In a village where “Africa Time” is the norm, I walked to
the organization’s offices to find all of the Camp GLOW girls already eagerly
waiting outside of the gate, ready to leave for camp. People were early in South Africa?! Wow, they must have
been really excited. We loaded up two mini-buses and took off on the hour long
trek to camp with house music blaring and the girls screaming out of the
windows the entire time. The first day began with games to get to know each
other and team time (team hearts, stars, and suns). After lunch, we had a session on what
sisterhood means and why it is important. Then the girls got their first
exposure to good ol’ fashioned tie dye shirts. The first day ended with a movie
night and popcorn. Day two started with
a ropes and team building adventure course.
The girls zip-lined, climbed walls, crossed rickety bridges and passed
through net obstacles, strategizing how to get everyone through together. While most Americans have several exposures
to similar courses, this truly was a unique experience for these girls and I
have a feeling they’ll be telling zip-lining tales when they are gogos
(grannies). In the afternoon we had sessions on stereotyping, discrimination,
and goal setting. We did an activity
where girls with braids or long hair got candy and had a dance party while
everyone else had to sit and watch. We then discussed how it felt to be in both
groups and the different discrimination we have in our own lives. (Don’t worry,
everyone got candy in the end). Another
activity was about how to set and achieve realistic goals and we shared our
five and ten year dreams. At night, we
had a bonfire and taught the girls the art of smore making. In South Africa,
marshmallows only come in flavors-strawberry, grape, you name it. It definitely puts a spin on the classic
smore. The bonfire quickly turned into a
giant dance party. The great thing about dancing is that even the shyest of girls
love getting in the middle of the circle to show off their moves. Even the
‘umlungu’s (white people) were pulled in to show off our (not nearly as
talented) dance moves. The girls sang traditional songs for hours, stopping
only when we had to make them go inside.
Day three began with puberty, healthy relationships, and safe sex
activities. We started by making puberty
mummies. The mummies are made by saran wrapping someone’s body, cutting it off,
taping it up, and stuffing it with paper.
The girls then drew signs of puberty on the mummy. They got really into
it, adding heads, weaves (hair), and taking time to shape the mummy. We then
played a game that explored the myths and facts of puberty, sex, and
pregnancy. We talked about healthy
relationships by talking about couples in a very popular South African soap
opera. As is probably true for most soap operas, very few of the characters are
in a healthy relationship (drama drama drama).
We talked about why we wouldn’t want their relationships and what kind
of things we want in a relationship. The
highlight of the sex talk was the condom races; to see who can properly put a
condom on a cucumber. After lunch, we had a talk about HIV/AIDS and how to best
respond to peer pressure. True to my New
Mexican roots, I taught everyone the dream catcher tradition and we each made
our very own. That night we talked about
self-esteem and the importance of loving yourself. We all wrote nice things
about each other and journaled about our good qualities. Then, it was time for
a pamper session complete with face masks, makeup, and nail polish. The final day started with a talk on
supporting people with HIV and ended with a picture slideshow (which is always
a huge hit) and games. Everyone had a great time and was sad to leave.
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