What Camp Tuku Means to Me

I’ve attended Camp Tuku for four years. This camp stood out to me because it was a
mindfulness camp. At the time, I had never attended a summer camp before, but I really wanted
to experience it.

In my first year at camp, I also didn’t really know what mindfulness was, but I
was interested, so I asked my mom if I could go. The school year before I went to camp for the
first time was really hard on me. Dealing with COVID and school shutdowns made it difficult,
and I didn’t have a lot of friends, so I really wanted to make some friends. On my first day,  I
remember being very nervous and excited. But the moment I got checked in, I felt my
nervousness fade away, and I felt like I belonged there, and this was just backed up when I met
one of my camp counselors, Ella. That’s one of my favorite things about Camp Tuku, the staff,
everyone just makes you feel at home, even when we campers are far away from our home. I also love that at the end of camp, we get our pins. The great thing about the pin ceremony is that the pins are not based on how smart you are or how good you are at sports, but on what your best
trait is as a person. And I think it’s so special that our counselors, who have only known us for
one or two weeks, see the real us.

I also love that every year Camp Tuku offers a variety of classes that are run by staff who
were hired specifically based on their passions (i.e., drama kids, artists, athletics, etc). When I
pick what classes I want, I try to pick at least one that I haven’t done before. For example, last
year I tried woodworking, and I was scared that I would do so badly, but when I was actually in the class, I didn’t feel the pressure to be perfect or amazing at something I had never tried before.  That freedom made me end up loving woodworking. At school, on the other hand, I always feel that I should be amazing at something I am just starting to learn. I love that we can try new things without the pressure of failing when at Camp Tuku.

The most important thing about Camp Tuku is the bonds that are made. I love that when I
arrive at camp, I get a rush of familiar faces, from the warm smile of the director Sincia to the
running embraces from friends who remember me from the years before. I enjoy each year of
camp more than the last. I can’t wait to make more amazing memories this year.

 .. by Emily D.