It was only four days, but the summer camp for teens run by the regional Rotary District was “life-changing,” according to Marshwood students who attended the program in Raymond this summer.
Six of the eight campers from South Berwick and Eliot who went to the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp described their experiences at a recent breakfast meeting of the South Berwick Eliot Rotary Club.
“It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had,” said Riley Smith of South Berwick. “I was both in my comfort zone and out of my comfort zone.”
”It was honestly a life-changing situation,” said Caebre Sullivan, also of South Berwick. “I’m not good at social situations, and it brought me out of my shell.”
These campers, all rising juniors, were among about 100 teens from towns in Rotary District 7780 of southern Maine who spent their days at Camp Hines, a Boy Scout camp, climbing ropes, swimming, playing games and learning to be better leaders.
RYLA, as the camp is known, is focused on building leadership skills. The Marshwood students were able to attend thanks to the $400 fee for each camper paid by the South Berwick Eliot Rotary.
This year all the Marshwood students who applied were accepted, with the requirement that they must commit to going once accepted.
The students described getting close to other teenagers, many from other communities, in ways not usually possible.
“RYLA showed me how much you can know a person in four days,” said Jenna Wessling of South Berwick. “I feel like I know them more than most of my friends here.”
They talked about their fears on the first day and a dread of being forced to give up their phones. Several admitted they didn’t want to go at first, especially when they heard about the no-phone rule.
“When I got there I didn’t want to be there,” Sullivan said. “I was like, what I am going to do without Instagram?”
“The first thing I did was complain about how I couldn’t use my phone and I couldn’t get french fries from Wendy’s,” admitted Nellie Young of Eliot. “After the first day, not once did I complain or miss them.”
Part of the beauty, Young said, was being able be authentic with other kids. “At camp I felt I really opened up and was really myself. The best part was having friends who did really accept me.”
“We shared things we don’t normally tell other people,” Sullivan agreed.
And finally, the teens described learning to be leaders.
“RYLA taught me that being a leader … means stepping out of your comfort zone with people you may or may not know,” said Wessling.
“I have a lot of self-doubts,” admitted Riley Smith. “Am I doing this right? Am I annoying people? By the end I didn’t have those self-doubts.”
Riley’s twin sister, Charlotte, described a shy new friend who came out of her shell over the four days.
“By the end of it she started to open up a lot and had great insights that she was too afraid to share before,” Charlotte Smith said.
James Foss of Rollinsford, who returned to the camp as a first-year staffer, also shared his reflections with the Rotary. Marshwood students Noah Tessier and Wyatt Ury, both of Eliot, attended RYLA camp but were not at the meeting.
Emily Rumble, an English teacher at Marshwood who was co-director of the camp for the last four years, retired from the job this year after spending 15 years as either a camper or a staff person. Her co-director was Samuel Klemarczyk of Dover.
