When Isabelle first came to Jameson Camp, she was more than just reserved. She was afraid to talk to anyone or to try any of the new things awaiting her at camp. In fact, Isabelle didn’t see the value in herself nor believe that she should or could do what everyone else was doing. Certainly, low self-esteem and self-confidence were holding her back.
Slowly, with others reaching out to her, Isabelle joined in some activities and made a few new friends. She saw she wasn’t the only person who was apprehensive and scared. Gradually she broke out of her shell and really began to enjoy the people around her and trying new things. By the end of that camp year, Isabelle was hungry for more and admitted she had fallen in love with camp.
Every year Isabelle returned to camp, ready to grow inside and have new experiences. She built on her self-confidence from her camp experience. Every year she reminded camp staff that Jameson Camp made her feel alive, that it was a special place where she could be herself and belong without judgment.
Developing Self-Confidence Made Moving into Leadership Possible
As soon as she was eligible, Isabelle moved into the youth leadership program, which includes camping. Again, she found something new to love. Then she moved into the Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program where she could begin to share with campers the love, fun, and acceptance that was shared with her at their age.
Isabelle really loved everything about Jameson Camp and what it represented. She saw what a difference it could make for campers and how it could change a person. She shared with younger campers that what she learned at Camp helped her. It taught her how to become the self-confident, outgoing, and happy person she had become.
Isabelle started camp at 8 years old and was thrust into an unfamiliar situation. She was afraid and she didn’t know that that awful beginning for her would change her and how her life unfolded. But then she had the opportunity to learn about herself. For instance, she learned that she could do things that are unique to her and that not many other people do. She saw and grew her feelings of self-worth.
At the age of 18, Isabelle became a Jameson Camp staff member. She encourages those shy, reserved campers on the first day of camp and encourages them to follow her path. Consequently, she gives them a model who is self-confident to follow and a hand to hold. Campers know that she was one of them many years ago.
Isabelle passes down her love for Jameson Camp to all the campers who attend. She understands the power that Jameson Camp has to change lives and she takes charge to do just that – one camper at a time.