Wow, what an amazing week we all had at Heritage Camp! The kids were sad to see camp end on Friday and are already counting down the days until camp resumes next June. There were over 300 campers in attendance. They have a China camp, Korea camp, Eastern European camp, Latin America camp, and a Global camp. We were thrilled to have a camp that all of our children could participate in together.
So what is Heritage Camp? Heritage Camp is for children who have been adopted from a different country. It is a chance for kids to be with other kids who have similar backgrounds. Heritage Camp is a place for children to learn about the culture they were born into but don’t live in, an opportunity to experience food, crafts, books, and music, all from their birth country.
China and Korea camps are the largest. Before we even left the hotel in the morning to go to camp, Leah immediately noticed all the other little girls who looked like her. {There was a quite a group of us staying at the same hotel.} When we arrived at the school it was overwhelming, in a good way, to see all the dark heads. Normally our girls are easy to spot in a group of kids, not so last week! Not only was it beneficial for our children of color to be in the majority, it was beneficial for our caucasian boys to experience life in a bit of a different way.
Camp kicks off on Tuesday with each flag from every country represented carried in and hung up on the gym wall. Think Olympic opening ceremonies. Everyone gathered each day for a group assembly in the gymnasium. The first day was Drummunity the second day was African Storytellers, and the third day was Korean Drumming. Then the children spent time learning songs, hearing stories, playing on the playground and eating lunch with their new friends. Each day lunch was a different cuisine.
Heritage Camp is an all volunteer group. Our kids were blessed with some very caring and engaged coordinators. They obviously put much time and effort into planning and implementing the crafts and other activities for the week. Here is a sampling of some of the crafts that the kids made. Anna and Levi were in Global Camp and they also sampled some food items like spicy popcorn, arrowroot pie, and doro wat.
One morning parents were offered the opportunity to view Adopted: The Movie. While Heritage Camp is an amazing way for our children to connect with others, and for us as parents to celebrate the many different families that God has created, it’s also important to not forget that our children often struggle with real issues surrounding adoption. This movie was a powerful reminder that although adoption is beautiful, it’s not without challenges.
If you are interested in Heritage Camp, and I highly recommend it, here is a short video about the camp that we attended:
What a special gift for your children. This experience must have touched your family on so many different levels.
Sounds awesome, glad you guys had such a wonderful week!
Jen, Thanks for the great article about Heritage Camp. We are so glad your children had a great experience! We hope to see you all again next year.
Cathy
Camp Co-director
Oh, I’ve been waiting for your thoughts and I’m sooo happy that they are all positive! The story of the flags being carried in on Tuesday morning? Wow! That brought tears. I bet the kids were so proud of their flags! Thanks for sharing!
I find Heritage Camp magical and I’m thrilled to know that your family enjoyed it this year. Thank you for for sharing your experience with your online community of friends. I look forward to seeing your family return next year.
Jessica
President of FFIC
When my two oldest (now 20 & 22) were preschool & elementary age, they went to Korean Day camp. I had that same experience of trying to find my kids in a group! By 3rd grade, DD22 decided to go to a Korean overnight camp. She absolutely loved it; became a counselor; and is now co-director of the camp. She also did study abroad in Korea. All wonderful experiences for her.
I have one that I could see doing a similar thing, glad to hear that they were all good experiences. Thanks for sharing!
I think magical is a great word! Thanks for all the behind the scenes hours that you put into making this a reality for our children.
Patty, you MUST do this!!!
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, you will definitely see us next year! Thanks for all you do.
Love this idea! I never knew such camp existed. It sounds and looks like all of the kids really had a great time. What an awesome way to learn about their culture.
Beautiful post, Jen…The flag part reminded me a little of the Olympics and great timing this year:) Seeing many cultures come together under one family of God is such a great witness, challenges and all.
OH, I saw where you DID mention the Olympics…I totally “got” that visual:)