Camp Never Ends…

An blog written Haadia ‘18, a CRS camper from Pakistan, sharing how Camp inspired her to start her own candy business and develop a summer camp for blind children with her social enterprise.

My CRS Experience

In July 2018 at Camp Rising Sun in Rhinebeck, New York, surviving  a vigil night alone in the woods was unthinkable for a city girl like me. My first attempt at building a fire burnt my fingers. As I dipped my stinging fingers into my bucket of water to ease the pain, a blaze of determination kindled in me, fueling my determination to get through the night. I needed to be strong. When that first log caught fire, the blaze felt like an inferno. I broke more branches to keep it alive as it seemed like my only company.

That night, my surroundings gave me strength. A myriad of insects crawled over me. The once terrifying sounds of coyotes became a reassurance that I was not alone. The sky bloomed into fiery opalescence and the sounds of the coyotes faded into the soft chirping of the birds. The warmth and animation of the forest was proof that I had not only survived that night but had successfully embraced  the forest as my comfort zone. I doused the fire and watched the flames die out. All that remained were the ashes, my mark in the forest. The fire was out, but its warmth within me is still alive. A part of the forest came back with me.

The first night after returning home to Pakistan felt strange. Something was missing. It was the tent talks, songs and sound of laughter from the people I cared about. In Pakistan, I never had the chance to go camping and I always felt I wouldn't like it. However, the wilderness trip changed it all. It's amazing how one experience can have such a big impact.

Camp taught me that leadership is not about telling people what you think is best and doing that only. It's about letting others explore through experience and being there as a guiding light. It's about being a shoulder they can lean on in the time of need. Most importantly, camp has taught me how to adapt to different conditions which will help me adapt to different circumstances in life. My learning from camp has become a way of thought and action.

My Journey after Camp

Camp has taught me to try new things without any fear. After returning from camp I started my own natural candy business in Pakistan under the name of Candyction.

Camp also made me more observant and I noticed how parents refrain from buying their children candy because it has chemicals, artificial color and flavor. That is why it’s essential to have healthy alternatives. Since there is no healthy candy company in Pakistan, I decided to make my own. I was thrilled to see the response I got when I set up a stall at the Daachi Festival. 

Examples of Haadia’s candy

Camp continued to inspire me and I decided to incorporate my learnings from camp in my social organization Be a Friend that I had started in 2016.

Be A Friend Organization

BE A FRIEND engages volunteers to interact with disabled children to exchange knowledge and friendship via art, sport and activity. I launched a book drive, raising Rs 175,000 to purchase 175 braille books for the students of Aziz Jehan Begum Trust (AJBT) for the Blind by selling preloved books. I promote environmental awareness through social entrepreneurship by developing natural recipes for play dough, bath bombs, lotion bars, body powder, peel off masks, dry shampoo and perfume to sell for fundraising and encourage use of natural chemical free products. I also donate these products to young cancer patients at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Trust Hospital and the orphanage Bali Shelter. My team has 70 donors and volunteers. However, I still felt like I was lacking a personal connection with the students of Aziz Jehan Begum Trust.

In July 2019, I organized a summer camp at Aziz Jehan Begum Trust for the Blind through my social venture Be A Friend. Inspired by the teaching methodology at Camp Rising Sun, I led a team of 11 instructors by designing an integrated course curriculum based on experiential learning. Subjects included art, drama, music, public speaking, poetry and creative writing with field trips, exhibitions and performances to close the Program.

CRS as Inspiration while Conducting the Camp

At camp we were all encouraged to give instructions based on our talents and interests. Similarly, I encouraged the Be A Friend team to instruct workshops based on what they believed in or what they were good at. 

Each workshop was taught by a specialist of that field; the drama, music and poetry instructors were the presidents of these societies in their respective schools. Not only did they get a chance to showcase their talents but it also gave the students a chance to explore different fields of interest. 

Camp encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things by taking us to the wilderness trip. I decided to take those 80 students to the mall in order to bring them out of the comfort of their school and explore and interact in an environment that was new to them. It was going to be their first time on an escalator. I have to admit, I was scared to take 80 students to the mall. Every now and then I scurried around making sure all the kids were in my sight. But seeing their confidence in navigating the brand-new space, I relaxed as they giggled in delight at the smells and sounds of the mall. 

During our public speaking workshops, we would ask the students for feedback. After each student's speech, the students sitting in the audience were asked to give one strength and one weakness about the speech just like the Sachems of the day at camp would ask us to give them feedback about the day and their performance as leaders. I wanted to see if they liked the idea of giving feedback to one another so I asked them. They said, “Yes, it makes us more confident and we end up learning from each other.” Their response was quite pleasing to hear as my aim of uniting the students and making them depend on each other for support and advice had been fulfilled.  

After all, that's what camp taught us. To rely on each other in our time of need.

“Lean on me, when you're not strong.”

My students became my friends. Their phone calls asking about my school and life showed their desire to diversify their circle of friends. We ended up forming a Whatsapp group and now texting seems obsolete. Our communication through voice notes is quick, easy and expressive through tone. Our backgrounds, abilities and goals may be different but we share the same emotions. This reminds of my friends from camp. What I miss most about Camp Rising Sun is being surrounded by people who represent the world and finding similarities within our different cultures and beliefs through experiential learning. My fellow campers wishing me Happy Birthday in different languages gives me a window into being a part of so many new cultures. 

We hope you enjoyed reading how one alumnae’s Camp experience impacted her life back in her home community! If you are interested in writing for our blog, please email us at contact@lajf.org.