Constructive Relationships and Community Building – Lessons From Camp
“Our children are our future. Building children’s character is very important if we are to have responsible citizens.”
-Ritah Namakula
Children of Uganda Program Director
Thanks to an outpouring of support from friends like you, our sponsored primary and secondary students enjoyed a 3-day summer camp from August 29th – 31st held on the grounds of Sabina Primary Boarding School. The camp was facilitated in partnership with Universal Sporting Bridge (USB) – a local Ugandan NGO established by a group of athletic coaches committed to helping communities solve their own challenges and live with dignity through sports.
The theme for the camp was “Knowing My Boundaries” and the USB coaches led a series of games and activities centered on developing positive relationships, decision making and community building.
For example, there was a game where the children looked at a sketch of an elephant with 8 men holding onto a different part (trunk, leg, tail, etc.). Each of the men thought that their part was the most important. The students discussed what they thought and then the camp facilitators explained that “In fact, no one was right and everyone was right”. The elephant represented the world and each man represented a different perspective. So, while one may believe the leg is most important – another may believe the trunk is. The USB coaches encouraged the children to hold fast to their beliefs, but to also respect and try to understand the perspective of others.
The games helped students learn how to relate with their peers and community members (parents, teachers, authority figures, etc.) for their benefit and for the good of others. They discussed ways to maintain good relationships, what breaks relationships and how one can mend a broken relationship (a clay pot was used for this demonstration).
Executive Director Pamela Brannon, who attended the camp along with one of our visiting child sponsors, shared the following:
“I chatted with some of the kids at the end of the day about what they enjoyed most and overwhelmingly they loved the lesson on space management. Essentially, this is learning to respect and give space to those who might appear different than you, but understanding that most of the time we have many similar qualities.”
On the final day of camp, students were given a few hours to break into 3 groups and each come up with a skit showcasing what they learned. Their creativity, poise and maturity were astonishing. So many of them spoke about staying calm when there are disagreements and learning to listen to another’s perspective. They also appreciated being encouraged to share positive feedback to their friends, teachers and elders.
Children of Uganda hosted a special surprise party afterwards with food, drinks and lots of singing and dancing. The kids were so grateful for the extra treats and time spent together. One of our beloved donors, who coaches soccer (or football as it’s called in Uganda), also sent a bunch of gear for the children and they beyond thrilled to play with brand new balls and equipment.
Some of the children were literally in tears as they headed home because they didn’t want to leave camp – that’s how much the experience meant to them.
We are so grateful to the Universal Sporting Bridge coaches, the entire Sabina Primary School and COU team and all of our supporters across the globe for making this such an incredible, life changing experience for our kids. We are confident that the skills our students learned in camp will positively benefit and impact them as they grow.
