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| The CHV Dream Team (minus a few) |
Ladies and
gentlemen, boys and girls, kids from ages nine to ninety-nine; allow me to
introduce the CHV Dream Team. It’s the end of session one here at Camp Harbor
View and I feel like giving some shout outs to my team (insert clapping emojis
generously). Seriously, I feel extremely lucky to be working alongside such an incredible
staff. Save the Harbor has provided me an incredible experience in a new field of
work and 75% of that is due to my team. We are like a well-oiled fishing
machine! Though some may call that a fishing boat…Anyways, I’ve just been so
proud to work with this team. My position as a Senior Harbor Educator requires
me to have the responsibility of each LHE and JPA at my site. As much as I have
been a leader in many extracurricular activities, I have rarely gotten the opportunity
to be a leader in a more professional sense. To be honest, I was quite nervous
and doubted myself at first. Being able to work with a young, hard-working
staff who was all on the same page really helped give me confidence in my leadership
due to a more homogeneous mindset.
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| A Healthy Skate feat. Solomon & Micheal, CHV Campers |
I especially want
to highlight some important moments that happened this week, with respect to my
interactions with the campers of Camp Harbor View. One of the most memorable occurred
when I met a young girl pseudo-named Harley. My team and I decided to have a bit
more focus on teaching about invasive species by having the kids go tide
pooling on the beach. While climbing down the rocks towards the shore, a
particular girl, Harley, seemed extremely nervous and unwilling to move towards
the water. I had to grab a bucket on another part of the island, so I offered
to take Harley to a less steep part of the beach so she could make her way
down. As we walked, I chatted with her about the usual; what do you like to do,
what’s your favorite part of school, etc. I commented on her artwork she was
carrying, as she said Art was her favorite class. As we approached the water,
it became clear Harley did not want to go on the beach because she was scared
of the water. She became extremely anxious, so I quickly walked her to a table,
and we sat down. She began to feel homesick and even shed a few tears. I ended
up just talking a lot about my experiences with homesickness, revealing to her
that I, a (somewhat) mature 21 year-old, still got homesick from time to time. This
seemed to help cheer her up and I decided to have her keep me company as I
fetched our bucket. We talked and giggled the whole journey and when we walked back
and it was time for her group to lead, she introduced me as her new friend and
gave me a hug. I felt so touched by how I went from stranger to friend in this
girl’s eyes in all but twenty minutes, and it has honestly been one of the most
rewarding feelings I have gotten from working for Save the Harbor.
Your good pal, your best friend, your first mate,
Xavier
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