Cherish life
By Bo Jie
Jun 09
Y-Camp thought me to cherish life and treasure everything I have.
I have been participating YMCA activities for the past 3 years but each time there is always something new for me to learn. During Y-Camp there are sorrowful and angry moments but after all the difficulties, what left behind is always the sense of satisfaction.
I grew up in a healthy family, as such, I had very little contact with those misfortunate. In order to interact more with them and also to gain some CIP hours, I decided to join Y-camp in 2009. It was also after that first participation that made me wanting to go back and participate again and again.
In 2009 June Camp, I was partnered with a beneficiary who suffers from down syndrome and autism. Communication was the biggest barrier between us. Most of the time, he did not respond to what I say thus I had to use many hand gestures and other things such as food to get his attention. It was a huge challenge for me as I was an impatient person. Luckily, I have a group of experienced volunteers to encourage him to speak to me and they also thought me ways to improve my patience. Finally, on the 2nd day, he begins to response to my words. What surprised me was that he even shouted out for my name before leaving the camp on the last day. It is that joy and satisfaction that kept pulling volunteers to participate Y-Camp again. Hence even as I am currently serving the nation, I still try to make time for Y-Camp.
I wish more volunteers can come and take part in Y-Camp Challenge and bring happiness to the beneficiaries and ourselves.
Volunteer With Us!
About Y Camp
Y Camp Challenge is a large scale bi-annual camp that brings together intellectually and physically challenged beneficiaries from all our partnering VWOs. During this 4D/3N camp, volunteers are partnered 1-on-1 with our beneficiaries in diverse activities including outdoor adventure, camp craft, tele-matches and a host of other enrichment activities. These activities are designed to challenge the preconceived limits and boundaries of our special friends, instilling confidence in them and bringing their volunteer partners personal development and new perspectives.
Volunteers must attend a training programme before the camp.
Requirements
- Non-smoker
- Above 17 years old and physically-fit
- Able to attend visitation on 8th Jun 11 and camp from 9-12 Jun 11
- Able to attend briefing on either 21 May 11 (3:30pm to 6:30pm) or 27 May 11 (6:30pm to 9:30pm)
Sign up as a volunteer!
Step 1
Create an account under the YMCA Volunteer Management System at
http://vms.ymca.org.sg/vms (Don't have to sign up under YCC Jun 2011).
Step 2
Click here to download the registration form and fill it up. Send the completed form to
yccjune2011@gmail.com AND
waimin2401@hotmail.com.
Step 3
Print out the form, sign it and bring it along to the briefing. Remember to bring along your camp fees as well!
As a final note, signing up does not guarantee that you will automatically become a volunteer. We will notify you again when your application goes through. Hope to see you soon!
Contact Us
If you have any
queries regarding Y Camp, please email us at
juneycc2012@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
If you would like to send in a
story about your Y Camp experience, please mail it to
ycamp.stories@gmail.com.
