A Summer Camp That Inspires Kids to Become Forces For Good

By Katherine Barfield, writer and CMA volunteer

Summer camp is one of the keystones of an American childhood. It’s where we make lifelong friendships or overcome personal limits, like swimming out that much farther into the lake, finally letting go of the rope swing, or mustering the courage to talk to a crush. For kids of all ages living through a summer impeded by a global pandemic, how can those experiences still happen?

Jesse Engle found a solution as he watched his wife teach her fifth-grade students over Zoom. He saw the social connections happening and realized that even more than academic subjects, what kids need during this unprecedented time of isolation is social connection and a sense of belonging. Realizing school would end soon, he quickly rallied the troops at his nonprofit Good Work House to create a weeklong virtual summer camp for middle and high school students. Jesse observed that “making people feel welcome is a strength of Good Work House,” and he knew his community could extend this warm welcome to kids. The challenge, and the opportunity, was how to do it virtually. Using his background and expertise as a tech entrepreneur, Jesse and his team created a virtual space he believes fosters vulnerability, connection, and meaning.

Meeting on Workplace from Facebook and Zoom, campers from around the country and even the world form these bonds in their “pods,” twice daily meetings of 12–15 campers with their counselor. Think of pods as camp cabins. Here, kids can discuss their thoughts and fears and get to know each other. Campers take personality tests to bond with fellow campers and to discover they have the ability to make a positive impact on the world.

True to the mission of Good Work House, the purpose of the camp is to inspire campers to “become a force for good — to yourself, your neighbor, your community, and your world.”

Good Work House is a division of Haiti Partners, an organization dedicated to helping Haitians change Haiti through education. Founded in 2019, Good Work House is a community of influencers, creators, artists, and entrepreneurs who want to be a force for good in the world. Members pay an annual fee, volunteer their time, or use their expertise to lead classes or events in exchange for using the house and attending as many events as they would like. Past in-person Good Work House events included yoga workshops, cooking classes, volunteer days, and benefit concerts. Membership fees go to Haiti Partners to send Haitian children to school.

At Camp Good Work House, kids get access to these industry leaders through 12 live virtual sessions. Sessions include photography, storytelling, filmmaking, comedy sketch writing, drawing, cooking, and digital wellness, to name a few. Cognizant of screen burnout, Camp Good Work House stresses that kids do not have to attend all of the sessions. And in service of the nonprofit’s mission, every session is taught with the intention of leveraging that skill to make the world a better place.

Kids learn to become a force for good for themselves, their neighbors, their communities, and the world. In furtherance of becoming a force for good for self, kids learn skills like healthy eating, mindfulness, and understanding and managing emotions. For neighbors, they discuss the many ways they can be of service to those in their immediate vicinity. For community, they learn to identify nonprofits local to them, as well as virtual volunteering opportunities. For the world, they look at a case study on Haiti Partners and compare and contrast development efforts after the earthquakes that were helpful and not so helpful.

And just as Good Work House Camp was kicking off, the world experienced another tectonic shift with the murder of George Floyd and the tsunami of outrage and uprising to making changes to ensure social justice and equality for all. Jesse felt a conviction to help kids and teenagers process the current events, the historic context for them, and what they can do to right this systemic wrong. He and his team worked quickly to update the curriculum to include Black Lives Matter discussions. In addition, they are creating new videos to address issues of racial inequality, told from the perspective of Black members.

The new motto of Camp Good Work House?

To become a force for good and an ally for change.

Young people can stand alongside people who do not have the same experience with the justice system. They learn areas where they have privilege and how to use that power to irradicate social injustice and foster equality.

With all of the stress, anxiety, and loneliness that stems from this time of great uncertainty, isolation, and social upheaval, it’s easy to be negatively impacted. Jesse believes Camp Good Work House is a powerful antidote. In his opinion, the way out of “overwhelm” is serving other people. He said the happiest he has ever been was when he visited Haiti to help people in need alongside people he loved. Good Work House Camp can give kids the tools and motivation to do just that, not just in the future, but right now.

Camp ends with a virtual bonfire, where kids can share original creations and thoughts. One camper shared an original song while everyone cheered him on. Another camper couldn’t get over how nice and welcoming everyone was. Connection is still happening, even virtually, as you see in this testimonial video from high school week one: https://youtu.be/iVqsN9r7LLI

If your child would like to attend Camp Good Work House, it is $150/week. Enter code CMA to receive 10% off. In addition, 25% of Camp Good Work House campers participate with scholarships. Good Work House Camp runs until July 24, 2020.