After a long rainy Thursday, the sun finally shone down on Hinsdale, MA today, just in time for the Team Challenge, a perennial camper favorite. Team challenge is a series of activities that campers must complete together in a camp-wide race: a water balloon toss, a quiz game, a game of charades, and a basketball shoot-out, where several members of the team must shoot a basket (assists don’t count!). This challenge is designed to ensure all team members work together to complete each section before moving on, while also encouraging friendly competition among the groups.

IAAB Camper Arian Jadbabaie discusses with his team during IAAB's Team Challenge

I planned to cheer along with the staff and watch the activities from afar, but once they took off I was completely drawn in! In all the excitement, I found myself running along the court to each activity along with the groups, shouting words of encouragement and cheering along with the campers.

As teammates and staffers cheered from the court, groups of teams waiting to compete cheered the competitors on from the sidelines. Ayandeh aims to maintain a strong level of friendly competition that gets campers excited about both the physical activities and cultural discussions. Sportsmanship is a key skill which campers can carry on into their lives outside of Ayandeh.

After some close calls, in the first round of the challenge, group “T-Raqs” (a play on T-rex and one of our favorite breaktime activities – raqs!) won the team challenge while the younger team of “Two Gooz For You” (sorry moms and dads) won the second round of the challenge.

This annual tradition will likely continue to be a favorite and we look forward to another great Team Challenge next summer!

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

“Racism is still a major problem in America today.”                                                                                                                                      “Gun control in the United States is far too tight.”                                                                                                                                            “An allocated time for prayer in school is acceptable.”                                                                                                                  “Experimenting on animals is just for human research.”                                                                                                                               “To be truly Iranian, you must be able to speak Farsi.”

Camper Shayon Imani particpates in the Human Barometer Activity

At the dinner table or when in the company of new acquaintances, these are the kind of topics and statements that are rarely spoken of due to the controversy they provoke in our society. Camp Ayandeh is a safe haven for campers to express their opinions freely and gain insights into the opinions of others, and the Human Barometer activity is one way to gauge the social pressures surrounding such hot-button topics.

Three yellow signs were hung across the wall. On the far left: “Agree.” On the right: “Disagree.” And somewhere in between, “Don’t Know.” Statements of opinions such as those written above were read aloud while the campers physically moved to stand beneath the sign that best fit with their opinion. The areas between each of the signs were popular areas for participants, indicating just how complex these issues are – few could choose positions as simply black or white.

After taking a stand, a few campers volunteered their reasons for choosing their positions. Having to verbally justify their choices in an objective manner meant our campers had to question themselves and outline their beliefs while simultaneously respecting and recognizing the wide array of subjective ideas that exist even within their own peer group.

Human Barometer became a very active exercise and inspired passionate dialogue. It forced each person to think independently about the issues that affect society. After each camper presented their argument, volunteers from the opposite side eagerly raised their hands to throw in their thoughts in the collective pool of opinions. Presenting new ways of looking at the same issue showed us that there is not always a right and wrong answer to the unsettled questions of society. Taking the arguments of their peers into account, campers could choose to change where they stood on the spectrum after hearing a convincing argument from a different position. Campers became so engaged in this activity that they almost missed out on their time to play vasati (and we all know how much Ayandeh loves vasati!).

It’s activities like these that show the diversity of opinions and experiences at Camp Ayandeh, and which contribute to making camp such a rewarding experience for all!

Khosh Amadid! Today is the day that all staff and counselors have been eagerly awaiting.

Campers from all over the country – California, Georgia, New York, and everywhere in between – arrived as the first day of Camp Ayandeh commenced. At the airport, our staff ran from terminal to terminal, warmly greeting campers who gave long awaited hugs to old friends and said hi to new faces.

Sivon Paransun, 19, a fourth-time returning camper has built a fond relationship with Camp Ayandeh: “I can’t wait for camp to start every year because at Camp Ayandeh you go into who you are—you form a profoundly deep relationship with other campers and find role models, which helps you figure out your own identity.”

As more campers arrived, we filled the baggage claim area of Logan Airport, sitting in circles playing card games, talking, and laughing. Once all 70

Campers pose for a picture during check-in.

arrived, we began the three-hour bus journey to western Massachusetts, anxious to join the counselors and IAAB staff at the campsite.

After arriving at the lush grounds of Duquette Sports Academy, we all ran out to start our first game of vasati (Iranian dodgeball). Playing vasati has become a time-honored popular tradition here at Camp Ayandeh. As we cheered one another and broke out into dance in the middle of the game (another camp tradition!), the energy that Camp Ayandeh is known for quickly spread.

We took that energy into Camp Café, where the clapping and beshkans began as the most outgoing of our IAAB staff and campers danced between the dinner tables, much to the surprise of the kitchen staff who we are sure have never seen anything like it. Camp Ayandeh 2009 has officially begun!