FINDING SUPPORT AND JOY

BY JOANN TWEEDDALE

My family has always hiked, backpacked, and played in rivers, lakes and the ocean as a way to reconnect, often inspired by my husband’s experiences at Camp Kooch-i-ching. We’ve always wanted to send our daughter Olivia to Ogichi Daa Kwe, but finances and the fear of separation held us back. With Olivia heading to high school, I knew she would need the extra confidence that camp would provide. To help cover the cost, we applied for a scholarship, and I applied for a job in the Ogichi kitchen.

Six months later, we headed from West Virginia to Minnesota on an 18-hour adventure. My daughter was hesitant to leave her friends, volleyball conditioning, and her phone. I was unsure I could handle the physical aspects of working in a kitchen that feeds so many people at once.

Before the first day was over, I knew this kitchen staff would make it through anything if we did it together. Any question or challenge was addressed as a team, with hard work, respect, humor and always with the goal of creating a delightful, healthy, tasty experience for the campers and staff who we knew were working hard to learn, teach and grow.

I could also see Olivia was having the same experience as a camper: getting through challenges with laughter and fun while creating positive relationships with campers and staff.

At the end of camp, I realized this challenge taught me you can do anything with help and support. I also realized why it is important in life to have joy: the joy of working hard with supportive people and common goals, of watching others try something new every day, and the joy of laughter, music and silliness. At our final gathering, I realized joy was something that I forgot to create in my daily life.

The Ogichi Daa Kwe campers and staff helped me understand joy in a whole new way. True joy can be found in everything, even completing chores and overcoming challenges. And joy happened because we did it together, in a safe place with healthy, nurturing, effective and knowledgeable leadership.

Since being home, Olivia and I use the Law of the Woods. We sing the song with the lyrics “strong spirited” to encourage one another when we both are afraid to try new things. And we laugh more as we support one another. We are both in touch with the friends we made at camp.

Olivia is no longer afraid to give 100% of herself. She is more comfortable in her skin and that she can put herself out there more and not worry about what other people think. Olivia says that she is “more willing to take risks,” because of the challenges she faced and overcame at Ogichi.

There are many things my daughter and I gained from the Ogichi experience, some of which we have not yet discovered. What I do know is that at Ogichi we experienced the power of having a shared goal of individual growth and happiness through relationships based on a foundation of respect and kindness. This has changed my daughter and me forever.