Working in and with the environment to help protect it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my Peace Corps experience thus far. We were able to bring about 50 students total to a local organic farm run by a family outside of Chengdu, Sichuan. The camps goal was to promote environmental awareness, give students the skills and time to develop their own environmental program at their individual schools and to bring together a dedicated, motivated and concerned group of young people to work together to tackle the most recent environmental problems. I can already see how successful this camp has been with students already creating social media groups in which they can share their successes and ideas with one another from across the country.
Activities at the camp included many Chinese NGO representatives who spoke about environmental issues specific to China as well as information on keeping water clean, and testing for different chemicals in the water. These speakers were especially crucial in the success of the ECOcamp and really gave the students some things to think about. Each night consisted of some sort of team building exercise with all the campers. This was interesting to see because the idea of “camp” is so new and interesting to these students so the games some of us grew up doing with our brothers and sisters or with a day camp were new and exciting for these college students. Working with the farmers was also a highlight of this camp. Students were really able to connect with the nature around them, and see first hand what it is like to eat what you grow. The food we ate on the farm was all vegan and organic and DELICIOUS. Each day, a group of students would help the farmers cook the food which they all really enjoyed, I even picked up a few tips.
The students were genuinely enthralled with the lives these farmers lead. I often spotted students asking them questions and thanking them for their efforts to educate so many on the ins and outs of organic farming. I learned so much from this camp, as well, and was honored to be a part of it. I love camp counselor Emma and she definitely came out during this week. One of the highlights of the camp for me was to see the students working together with their classmates to put together some sort of club or event for their school putting into practice what they learned at camp. I genuinely think the students gained so much from this experience and sparked something inside them to get a move on. I just want to thank everyone who made this camp possible, without those who donated their time and money we couldn’t have given these students the skills and confidence to actually start making a difference in a country that really needs something different.
ergochina 