A Unique Summer Camp
I currently work at Camp Papillon in St-Alphonse-Rodriguez.
Camp Papillon is a summer camp for children and adults who live with different disabilities, it is one of the most inclusive camps in the province of Québec.
This camp has a very special place in my heart since my paternal grandfather used to be a camper, my parents got married there. My brother and I have also been campers.
When people ask me why I work in a place that is an hour and a half away from my house I try to explain how fulfilling it is: when you see a camper having the time of his/her life it makes it all worth it.
I remember the time campers got to go water skiing. A nonprofit organization came to the camp with some adapted "chairs" so that all the campers (even the ones who are in a wheelchair) could try it. Just seeing the smile on the campers face when they came back from the activity was worth a million bucks.
It is pretty hard sometimes; we start working at 7 in the morning and we often don't have many breaks during the day and we finish when the campers are all sleeping around 9 or 10 at night. This means that very few people are interested in working in these camps.
But... as my boss said at the end of this summer:
"There have been a lot of ups and downs this summer but in 10 years from now you will only remember the good moments you had."
I am definitely not trying to convince you that you should work in a camp for disabled children because it clearly isn't for everyone. But I think that genuinely enjoying your job can be extremely rewarding especially at an age when we are told to apply and accept any job we can.
Camp Papillon is a summer camp for children and adults who live with different disabilities, it is one of the most inclusive camps in the province of Québec.
This camp has a very special place in my heart since my paternal grandfather used to be a camper, my parents got married there. My brother and I have also been campers.
When people ask me why I work in a place that is an hour and a half away from my house I try to explain how fulfilling it is: when you see a camper having the time of his/her life it makes it all worth it.
I remember the time campers got to go water skiing. A nonprofit organization came to the camp with some adapted "chairs" so that all the campers (even the ones who are in a wheelchair) could try it. Just seeing the smile on the campers face when they came back from the activity was worth a million bucks.
It is pretty hard sometimes; we start working at 7 in the morning and we often don't have many breaks during the day and we finish when the campers are all sleeping around 9 or 10 at night. This means that very few people are interested in working in these camps.
But... as my boss said at the end of this summer:
"There have been a lot of ups and downs this summer but in 10 years from now you will only remember the good moments you had."
I am definitely not trying to convince you that you should work in a camp for disabled children because it clearly isn't for everyone. But I think that genuinely enjoying your job can be extremely rewarding especially at an age when we are told to apply and accept any job we can.
That’s pretty cool! You have all my admiration. Those kids, and your boss are very lucky to have you.
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ReplyDeleteThat was a very interesting post! It clearly shows that you love your job, and you seem like an amazing employee! I can't wait to read what's next!
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