“I have grown up!” exclaimed 11-year-old Crystal. When further quizzed regarding her participation as a leader in our STEAM camp, she gladly said, “I want to give happiness like the leaders gave me happiness.”
Halfway through our 3rd week of summer camp, I sat with Crystal and Matthew for a conversation. In 2015, when Better Beginnings Waterloo (BBW) launched a full slate of programs – these two were the first cohort of BBW kids! Fast forward a few years, they are helping to lead, and we could not be prouder.
BBW works with children who could benefit from practical assistance and intentional encouragement. Mathew and Crystal have been involved in numerous of our programs and we are fortunate that their growth has been exponential.
Matthew & Crystal’s Dialogue – Why they want to be a leader?
Matthew: “I want to be a role model to the little kids.” (Yes, word for word, this is what he said!)
Crystal: “I want to be responsible in the way that some of my youth leaders were not.” (she said with a cheeky gleam in her eye) “This week I have learned how to help kids cooperate, to talk to them and trick them into getting more involved.”
Matthew: “Because if I don’t help kids, they will get stuck in front of another video game… I want to do good things in life, being around people spreads the good round.”
Embedded in the Adventure4Change programming is a belief that a critical step in developing maturity is a commitment to contributing and passing along lessons learnt. As the week progressed, we were struck by Matthew & Crystal’s eagerness to learn, to find enjoyment in each task, to exercise patience and lastly, to find humor where none seemed to exist. We are grateful for their involvement and hope their path in life will continue be a fulfilled one.
Contributor: Jeremy Horne
Content Manager: Tarique Plummer