Camp City Year

Each year, City Year Los Angeles hosts spring break camps at schools in the communities where we serve. Through Camp City Year, we provided a week of fun activities, nutritious food, positive mentoring, and experiential learning for these kids. In fact, one mother thanked me, saying, “If it weren’t for Camp City Year, my children would be sitting at home watching TV all week.”

This year, we had three elementary school camps and one middle school camp. I was selected to serve as a Recruitment Manager for one of our camps in Boyle Heights at Sunrise Elementary School.

Our camp staff consisted of 10 Corps Members. We worked relentlessly for months before camp began. In fact, the week leading up to camp, I logged over 80 hours.

The theme this year was “Secret Agents of Change” where children learned how to be spies and gather evidence to solve a mystery.

I found myself overwhelmingly exhausted during the week of camp and it reminded me of exam week during my college days. However, as I saw the children’s faces light up with excitement and enthusiasm while learning how to be a secret agent, engaging in service activities, piecing together clues, and having fun learning outside of the classroom, my long hours were nothing compared to the exhilaration I felt.

Although my City Year experience is nearing its end, it’s refreshing to witness moments which lift others up and provide meaning not only to the lives of those others but also to me and my service.