"It taught me to value endurance, patience and so many other things"

The YMCA Camp: Horsethief Reservoir staff leads and teaches, but oftentimes, the staffers are the ones who do the learning. Here's an excerpt from Jessica's essay about her first year at Y Camp as a Leader-in-Training (LIT):

I heard about YMCA Camp from my sister's friend. She was always so excited about it, so when I turned 15, I decided to try out Y Camp. I signed up as an LIT and packed my bags.

I really didn't know what to expect. We were a very diverse group of LITs, all completely different, and I was one of the youngest. Honestly, at first I felt really out of place. When we got to camp, that's when all the fun began. Our team had a hard time getting things done and would spend hours on one activity. Some days we were even late to lunch, dinner or other activities because of it.

Our leaders never gave up on us, though; they just pushed us harder. It made us close, and by the end of the week, our activities were taking a lot less time. My favorite part of being an LIT was getting to know our team. Although many of the activities we did made us irritated and tired, it taught me to value endurance, patience and so many other things.

I remember at night we would meet to talk about the day and our lives. It was incredible to hear so many different life stories — some good, some bad. I learned something about people that week. The great thing was that when everyone's stories were told, there were no judgments. It was an incredible feeling.

So, here we are at a new camp with new possibilities to affect change. I am so excited to see the ways I can help these kids. In some ways, I guess I am selfish. I know that the kids gain a lot from us and we are here for the kids, but at the same time, one of the reasons I keep coming back is because of the gifts that the kids give me. They are gifts of joy, peace, innocence, happiness and so many other things that I am lucky enough to pick up on.

Not only do we have the power to change them for the good, but they have the power to change us as well. These kids have certainly changed my life thus far and I can't wait to see what happens this year.