Camp Kesem 2023

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  • Please refrain from reading this if you are a new counselor or otherwise have not experience camp yet but will in the future!
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My Kesem Website

Camp Kesem is a nationwide nonprofit organization providing free summer camps and year-round support for children impacted by a parent’s cancer. It offers a vibrant community where kids can connect, grow, and find joy amidst challenging circumstances. Luckily, we have one of the largest chapters at MIT, running two one-week long camps at the end of the summer as part of a bigger program simply called Kesem which helps campers remain connected with our organization year-round. My freshman year I joined Kesem at MIT as a counselor along with a few friends just as a way to get out of our comfort zones and try something new.

Camp was the last week of summer, and the night leading up to it, I had just quit my research job of one year and broke down in front of my roommate about how I had wasted all this time and burned all these bridges. For all I knew, I did not want to be waking up nice and early the following morning to go camping with a bunch of kids. I couldn’t be more clueless for what was to come.

I used to work with and like working with teens so I had requested to be apart of the unit for young teens, aptly named the Cowpals to fit the year’s theme of time travel. Frankly, the first day, when it was just the new counselors at camp getting settled, was unimpressive. But I wouldn’t have it any other way because when the campers and returning counselors rolled up in the buses the following morning and we started forming a tunnel with our arms for them to run through, there was a giddiness, an eagerness to meet every single camper that coarsed throughout my body that wouldn’t have had such an impact had my expectations been high.

Programming-wise, Kesem didn’t differ too much from other summer camps: there were the typical high ropes courses, relay races, and gaga ball pits and of course the mess hall, an arts and crafts cabin, and the accompanying lake and water slide. But there was this optimistic undertone, what we called the Kesem magic, that had been absent from all the other camps I’ve attended and that permeated every activity, meal, and interaction I shared with the campers and counselors. Although everyone was having so much fun, it never felt like that was the end and I couldn’t quite understand why.

Camp as a new counselor who went through all these trainings throughout the year about how to handle situations with campers and support camp logistics, especially when working with teens not too much younger than me and experiencing each activity as they happened for the first time, was confusing. Because on one hand, you’d have seasoned campers coming back for their eighth or ninth year who have seen every trick in the book and on the other, you’d have these new counselors like me who had no idea what to expect but who needed to be acting as authority figures. However, this way, even though we say that everything is for the kid, the magic nonetheless gets sprinkled onto new counselors just as well.

I’m referring to Empowerment and Affirmations which are culminating activities near the end of the magical week. During Empowerment, campers are paired off with counselors in their unit and given a dedicated safe space to share their story, to let out their pent up emotions, and feel supported by others who are going through or have gone through similar hardships. We’d then gather together and take turns going up on stage to share our stories. I was paired with Choguito, one of our few first-time campers, who is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and throughout the week, wasted no time bonding with everyone else in the unit. Being so vulnerable with someone was new to me - I had never felt so heard and listened to at the same time. These kids are mature, more than I could have ever been at their age. And I admire them so much for that; everyone is truly on their own path in life. I want to give them the world, show them all the things I’ve experienced that I’m grateful for, and most of all, be lifelong friends with them. During Affirmations, we’d again sit in circles faced away from the center, crisscross applesauce, forming a circular path in the middle that people could walk along without being seen. At this point, the sun had already set and candles were lit to set the mood. The activity was simple, everyone was to grab a glowstick when they came in, crack it, and note which of five colors they received. One by one color groups were called to pace along the circular path, everyone else sitting and faced away.

And here’s everything, the directors would announce prompts like: “Tap someone who has made you smile this week… Tap someone who has made you feel loved this week… Tap someone who now consider a good friend… Tap someone who is caring… Tap someone who is strong… Tap someone who is…”. Sitting down and hearing all the shuffling behind me, the anticipation leading up to feeling a tap, was exhilarating. It was funny how I could almost tell who the taps were from: some people gave hugs, some lightly tapped, some would give a firm pat, some would whisper in your ear as well. The entire room was filled with people failing miserably at stifling their tears. I loved this with every ounce of my heart and after, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Through this, I’ve met incredibly hardworking and selfless people like Sunshine (Grace Sun), Spyro (Joseph Morales), and Cheerio (Grace Song), who are inspiring upperclassmen and role models. I’ve a newfound appreciation for a life motto of mine: “Give, don’t take.” I’ve gained broader perspective on things I’m stressed about at the moment. Bluntly speaking, the struggles I’ve had in life so far are minuscule (I wouldn’t go as far as putting them down) and I should be more present and appreciative of what I have. Camp reminded me of this quote about if everyone in the world were to throw their deepest, ugliest problems and struggles in a pit for everyone else to see, you would be the first to scramble to pull yours back out. My goal with this post isn’t to capture the fleeting memories, that’s what pictures and videos are for, but rather the emotions I was feeling during these impactful events and to have something to ground myself 5, 10 years down the line when I’m less at liberty to immerse myself in and embrace such a community.

I would say that I’m so excited to be back at camp this summer to see the kids and how much they’ve grown and tell them all about how they’ve made me proud, but, and I’m quite ashamed to be saying this, life got in the way and I will not be in town to make either weeks of camp this year.

So am I really being true to myself when I say that Kesem has changed who I am? Coming back to MIT at the end of summer, I told many of my friends that it was the most transformative week of my life. I think I would bet on there being more than just a hint of truth in that statement but there’s not much else I can say now except for sneaking in an obligatory declaration of excitement for Kesem 2024-2025.

CLAM,

Katsu

Cowpals Week 2 ‘23

  • Campers: Scoop, Choguito, Thresher, Speedy, Shittake, Moonlight, Porky, Spartan, Lyric, Mr. Roboto
  • Counselors: Twix (UL), Katsu, Wheels, Dots, Strawberry, Tree, Sky, Aspen