As staff members, we aspire to be role models for the campers. However, we realize that the relationship between the younger and older campers can often be closer than that between the younger campers and us. For this reason, we strive for our older campers to be role models for the younger ones. At the beginning of the week, we challenged them to become leaders and it has been their choice to step up to the opportunity.

Starting Day 1, each of the upper level campers was assigned to be a mentor for three younger campers. As a group, they identified a problem that affects a community of their choice and strove to find a solution to this problem. Not only did this activity encourage civic engagement, but it also allowed the campers to get to know others outside of their counselor groups and age groups. They formulated and discussed the implementation of various solutions and planned a way to promote it in the community. They presented their ideas through “science fair”-style posters and also answered questions from counselors and fellow campers.

This team building activity promoted cooperation and community engagement. For five days, the groups worked on their presentation and the only role the counselors and staff had was to be available for occasional guidance. The mentors were the leaders in the group, and in some cases the mentees felt confident enough to take on the role as leader.

For most of the camp, counselors and staff are there to facilitate the activities. The mentor/mentee project is unique in that it is designed specifically for the campers to take charge. We aim to show them that they already possess the qualities of a leader. Furthermore, we hope that this project demonstrates that they do not need adults to efficiently and effectively organize a community project.

It was amazing to watch how some of the same kids who were shy at the beginning of the week developed the confidence to take charge and become role models in the eyes of the younger campers. We challenged them to take initiative and action. We set the bar high and they greatly surpassed our expectations!

SATs. AP classes. Extracurriculars. College Life. Majors. These are all topics greatly discussed during a high school student’s life. Today, counselors and staff spent the greater part of the day inside – due to the unexpected downpour – and participated in various college workshops. The workshops were intended to ease the stresses our high school-aged campers often face academically, while sharing our own experiences with them.

Campers were divided by grade level: freshman/sophomores, juniors/seniors, and rising freshman in college. Staff members chose which workshop to lead based on their interests, from specific college majors, to preparing for standardized tests, to optimizing studying patterns.

College applications and SATs are often a source of discussion and stress for high school juniors and seniors. Nakkisa Akhavan, a staff member as well as an SAT tutor, led a discussion with campers entering their junior or senior year on how to plan for the ACT and SAT. Luckily finished with that process, rising college freshman joined a conversation on college life and choosing majors.

Having a reputation for pulling all-day study sessions, I chose to lead a workshop for freshman and sophomores in high school with staff member Arya Saniee, discussing study habits and academics. Campers first discussed their personal study habits before Arya and I shared our stories of lessons learned. The older campers in the group shared tips with the younger campers such as going to teachers for help whenever possible and remembering to sleep even before a huge mid-term. Here, we all witnessed a great representation of Ayandeh culture: staff and campers passing on advice and sharing personal experiences. This collaborative give-and-take of information has been invaluable to past participants and we are excited for this year’s campers and staff to be influenced in the same way!