If the Empowerteen Middle School Retreat could be summed up in just a few words, it’d be described as loud and exhilarating. The participants showed their enthusiasm with high energy and hollers of approval. Almost every activity was met with good spirits and full effort, which was one of the special characteristics of this year’s group.
The Middle School Retreat, like the High School Retreat, was centered around brain activity in order to figure out how the brain works and learns. The many lessons were shaped to help each individual participant decipher the way their brains best absorb knowledge. Many lessons were disguised in a game-like format so that the kids could have fun while also learning. “I like pretty much everything we do here,” shared participant Scarlett. The games are a particular favorite for Scarlett, and one game that the mentors participated in really stuck out. “We had a memory test thing…but it was fun because we got to run back and forth and all that; it was really fun.” Nearly everything for this group involved some form of running or playing which the participants vocally approved of.
There was one game that was easily a crowd favorite, and also a brain exercise. “Oooo my favorite game…probably zoo,” exclaimed participant Linnaeus. “The one with the clapping and the animals.” The zoo game was played sitting down in a circle, and each participant and mentor would choose a different action and noise that symbolized an animal. The group would then face off in a battle of memory and speed. If someone used your motion, then you’d quickly have to do your motion and then act out another player’s motion as a way to pass the torch to them. If you took too long to respond then you were out, which happened fairly quickly and with groans of complaint.
“I haven’t really done anything like this before,” shared Pranshu, a first time attendee. Pranshu didn’t know what to expect from Empowerteen, but as the retreat neared its end, he had nothing but good memories. “I have to say, it was a pretty welcome change.” One thing he valued and enjoyed from the retreat was a conflict drama resolution skit. “The conflict drama theater was also really fun because they didn’t take it too seriously so it was fun and you could be silly, but it did teach me a lot about how to end conflicts.” This description rings true for the whole week, as every lesson and activity was a blend of laughter and learning.
For some participants, this retreat was yet another year spent at Empowerteen, which helped them see the retreat through a different lens. Drew was one such participant who was able to compare this year’s retreat to last year’s. “It’s a different location and we did a lot of new things,” Drew commented. “I thought it was basically gonna be the same thing that we did last summer, but there were a lot of new items.” Like many of the participants, Drew was nervous to attend the retreat at first. Meeting new people and learning about brain activity can be daunting concepts.
One participant, Charlie, summed up the nervous feeling associated with first attending the retreat saying, “The first couple days were harder for me because I just did not know what to expect.” Similar to many participants, the first day of the retreat was a nerve-wracking one, but this emotion quickly gave way to fun games and great friendships. Charlie quickly learned to appreciate Empowerteen and the open environment it gave the kids. “The thing I probably liked most was that we could be honest about ourselves with each other and that I could talk about stuff with no judgement,” Charlie explained. “Everyone was super nice and welcoming.”
Nearly all the participants echoed this sentiment, describing what a welcoming community Empowerteen can be. “I think it was nice how no one cares about your age here,” said participant Izabella. “Usually at school they say ‘oh you’re too young for us’ or, ‘oh you’re too old for us,’ but I like how they don’t care about your age and we all just get along.” Izabella specifically gave a shoutout to Dr. Paula for helping calm her nerves about the retreat and about starting middle school. “She made me feel less nervous about middle school,” Izabella expressed. “That was my best experience of camps.”
As participant Sabrina put it, “This week was really really jam packed with activities,” as is apparent from all the favorite games and activities the kids talked about. Yet, Sabrina explained that the pace wasn’t overwhelming and that the activities were timed perfectly. “It was really digestible and I think all the mentors really presented them well.” Sabrina enjoyed the brain theme of the week, but she admitted that her enjoyment was equally due to the mentors and staff doing a great job. “I thought they were just really good at teaching games and whatnot,” Sabrina commented. “I mean they were overall just really great people.”
“I’d say that if you’re looking for a fun summer retreat where you do stuff that is pretty rad, then I’d say it’s good to come,” Linnaeus shared, offering some final reflections on the week. Linnaeus admits that summer camps are not usually something he enjoys, but his week at Empowerteen stood apart from other summer camps. “I do not really care for any summer camps, but this was one of the best that I’ve been to.”
WRITTEN BY: Grace Bland, Empowerteen Journalism Intern
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