Written by Tresa Botzum

“What we do here is what we do there!” This is a common refrain in our organization. The concept is easily understood but personally witnessing this come to life in the form of Camp Skillz filled my heart to overflowing! The familiar Camp Skillz logo on banners, name tags, and t-shirts was the obvious visual transfer of the program but seeing the transfer of skills development and relationship building was the true fruit!

The pride shown on Chikay’s face as she and her friends learned to make sweet potato and cheese lumpia. The big smiles they had after dipping it into ube sweetened condensed milk and tasting their recipe for the first time was priceless. While in yet another skillz class, Yeken attained the ability to neatly fold a fitted sheet along with the skill of making and using a simple tool made from tape and cardboard to quickly and neatly fold t-shirts, his excitement for the opportunity to serve his family with these new abilities was the real win! Additionally, watching the campers exercise their bodies creatively could be seen as they participated in ninja skillz, basketball techniques taught with inflatable balls and hoops made of  pool noodles, and through fun challenges, like carrying flour on a spoon held in their mouths. These activities brought lots of laughter and camaraderie. The campers were also extremely attentive to their arts and crafts projects, many of which reflected the message “I Love Camp Skillz!”

Purple Team, Green Team, and Blue Team could be heard all over Tahanan encouraging one another and building each other up. Their respect for teachers and for fellow campers was amazing to observe. They showed beautiful examples of what it means to be kind friends through their patience, obedience and inspiring words. Yet another camp favorite both here and there is Water Day! However, we were presented with the obstacle of very little water flow on the last day of camp. The Filipina leadership team used their critical thinking skills to be sure nobody was disappointed. I’m happy to report every camper got good and soaked. Their ability to quickly adjust the plan made all the difference between failure and a raging success!

Camp Skillz values diversity and what a special occasion it has been for us to share our respective ways of life first hand. Thankfully we share the mind and the love of Christ and that is what makes it all work together for good! All of these examples highlight the fact that hands-on learning that is fun and interactive coupled most importantly with character development and spiritual development produces lasting results. God wants abundant life for all of his children. Camp Skillz is an outstanding  example of a program that is successfully investing in the next generation. This investment is provided through skills education and through imparting Biblical values. 

Having personally done Camp Skillz here and Camp Skillz there I can attest to the power of this excellent model! Witnessing the replication of a program that started in Nashville be effectively duplicated within the Filipino context caused me to easily imagine the continued spread of this beneficial camp all over the world!