Summer Camp

Summer Camp 2019 Report – We did it!

Location: Miyagi Prefecture

Participants: 91 campers, 8 LITs, 29 care workers, and 17 MM staff & volunteers

Date: Session 1: July 29th – August 2nd, Session 2: August 5th – 9th, Session 3: August 12th – 16th

The 2019 Mirai no Mori Summer Camp is over, but certainly not forgotten. So many magical memories were created every day at Summer Camp, with 145 participants including campers, LITs, care workers and camp staff. We all showed the Mirai no Mori 5 values (courage, kindness, leadership, respect and responsibility) and participated in creating this one-of-a-kind Summer Camp. We hope that this experience will help guide the campers to a brighter future. We would like to sincerely thank all of you, who helped in making differences in these children’s lives.

Day 1

Our veteran campers were great at showing first timers around and making them feel welcome! All the teams had a lot of fun coming up with their team names like “Night Forest” and “Wild Fruits”, with their unique head-count chant! The evening activity for Day 1 was “team fire”, where they gathered around the fire to roast marshmallows and get to know each other. It was a great way to start the 5 day camp!

Day 2

In the morning, the campers enjoyed games and crafts, some of the children helped out in the kitchen. Care workers are joined in teams as “big campers” and bringing the camp spirit up!

We also enjoyed Nature Bingo, learning new things about nature during a hike. Sights like birds nests and mushrooms put smiles on their faces.

During World Tour, we learned and experienced lots of different cultures from all around the world. The campers laughed at some customs elsewhere and were amazed by others. A fun day of new learning for the campers!

Day 3

The campers had a fun adventure on our Stream Hike. We got to see nature in action, showed great team spirits, and shared the accomplishments of our biggest activity during 5-day camp. The bravest of our campers took the plunge at the rock jump challenge!

Day 4

Competition is always fierce at the MOlympics (Mirai no Mori Olympics) and this year was no exception. Teams earned points not only by winning games but also by showing their support of the other teams, and by showing off all that Mirai no Mori camp Spirit!

Our dinner was dutch oven chicken that everyone enjoyed making. All teams including fire, vegetable, chicken and apple crumble, worked together to cook our final dinner.

As a last evening activity together, he teams gathered around the fire and told stories about their experience during camp in front of everyone. Very shy campers took the courage to speak up!

Day 5

Time flies and it’s already our final day of camp! LITs gave some very moving speeches during our closing ceremonies. Campers and staff alike signed each other’s Mirai no Mori camp T-shirts to remember each other and promised to see each other next time.

In these 15 days, some strong friendships were made and some even more fun times were had by all! We believe that the experiences that the campers had will stay with them for a long time.

We want to sincerely thank you for all you help in making a difference in these children’s lives.

Voices from Camp

Campers:

“I was nervous in the beginning, but I am really glad that I made lots of new friends.”

“I enjoyed all the activities but what I remember most is the courage I had to jump from the rock during stream hike!”

Leader in Training participant:

“I am grateful to have experienced, as a leader and behind the scenes, what it takes to create a Summer Camp. It was tough, but also fun to try so many new things with my fellow LIT’s and campers.”

Care worker:

“It was great to see all the children trying to do things on their own, taking responsibility, stepping out of their comfort zone, and working together as a team. This whole camp experience reminded me of how capable our children truly are.”