We Are Family--Celebrating Family Day At Camp

  One of the new traditions at YSEL camp is Family Day.  This was a chance for students to invite their own

 families to visit us for an afternoon and see all the achievements the YSEL family has achieved thus far.  In total, we had over 40 family members visit camp, mainly from the Debre Zeyit and Addis Ababa region.

  Students did a wonderful job explaining their work and projects they have done at camp.  All family members beamed with pride and were very grateful for this experience their children, and other children, have.  “We are all very thankful to the US Embassy and American Councils for organizing this wonderful program,” said one proud father.  “I can see how much my daughter has grown in only two weeks!”  Besides visiting the classrooms, family members saw the exhibit of art in the dining hall, project design class work, and toured the garden area to see first hand what YSEL students have been learning about urban gardening.

  After a tour of the campus and lunch, the YSEL students showed some of the things they have learned here at camp.  Each House made a presentation about their house and some of the different clubs presented songs and dances they have learned together in the past two weeks.  Parents got to see the wonderful Geography class film project where students present various components of geography newscast style.  Eyerusalem Dessie wowed the crowd with her version of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and the day ended with a round of piñata breaking, thanks to piñatas made by Jennifer’s Art club this past week.  Kyle Kastler, the Program Coordinator, and his cooking crew whipped up batches of cookies for the guests, which were

much appreciated by the families visiting.

  Later in the evening students reflected on the day and what it meant for them.  Hannah Abate of Bahir Dar in the Amhara region said, “It was a wonderful day.  My family did not come today but my friend’s family came and treated me like their own.  I realized today that we, the YSEL members, are family and that they can share their families with me. I enjoyed every moment of the day.  Everyone really admired all our work and when we showed them around the classrooms and displays, I felt a sense of pride about all we achieved so far at camp.”