This week we spoke to one of our young leaders, Sarah, who gave us an insight into what it has been like to grow up in Citywise over the years. Take a look and see what she had to say about her experience.
“My name is Sarah, and I am currently in 3rd year. I began my journey through Citywise Summer Camps at the age of 9. I was quite shy when I started my first summer camp, I was just so nervous. I knew very little people and I was afraid that I would struggle to make new friends all on my own. I soon realised this was the silliest fear I could ever have imagined.”
“All of the amazing leaders were so kind and helped me make lots of new friends instantly. I shouldn’t forget the other lovely members of the summer camps and how caring they were all towards me. This is an experience I will never forget.”
“During my time as a member of the camps, Lauren was my very first leader. She was so fun and enthusiastic, and I soon realised this was a common trait in all of the Citywise leaders. This enthusiasm is what made waking up and going to camp even better than I could have ever imagined.”
“Every Monday morning saw a new exciting week begin. I loved Monday’s as it meant I was bound to meet many new faces. I was meeting new leaders each week; this was my favourite part about the camps. I was meeting new role models on a weekly basis, each one I individually aspired to be like in the future.”
“A strong memory I have of the camps comes to mind when I attend leader training each week, and that is the icebreaker game we play at the start of each session. This is one of my favourite parts of Citywise. Fun is always at the core of the programmes, something I realised from a really young age. This reminds me of the summer camps, as when the day for trips came, we might have been waiting for the Citywise bus to collect us, and one of the leaders would always have a game like Splat or Wink Murderer in their back pocket, ready to go!”
“I didn’t know it back then, but the summer camps were only the beginning of my Citywise experience. Little did I know that six years later, I would be enrolled in Fast Track Academy for my Junior Certificate, while also enrolling in Leadership, where I get the opportunity to give back to something that I got so much from every week, all them years ago. Citywise summer camps inspired me, and it allowed me to get the opportunity at 15 to inspire other young people, something I could have only dreamed of!”
There is still time to sign up for this year’s Citywise Summer Camps. To sign up, sign up at www.citywise.ie or drop into our reception team to fill out an application form!