National Youth Sports Program Overview

I have learned so much over the course of the weeks I have spent as not only a nursing student but a full time staff member in the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP).  In my lifetime, I have never really been exposed to some or most of the hardships many of these children, aged ten through sixteen, manage on a daily basis.  Poor diets, high familial risks for medical conditions and diseases, increased drug and alcohol usage, and inadequate discipline skills are just some issues which the kids in camp are confronted with.  Throughout camp, I realized however, that I had much more in common with the children in camp than I had anticipated at the start.  It is interesting to hear the stories of the children, where they come from, what their interests are, and how much they truly know about life, both hard times and good times.

Throughout camp, I have truly grown a special bond with my small group.  My responsibilities within the small group setting include checking in the children in the morning at homeroom, keeping the children as calm as possible, and signing the kids out at the end of the day at parent pick up or aftercare setting.  All throughout this time, the children have gotten to know me and I too have learned something from each child in my group.  The children have grown from a group of kids, many of which who did not know each other previously, to a group of close friends that brighten my day each and every day of camp.  Of course camp has its frustrating moments, but all in all I treasure each moment I share with these children, knowing that at the end of this week I might never see most of them again.

One of the camp staff members shared a quote with us today, "Think of this week as not the end of camp for yourselves, but as your last chance to really teach these kids something and impact their lives in ways you never thought imaginable."  I took this quote to heart today and really tried to follow this throughout my day.  I found that instead of complaining about the heat, kids arguing with each other, or any other annoyance that confronted me, I thought about what I could to do impact the lives of these children who have it much worse off than I have ever experienced personally. Some of the things they have been exposed to at such a young age is difficult to comprehend, but through proper and correct education I feel we have taught them important health and safety practices.  Our hope as nurses for doing so is that the children will take what we have taught them and make educated health and life choices or modify their current ones.  During my teaching portion of camp, I found the education both exciting and difficult yet rewarding.  Some of the younger campers were more difficult to settle at the start of lecture, while some of the older campers seemed to know much of what we had taught them already but enjoyed the reinforcement of that knowledge.  Determining the knowledge level, tolerance, and willingness to cooperate of each of the students I taught was perhaps the most difficult aspect of teaching for me personally.  The actual delivering of my prepared PowerPoints to the class was not difficult in itself, but ensuring all children were listening attentively was more challenging.  However, based on our pre-and post-tests, the children have absorbed the material we taught, which is extremely, extremely rewarding to think that I have impacted the lives and decisions these kids will be making in their up and coming young lives.

I hope that through my influence, both in the classroom and as a friendly and approachable counselor and friend, I have taught these children something that they will take with them throughout their lifetime.  Each camper I have met holds a special place in my heart and I will always remember the lessons I have learned and the stories they have shared with me.