Looking back, I've noticed that my blogging naturally reflects the focus the work we do: the kids! And I try not to embarrass the junior staff too much by singing their praises too loudly—but you can see from their own blog posts how much they do here, and I bet you can imagine how much fun they are to work with—not only that, but as the summer wears on I find (as Michelle and Jen have written), that they take on ever-more leadership and provide real support for the campers, for each other and for me. But I realize another, less visible relationship that’s critical to the work that we do: the interactions with partner organizations peppered through each day. Let me give you a few glimpses. The counselors at “Let’s Get Moving” got so into our name-games that the kids (who they have much longer-term relationships with than we do) couldn’t even begin to be shy—the result was lots of laughter, and some of the best sea-animal impressions I’ve ever seen! After helping us on the Green Boat at the beginning of the week, one sailing instructor told me she’s been passing on the knowledge she gained to the adults she teaches in the evenings—and that they are almost as interested as the campers! One stormy day this week one of the counselors at Courageous came up just to tell me how much the kids and counselors appreciate the lunch-hour harbor explorers program we run in Charlestown—he said some of the kids are as excited about exploring the marine life on the docks as they are about sailing off of them! The kids are why I come to work each morning, but the grown-ups who support them—my co-workers included—definitely brighten each day and remind me why it matters.
~Emily
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