Just a few short weeks after returning from the USA, I found myself on another plane. This time, I was flying home from Australia – exhausted, emotional, and changed in ways I wasn’t prepared for. Again.
Along with an incredible group of experienced mentors from the US program, I had the privilege of being part of the tjoh. A new camp. A new continent. A whole new group of campers, mentors, volunteers, and staff. New accents, new scenery, new dynamics. One gigantic question in the back of my mind: Would the magic still be there?
We all knew this would be different from the US and UK camps, and so the nerves were different too. Where those camps already had a rhythm and communities that had been built over a number of years, Australia was a pilot program which made it unpredictable for us all.
Did everything go to plan?
Nope.
Was it perfectly smooth sailing all week?
Not even close.
Was it still one of the most incredible, moving, unforgettable weeks of my life?
Heck. Yes.
Sure, the activities were amazing, and Australia is beautiful – we all know that. Every time I looked around, I felt like I’d stepped into a postcard. But if you’ve read anything I’ve ever written about these kinds of youth camps before, you’ll know that the magic isn’t in the location or the scenery. It’s in the people.
So, I hear you ask, what actually is the magic?
It’s the chaotic mealtimes. The early morning coffees and the evening chats. The moments when you realise that someone who barely spoke a word when they arrived, is now shouting chants and banging on tables by day three. The magic is in the way that people from completely different backgrounds, different countries, different worlds, are able to come together and just get each other. It feels like a safe place where we can ask someone for an arm when it starts to get a bit dark, and know that it’ll be met with love and understanding, rather than a sigh and an eyeroll.
Whether it’s crying with someone you met five days ago because you’re dreading saying goodbye, or watching a camper open up over the span of a week and thinking, I wish I’d had this when I was their age, it feels like safety. Joy. Family. It’s being seen and feeling like you’re enough, exactly the way you are. It’s being encouraged and empowered to do things you never thought possible, and then absolutely crushing it!
Even though the Aussie camp felt different to the others I’ve experienced, the heart and soul of it felt familiar. Whether it was abseiling, kayaking, raft building, or archery, there were so many moments where campers, staff, and mentors alike pushed far beyond their own expectations. Support and encouragement made space for growth and confidence, and as a mentor, that will never get old.
To everyone I met, mentored, laughed with, cried with, shared sunscreen with, sat on the beach with, sang with, ate with, connected with – thank you. I didn’t just attend a camp on the other side of the world.
I found another family.
If you’ve made it this far and are wondering whether the magic truly is real, let me reassure you:
It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – the USA, Australia, the UK, or somewhere in between. If you show up with an open heart, the magic will meet you there.
