My Albanian Summer [Camps and more Camps]

Hopefully as my time in Albania progresses, my blog post titles won’t remain so generic. And this may be excessively long, because how do you wrap up one summer in a single blog post? I think I can do it so I will try.

My disclaimer for this post is that I did not think I would accomplish as much as I have already in Albania during my first summer here. I imagined myself locked in my house, binge-watching television shows with no plots and eating jars of Nutella all day long. But no, that was not the reality. Only half the reality really. It stopped being a reality when my beloved site mate (Peace Corps term for another volunteer that lives in the same community/site as you) texted me and asked if I would be interested in putting on a GLOW (Girls Leading our World – Peace Corps initiative) camp with her in our city. I think saying yes had implications that I did not fully understand, but I did say yes and I am so glad I did. Along with GLOW, I decided to apply to be *shadow* camp coordinator for another Peace Corps Albania initiative called OA, or Outdoor Ambassadors. They host a national camp that unites different OA clubs from cities all over Albania totaling to 50 campers that are eligible to attend. My site mate that I mentioned earlier was in the coordinator position and the icing on the cake if I got the position of shadow coordinator was to work with her. Low and behold, I officially became shadow coordinator in June of 2015 and added a second camp to help plan to my arsenal this summer.

In between time, though not an official counselor for the camp, I got to volunteer with another camp called “Kampi Pa Emer”, or “Camp no Name”. I love even the name of the camp because it rings true. All children between ages 5 and 14 or 15 no matter their family status or skin color are welcome to this camp. It is all about equality and coming together in one of my favorite cities in Albania: Librazhd. The camp was started years ago as a way for Albanians and the more impoverished Roma community in the city the come together and I think it has been a success since then. I look forward to being more involved in the future. Learn more about it here and give them a like: https://www.facebook.com/kampipaemer

                          Kampi Pa Emer

A little after those opportunities came my way, in stepped BRO Albania, or Boys Respecting Others. Some call it the boy version of GLOW, except that is a reversal where young men are being taught to strive to respect the growth of gender equality in this time and age and actually support it and the women involved. Let’s make men feminists (just kidding). But seriously the kinks are still being worked out because BRO was jump started this summer and 7 camps were organized throughout Albanian cities to promote this new initiative. It was also something I wanted to get involved with because I do think it is important for young people to break free from culturally created gender norms. Therefore, let’s add another day camp to the mix and there’s my super-duper-nifty all Albanian summer. BUT WAIT, when the BRO camp in my community was ending, the president of BRO elected me as Project Kitchen Manager of BRO because we saw how well getting the young men into the kitchen fit into what BRO was trying to do. So fast forward to now and I sit on a beach as I type this. I am about to pack up and head back to my community.

I came to a beach city in Albania, Vlorë to be exact, to strut my stuff as official kitchen manager of BRO. Dubbed “Men in the Kitchen” (pretty straightforward, I know) 10 young men are assigned to cooked a three-course meal for 10 young women who would play sports outside while the men cooked. This plan was obviously devised to switch up the normal roles of gender in Albania, and I will let the pictures speak for themselves on how the event turned out. If you know me, you know that I really, REALLY do not like tooting my own horn. I am really rejoicing in the fact that I have a position where I get to play Gordon Ramsey for a spell and do it for something really great here in Albania. I am just extremely proud of the effort that was put into not only the BRO camps I participated in, but the GLOW camps I have seen and the one put on at my site, and of course, one close to my heart, OA national camp. A big thanks goes to the Albanian Volunteer Corps volunteers, those who hosted camps at their sites, giving other volunteers the opportunity to get involved and witness the growth first hand, those who helped out at the camps here in Kuçovë and at other sites, and the counselors at OA camp and other national events.

Talking to a young Albanian volunteer that helped out at the BRO camp here in Vlorë, Albania, really showed me that it is so much bigger than us. It really is for this nation. He was telling me how he has been in contact with Peace Corps volunteers mostly all of his life and it has really impacted him to not just learn from them but to put what he has learned into action. And boy is he an amazing young man. He and the other Albanian volunteers I worked with this summer keep me going. The youth of Albania keep me going and my fellow volunteers keep me going. The more I see, the more I learn and grow and want to serve this country with all that I have. It most definitely is not always easy but just to hear a young person speak about their experiences with past volunteers inspires me and I hope it will inspire me to the end because I am here and I am in it. I am living it and I want to be the change that mentors and molds the change. For those that aspire to be future Peace Corps volunteers and even those serving now, no expectations can mar the change just your presence will make. Don’t give up.

BRO Camp Divjake- Camp I got to observe before ours in Kuçovë

GLOW Kuçovë – a week of exploring the feminist movement, ideas on body image, and empowering these young women in the fact that they are beautiful and powerful; that they can change their lives and the world [GLOW motto]

                        GLOW Kuçovë

BRO Kuçovë – teaching young men that gender norms can be broken; that they don’t have to fit into any mold other than who they are and that they can indeed be in the picture when it comes to the empowerment of women.

         BRO Kuçovë – “In the Kitchen”

OA National Camp – youth from all over Albania gather to not only exert some healthy physical activity, but to learn how they can strengthen the environment within their communities and country.

                       The Counselors

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

BRO’s “Men in the Kitchen”; Branch of BRO Vlorë

*The views on this site are personal and do not in any way reflect those of the Peace Corps.