a lot my 1st year and I might be able to teach the new teens what I've learned.

My third year in the program I was moved to another group where I had to meet another group of new teens. I felt that it was nothing really to worry about cause I was the older teen and I knew more about the the program than the new teens. I felt that it was meant for me to be moved into another group so I can share my intelligence with the teens.

 The last year for me has came to an end as a yes teen and I feel that I have learned so much in this program that I can take that with me any where I go and teach that knowledge to younger kids. The program really helped me become from a shy teen to a teen that feels like he can go up to anybody and start a conversation with that person. Deep down inside I will miss all the supervisors that helped me become a better person and helped me with good advice about be a mature adult. I will never forget what I  was taught and never forget the people that taught me.  

I have had a great summer in learning places. I loved teaching the children and I hope that they took out of it as much as I did. now that I think about it learning places has done so much this summer and last fall. We designed five sites in which we would be able to teach children while having the space interactive and usable by other people so that educaters and children could learn and build off of what we created. we done so much with the kids and spent so much time with them. just the amount of work spent teaching was a great accomplishment but we had to go beyound that because we had to ensure that the kids got the most of their time; so we had to not only learn the investigations, but understand them inside and out while also actually doing the investigation before hand to ensure that the kids would enjoy it. I learned so much this summer not only about how to teach and what I needed to teach but I also learned a lot about myself in the process. the group of learning places has done so great and done so much but I think that our accomplishments so much more when the obstacles we have over come are taken into consideration. at the begining of the year we did have a rough start but through hard work and an amazing effort by both supervisers and my co-workers we were able to over come them to make this my best year ever as a yes teen.

My summer with Learning Places was a Blast! My supervisors were Messa, Bill and Tim. They taught me a lot and helped me increase on my intelligence. We have done a lot and been through a lot (as usual). I really enjoyed myself this summer with you all and I will love to show up next year(if able). -Paul Calloway

The summer was so fun working in the learning places.I got to meet new people. I'm also glad this is the last week so I won't have to deal with my sister anymore.I liked working with the older kids because they are very helpful and sometimes gives good advice.