Young woman leads Woodcraft for Girls Camp

Jose J Matos Auffant, Executive Director of Tecaboca Retreat Center, sends us this update about a young lady, Emma Watson, leading woodcraft for the girls' camp this summer.

Emma Watson was not planning to sign up as a camp counselor this summer, but after a thoughtful conversation with me at one of the weekly “Casa Tuesdays” open house hosted by the Casa Maria Marianist Community, she opened up to the possibility.  We talked about her interest in theatre and how she helps build the stage and set for the drama productions on campus.  That’s when I invited her to consider being our star co-leader of the Woodshop during Girls Camp!  My message was very direct:  our campers need to see more young women leading key camp activities, and woodcraft is currently offered during the boys’ sessions.  If she agreed, she would co-lead the woodshop during Girls Camp and implement new projects.

As the co-lead for the Woodshop, Emma was a role model in safety, active listening, clear delegation, and evaluating each camper’s progress with the different projects at hand.  She engaged with all campers through her cheerful and welcoming approach in conversation.  Emma suggested two projects that became an immediate resounding success during each session. The first was a big camp cross that would hold each camper’s customized wooden plate, a great visual reminder that ‘we all form the body of Christ.' At the concluding ceremony of each camp session, the woodshop cross became the centerpiece for prayer. Also, in a very concrete way to say farewell, campers took their personalized wooden plate from the cross to take back home.  Campers and parents expressed how emotive was this unique way of ‘taking home something very valuable from camp’.

For the second project, each camper worked on creating their very own wooden racing car, throwback style, starting with a block of wood that would be cut, sanded, and formed into their favorite shape, adding wooden wheels and finally painting the whole item.  The campers were so enthusiastic about their cars that the woodshop hosted a brand new “Tecaboca Derby” event at the end of each session, like Hot Wheels, but cooler since each camper built their kit!

Emma, who was never planning on working at a summer camp this year, was greatly satisfied and encouraged by the impact her work and leadership had on the campers.  Her colleagues were very supportive, and the co-leader for the woodshop was able to implement the new projects during the last session once she left. Her example, together with all the young women who work our summer camp each year, reaffirms the intentional development of the new Girls Camp at Tecaboca.