The Long and Winding BROad: PCL holds first ever Camp BRO The story all began in mid-November when I was contacted by PCVs Arti Patel and Amanda Frye about heading up an effort to hold a camp for local area boys concerning life skills, gender issues, leadership and men’s health. Having met with the legendary headmistress, Sister Alice, and decided the basic logistics of the camp, we went on holiday, agreeing to meet again in January and resolve the final details of the camp before the tentatively set date of mid-February. However, as so often happens, things did not go exactly as planned: Sister Alice was in a terrible, near-death car accident during the holiday break that has left her hospitalized to this day. A couple of weeks later, the day I was due to meet her replacement, the formidable ‘Me Makabelo, I broke my hand in a sporting accident and had to seek emergency treatment in Bloemfontein. Consequently, these set-backs caused us to push back the date of the camp by several months, in turn causing scheduling conflicts with many of the PCVs who had agreed to help with the camp. Two months after the beginning of our planning for the camp, therefore, we had to start again, almost from scratch. However, despite these initial problems, Camp BRO was very fortunate to be blessed from this point on with a set of dedicated, capable PCVs and a generous host organization in the form of Pitseng High School. ‘Me Makabelo was very kind in accommodating us with assistance and opening the resources of the school to us. Similarly, a new group of interested Volunteers stepped forward and resurrected the project as we began to make it our own; whereas Camp GLOW had been an all-girls affair, we made Camp BRO open to female Volunteers in order to further lessons of gender equality and respect of women in positions of leadership. At the second meeting of the GEL committee in Mohale’s Hoek, the name was changed from Camp TOBE (Teaching Our Boys Excellence) to Camp BRO (Boys Respecting Others)… A far superior moniker if I do say so myself. Also, around this time, the schedule of Camp BRO began to form: Each PCV picked one activity concerning life skills, leadership, health or gender issues to lead facilitate at the camp. Then, when not lead-facilitating, the PCVs would co-facilitate other PCVs’ activities in small groups so as to encourage quality participation and discussion. Finally, the day of the camp, April 25th, was upon us and we all met at the Mountain View Hotel in Hlotse to finalize our preparations and enjoy a last minute pizza before heading off to hinterlands of Leribe. Having arrived and settled into our quarters in the staffroom, we began the camp by dividing the boys (around 150) into equal teams each led by a PCV and, when possible, a counterpart. Each team came up with a team name and a special team cheer. Some of my favorites include Brendan’s “Good Shepherd of Strugglers”, Evan’s “Naughty Boys” and James’ “Mr. Bones’ Team.” The cheers were also a joy to watch, as you could see the boys get excited and take pride in their new teams. After that, Evan Brown and Tyrel Dixon led some sessions on leadership and teamwork to round out the first day. The next day, however, brought some challenges as fewer boys attended and our start time had to be pushed back due to weekly chores. Nevertheless, while we started the day with about 50 participants, we slowly gained another 25 or so during the course of the day. The second day started off with “BRO-ocracy”, a mock election lead-facilitated by your humble writer. After that, Morgan and Keegan led a kind of scavenger hunt/relay-race that encouraged leadership and teamwork. During the afternoon, we were treated to sessions on gender relations led by James, in which gender roles were discussed, and Narin, in which the boys were instructed to act out and then discuss their understanding of these gender roles. These sessions were then followed by Brendan, who led a session on volunteerism and community improvement. That night we had campfire with the boys who boarded at the school where we roasted marshmallows and were treated to traditional song and dance. The dance was thoroughly amazing and the songs, despite mostly being odes to the invincible character of PCV James, were also great. The final day consisted mainly of Grassroot Soccer (GRS) sessions. First, PCV Jake Glick led a session about VMMC and abstinence and I followed that with a session concerning communication called “Team Handball.” After congratulations and some wrap-up, we handed out certificates (designed masterfully by Evan and featuring the “BROgo”) and concluded the camp. Of course, with this being the pilot program of Camp BRO, there certainly are some things that we can improve upon: While the school had promised us 10 or so teacher counterparts to help us with facilitation, only about three or four made themselves available and assisted more with logistical issues than facilitation. In this sense, not enough was done to foster the development of the host organization to independently facilitate these lessons without the aid of Peace Corps and, from a sustainability perspective, the camp was lacking. However, I could not be prouder and more thankful concerning all the work the PCVs put in toward making this happen and truly believe that the some of the lessons we discussed with the boys will make them better leaders, citizens and men in the future. A special thank you to each of my BROs and BROdettes is definitely in order: Camp BRO wouldn’t have been possible without each of you and I could never have asked for a better group of friends to implement an event with. Narin Ratanavade, James Kruger, Brendan Rosen, Ty Dixon, Evan Brown , Mishelle Ennellasye, Morgan Nees Van Baalen , Keegan Mackin, Kim Arent and Jake Glick, you guys are the best. Furthermore, I cannot express my gratitude to Pitseng HS for accommodating us so well. Their kindness and cooperation has been one of the most moving things I’ve professionally encountered here in Lesotho.
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 09:42:55 +0000