Camp Europe

It's hard to describe all of my - or even some of my - favourite moments at camp because of a few reasons, namely, the sheer amount and quality of those memories. However, I truly believe the camp experience was fundamental to my upbringing throughout my teenage years (being a camper and a counsellor between the ages of 17 - 19). I also believe my experiences were fundamental to how I was shaped as a young adult, from a professional standpoint, where I was given responsibilities beyond my capacity at the time, and from a personal standpoint, where I had to cooperate with dozens of nationalities, cultures, and upbringings. I credit much of openness, charisma, and professional success to the time I spent in Europe instead of lounging around back home with not much to do. I wouldn't change a thing about my experience. One of my core memories is the first teamer training I went through. At that point, I had never left for an extended period of time, and 3 months sounded daunting. After a few days of rigorous training, it seemed like I had left my old life behind, barefoot, in the mud, zipping around, climbing from tree to tree, executing flawless dishcos and cooking some questionably good meals. Jan's first boom-shika-boom (I hope I spelled that correctly) is forever ingrained in my memory. However, not to focus on one isolated incident, many memories spring to mind: the Austrian mountains, the English Castles, the Danish plains, the German forests and Neuburg's Schlossfest (not knowing about the existence of Schlossfest is a recipe for a delightful surprise). The list goes on and on and on. I remember leading 2 leadership in a row, with 2 hikes in a row, that's 200+ KM of walking in 8 days, with not a single bite to eat. The more I write, the more I remember, and the more nostalgic I feel. All in all, I do wish I could go back in time to truly appreciate my time there and relive every second. Thank you Camp Europe. You've changed my life.

It’s like a family, you will never get enough of it. I started off wondering what I was getting myself into but it was one of the best decisions. Good laugh with the kids and fellow teamers. Plenty of activities.

This place helped me grow as a person like no other volunteer work could have done while I was able to give kids the opportunity to have the summer of a lifetime. It’s amazing to see how they come out of their shell while being only surrounded by nature without a phone in sight. Apart from that I got to work with my friends from all over the globe every day and some of them have become friends for life.