Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Wow it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything, where to begin…South x Southwest Camp GLOW AND BUILD!

I’ve kept myself busy busy up until now, mostly with co-directing Camp BUILD and GLOW in the southwest.  Now that it is over I am relieved, but a little sad and honestly kind of lost.  I don’t know what to start next, but that is a different topic.  South X Southwest Camp was a bit different from other camps.  Usually Camp BUILD and GLOW are separate camps and they get together for one or two sessions at the end of the week; maybe like a field day or guest speaker.  However, in the past this has created some problems.  I’ve heard about some incidences and first hand experienced some hostility from the girls especially.  They are separate all week talking about topics like gender equality and domestic violence.  They girls don’t necessarily know the boys are leaning about these topics as well.  Often when they have gotten together after a week of being apart the girls say things like “I hate the boys, I don’t want them here.”  I have even heard of the girls being too aggressive towards the boys when playing football with them.  Mostly I personally witnessed at National how much the girls shut down around the boys.  They didn’t talk much and they didn’t want to play any of the games at field day.  For their part, the boys mostly were too out there; trying to show off for the girls.  I don’t think that this is a problem, but it did not help how the girls felt about the boys.  So for our camp we decided it was time they experienced life together.  The girls and boys still slept apart and a few sessions (family planning, knowing your body, sexual education, etc…) were kept separate as well, but other than that they were together for everything.  Each girl animal group had a counterpart boy animal group.  They marched, sang, played, performed, and for the most part learned together.  We thought this would bring them together in a way that cannot be accomplished in just one day and after all gender equality is something that men have to be a part of also.  This was our message for the camp.  Females: We cannot move forward alone; men can (and MUST) be part of solution (at least until science catches up and two women can just make another girl baby, but that won’t be for another decade or so probably…I did not mention this at camp lol). Males: You need to be an example to other men and part of the solution.  Honestly, although the week was stressful and busy, I think the new model was a success.  I was amazed by how well it worked.  All of us were kind of worried that someone was going to get knocked up, but as far as we know there were no incidences of fornication at our camp. In fact I didn’t hear about any serious discipline issues at all.  I was also scared that with the boys there, the girls would not come out of their shells.  I was scared they would just be quiet and shy the whole time.  This was not the case either.  The girls were almost more outgoing earlier in the week than at the camp I was at before.  The girls and boys were cheering together and dancing together.  It was wonderful.  There was a big focus on gender equality, teamwork, and such in our sessions and activities, which I think helped.  The campers were all happy and that was the goal.  I think it was definitely good for them not only to spend the whole week with each other, but to get to see Ugandan and American adults interacting with the opposite sex in a non-sexual manner, but as friends and equals.  I even had one group of boys come up to me and ask why family planning was gender mixed.  They thought that family planning is something that you discuss and plan with your partner and therefore the session should be joined.  I was so proud of them!  By the end of camp, there were so many little things that made us proud of the kids.  Boys making sure both boys and girls were included in their end of week performances, girls offering random boys (not in their group) a seat at their lunch table, both sexes laughing and having fun together as friends and equals.  It was wonderful.  A girl also wrote a poem about the directors and mentioned in it that we all have beautiful hair…off topic but still nice.
I think a big help to the camp was the BPU presence.  BPU is Breakdance project Uganda.  It is based in Kampala and Masaka and is free to anyone who wants to join.  They take in all kids (a lot of them disadvantaged) and perform around Uganda dances based on social change (for example they did one about domestic violence at our Camp).  Not only did they perform for us, but they were present as counsellors, staff, and campers. This added a new dimension and I think got a lot of the kids out of their shells.  They were such energetic outgoing people it helped other people to be that way as well.  Plus whenever there was downtime (no matter how much you schedule/plan, there is always downtime), they would just dance/teach other kids to dance.  I believe you can look BPU up online for more detailed information; I just wanted to appreciate them quickly! I hope to visit their center next time I’m in Kampala or Masaka.
One funny now/stressful at the time/scary if you think about it thing that occurred was a guest speaker from KIU (Kampala International University) came to help Murph with the “Knowing your body for boys” session.  We wanted to include as many Ugandan teachers as possible without making counsellors leave their groups all day.  We figured he’d be great!  Clair has known him for awhile, he is somehow a part of Jim’s host family (which is quite educated and progressive as far as I can tell), and he is a counsellor for a major university in the country who has counselled hundreds of youths.  After his first session, Michael came up to me and was like “What is with the guy who is teaching with Murph?  He just like hijacked Murph’s session and is saying crazy shit about masturbation and HIV.”  Sigh, this cannot be good.   Apparently he told the children that masturbation does all this crazy shit to their bodies, such as makes your balls sag more (“Have you ever seen a cow whose testicles are very low?  That is because he has had too much sex.  It is the same with people and masturbation”) and it is addicting (which may be true, but so is food and exercise…should we stop eating/exercising?) and it has negative psychological effects (it releases endorphins aka hormones that make you happy).   To be fair, masturbation is a hot topic everywhere and in a very Christian country it can be a tricky topic.  However, Murph did not bring this up. In the first session the KIU guy did and in other sessions, the kids asked about it.  Murph handled it well; saying it is normal and something you do in private, not even at school (they can get kicked out of school for it).  Plus, the KIU guy was not presenting it like God doesn’t want you to do it; he presented it as scientifically bad for you! He even said it makes sex LESS pleasurable.  (In my head I was like “sir it is definitely the opposite”) He also said that HIV can be passed through sweat and saliva; both completely untrue and dangerous to tell people (truth: apparently if you drink like 5 gallons of someone’s saliva you can get it).  In a country where it is stigmatized already AND people are always sweating all over each other in public transport or whatever other situation they are squished into (or at a Camp where children are playing together and doing teambuilding activities all day in the hot sun…) this is not information we can afford to let spread.  Clair and I pull him out of the second session and start trying to calmly discuss what has been said with him.  We were honestly more concerned with the HIV stuff, but he was completely focused on the “science” about masturbation.  He was all “look it up!” and we were like yea we have.  Plus in my head I know that when they are told something by a teacher that is it: it is accepted as fact.  When Clair and I were told something, we were given scientific peer-reviewed citations.  We were encouraged to look at the data beyond what our teacher told us and come to our own decision about things.  Not saying one method is better than the other, but it’s the truth.  Ooo wait to be honest, the way Clair and I were taught is much better…   In the end, after Clair and I talked to him for like 10 – 15 minutes during which both of us were trying our hardest not to yell/punch him, Clair escorted him from the premises (and apparently talked to him some more).  I made sure to ask Ugandans and Americans their opinion of him and it was the same.  The Ugandan counsellors knew he was outrageous and making shit up.  Overall, I see it has a funny story (and as Gomes pointed out a further reason for us to be here!) however scary it is that this man is counselling many youths on this topic.  (I will refrain from any comments on crazy extreme religions pushing their outrageous agenda onto innocent Ugandans…)  This was Wednesday I believe, the day where one thing after another went wrong.  We made it through though and came out stronger!
Overall the camp was a success despite all of the stress leading up to and during the week of camp.  Honestly I don’t know that many realized how stressed the directors were.  After that I had a wonderful rest followed by an amazing visit from Jenna filled with Jameson, beers, cuddling, travel, Murph’s island, boneshaking, and of course wild animals (her one request was to see a wild elephant. Accomplished, although then the elephants wouldn’t get out of our damn way at the end of our day)!  Special thanks to my co – directors: Kendra (Sandra), Robyna, Griffin (Mary), Clair, and Andrew.  Also much thanks to all counsellors and staff that made our lives easier and the camp a success, especially HIV testing and counselling.  That day was stressful, but worthwhile.  TASO: one hour for testing my ass, it took 4.  Plus a tester informed me AS SHE WAS TESTING PEOPLE that she “requires hard corns.”  I told her we didn’t have any really and then as Julia was getting tested she asked Julia for them as well.  I then told her again that we don’t have any AND that it is extremely inappropriate for her to be eating while testing people. Despite the stress and schedule shifting, testing was worth it.  A lot of kids just assumed they were positive despite never being tested.  As Eliza said the knowledge that you are HIV negative is an amazing gift to give someone.  Also, positive or negative, it is better to know your status.  That was our focus, not the results, but knowing your status, getting tested.  Hopefully getting tested in that setting will give them the courage to get tested regularly!  We also encouraged the staff to go first as examples, with 5 of the directors leading the way and the counsellors to be the leaders of their group as well.  As far as I know almost everyone got tested! YAY SOUTH x SOUTHWEST GLOW-BUILD!

Well that’s all I have for now.  Hope you enjoyed!t'

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