pcv projects
YMLP Camp
I
Scott Johnson MAK 17
f smiles, laughter and lasting memories were used to measure success, this year’s Young Men’s Leadership Project summer camp would easily be off the charts.
Forty -four campers and 8 junior counselors attended the outdoor-based, inter-ethnic English leadership
camp June 18-24 in Krushevo’s Shula Mina children’s resort, just up the road from the Tose Proeski Museum. Roughly 24 Peace Corps volunteers worked with YMCA Bitola, the partner organization for YMLP,
as well as citizens of Macedonia to help organize this year’s YMLP camp..
The campers, who will all be in high school in September, attended classes built around the themes of
Leadership, Democracy, Civic Responsibility and Personal Development. These four main core classes
were facilitated and developed in partnerships between Peace Corps volunteers and citizens of Macedonia. Classes and workshops were also developed around art, athletics, teamwork, communication, sex
education, project design, first-aid, and co-existing with the natural environment.
YMLP organizers managed to problem solve two significant logistical challenges before camp-identifying
a suitable replacement site
within less than 10 days before camp and unseasonal
rainy days. With no electricity available at the original
site in Tajmiste, where the
YMLP camp was held the
previous two years, organizers were pressed to figure
out a location for sleeping
accommodations both inside and outside of cabins,
and locate flat open spaces
for tents, sports, and trails for
rough camping. Rain complicated matters leading up to
the start of camp and the first
few days of camp, but the
staff and campers weathered
the conditions.
Campers were divided by regions amongst eight teams
on the first day. The teams
worked to create unique
chants and flags, which represented their team’s unity. One counselor was assigned to each team. For
the first time ever, the camp featured a former camper leading a team as a counselor, as well as two ‘staff
in training’ members. YMLP organizers hope to increase the number of former campers working as staff
members which will increase sustainability of the camp.
The next four days were filled with engaging classes in the morning and afternoon. Campers were signed
up for evening electives ranging from baseball, creative writing, kickball, and Korean. Campers also experienced sleeping in tents, cooking a meal over a fire and preparing S’mores. The United States Ambassador to Macedonia, Paul Wohlers, visited the camp on the second day, coming away impressed with the
stimulating ideas and activities for the campers and future leaders of Macedonia.
24 – Pauza Magazine