{"id":37677,"date":"2024-08-05T19:39:25","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T00:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/ymca-seasonal-camping-staff-brings-skills-good-energy-to-cheyenne-river\/"},"modified":"2024-08-05T19:39:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T00:39:31","slug":"ymca-seasonal-camping-staff-brings-skills-good-energy-to-cheyenne-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/ymca-seasonal-camping-staff-brings-skills-good-energy-to-cheyenne-river\/","title":{"rendered":"YMCA seasonal camping staff brings skills, good energy to Cheyenne River"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L to R: Mary Qureshi from England, Misohn Kimble from Los Angeles, and Catherine May Burke from Ireland bring advanced skills and youthful enthusiasm to YMCA Camp Marrowbone in Marksville, SD. (Photo courtesy of Mary Qureshi)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

MARKSVILLE \u2013 As we all know, children and youth are our hope for the future. If the youthful seasonal staff at YMCA of the Seven Council Fires (YSCF) Camp Marrowbone is any indication, our future is in very good hands.<\/p>\n

Catherine May Burke, 23, from Belfast, Ireland, Misohn Kimble, 23, from Los Angeles CA, and Mary Qureshi, 22, from Suffolk, England, all say that their parents and friends were encouraging and supportive of their coming to SD for the summer to serve on the YMCA camping staff where approximately 95 percent of the campers are Lakota.<\/p>\n

According to new YSCF Camping Director Nick Nathanson, \u201cMary, Misohn, and Catherine May are an integral part of the Camp Marrowbone team. Their dedication and commitment to bringing the best possible experience to our campers is unmatched.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nathanson agrees that the three all have wisdom far beyond their years and that perhaps they all have \u201cvery old souls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burke had worked with Nathanson in previous camp settings. Being new in his position as Camping Director at YSCF, Nathanson reached out and recruited her to come to Camp Marrowbone as his Assistant Director for the summer. Burke completed a degree in computer studies in England, then earned a post-graduate certificate in education.<\/p>\n

Burke reports that she and others on the seasonal staff have found local people to be welcoming and friendly. She says there seems to be a \u201chigh level of trust\u201d in the community that the YSCF camping program is doing good work with the children and youth. She is surprised that people who live many miles from one another in the rural countryside of South Dakota still maintain a tightknit sense of community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Burke said her experience working at a mental health agency in England has been helpful to her in the camp setting. She makes herself available to both campers and other staffers when anyone might need a listening ear and\/or a motivational pep talk. She likes to bring people together in a positive way. She mentioned the nightly all-camp meeting when all the campers and all the staff get together as being especially meaningful to her and seemingly to others as well.<\/p>\n

Burke has greatly enjoyed learning about Lakota culture, including traditional dances like the potato dance and the practice of saging. She said that working with the campers is very rewarding, especially when she sees a child who arrived at camp shy and fearful begin to \u201clight up\u201d and become more engaged and outgoing. She said, \u201cThat\u2019s worth more than any paycheck!\u201d<\/p>\n

Burke finds the most challenging aspect of her position to be the need for keeping track of \u201c1000 different things going on at once.\u201d Since the start of the camping season, she has become more skilled and has gained confidence in her ability to multitask effectively.<\/p>\n

Nathanson also recruited Kimble to Camp Marrowbone to serve as the Boys Village Leader. Nathanson had been Kimble\u2019s high school basketball coach during Kimble\u2019s 2017-18 senior year at high school. The two stayed in touch after Kimble\u2019s graduation.<\/p>\n

Kimble is now an elementary physical education teacher and basketball coach during the school year and \u201cloves kids.\u201d He said that one of the strengths he brings to the Camp Marrowbone camping program is his experience as a coach, his personal experience with sports, and his experience in life. He says that the campers have taught him patience and creative problem-solving skills as well as communication skills.<\/p>\n

Kimble said the young male campers often confide in him about their struggles and feelings. He uses positive team-building skills as a major tool in creating positive experiences for the campers. He says his goal is \u201cto be the person (for the campers) I didn\u2019t have when I was growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

At times he finds the limited resources of the camp to be challenging. For example, the camp does not have a full basketball court. Being a basketball coach, he misses that and would like to have full court basketball for his campers. However, Kimble says he is learning to improvise sports and games using the resources that are available at the camp.<\/p>\n

Kimble remarked, \u201cThe Lakota are the most unified people I\u2019ve ever seen. They make stuff happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qureshi, 22 years old, has a degree in English Literature and is in the process of earning an advanced degree in Equality and Human Rights Law. She researched camping positions on-line, considered several opportunities, decided that the Camp Marrowbone program would be \u201ca perfect fit\u201d for her, applied and interviewed on-line and was hired. In reflecting on her camp experiences so far, Qureshi said her biggest surprise has been \u201cthe size of the spiders!\u201d<\/p>\n

Qureshi has enjoyed learning about the Lakota culture and language, saying excitedly, \u201cThe campers taught me to count to ten (in the Lakota language)!\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

She mentioned that being at camp has taught her a lot about herself and has given her the opportunity to learn new skills and enhance existing ones. She had never had camping experience before coming to Camp Marrowbone and had not had experience working with groups. She said, \u201cI\u2019m open-minded and like to try new things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qureshi calls herself a \u201cgood listener\u201d and noted that \u201ckids all want to be heard\u201d and have their experiences validated. She finds this to be true also of the other staffers and wants both campers and staffers to feel comfortable talking to her about whatever may be on their hearts and minds.<\/p>\n

To parents who may be hesitant to allow their children to come to camp, the three have this to say:<\/p>\n