Impressions from Adam

During GLOW camp I was the one male counselor, the person whose primary job description was to “interact with the girls, help with camp, and offer a male perspective during discussion”. This means my job was flexible and I was always all over the place, interacting, reacting, and often times just trying to keep our girls amused and smiling with my comedic mannerisms and awful Armenian language skills. GLOW gave me a chance to interact with girls from all over Armenia, to learn their views, life desires, etc. I loved speaking with them and discussing their opinions of life, gender equality, etc. I’m a shy person at heart, but the girls brought me out of my shell. At the beginning of the camp I had no idea what to say, what to do, etc. By the end of the camp I was laughing, joking, dancing, etc. I was surprised and inspired by the girls’ vibrant personalities and enthusiastic participation in GLOW. They forced me to interact and be a better counselor and I gained tons of new friends and outside perspective on my own beliefs and values. 

Happy GLOW 2014

The happiness comes accidentally to change the winter of our soul to the green spring...

GLOW Oscar

GLOW camp 2014 is almost coming to an end! We only have one more day till everything is over. Today was an interesting, full, exciting day, with new experiences and challenges for the girls. Many new discoveries were made about themselves as well as personal gains. Our agenda for the day is the following topics: Public Relations, Volunteerism, Sexual Education, and Peer Education.

Today was a very unique and special day because John Heffron, U.S. Ambassador came to the camp for a short visit with the girls. Participants at the camp gained further outside knowledge from the ambassador as he spoke about Clara Barton and how she was considered an angel during the Civil War and has also helped Armenians during her lifetime. 

To add to all the festivities we also had a birthday from one of our participants, Nare Paremuzyan in which all of the girls joined in to celebrate her birthday with her. She announced to the group that this year was her best birthday yet.

The evening ended with an OSCAR award ceremony where all the counselors highlighted each of the girls unique talent and the girls were presented with their own OSCAR trophy and awards. It was a very memorable evening as it was the last night for GLOW.

GLOW day 4

We kicked off day four of GLOW with a discussion about human rights. The girls split into small groups and used their knowledge of this topic to prepare skit examples of moments when the rights of others are not respected. Needless the say the girls blew us away with their creativity and performance talents.

The girls then joined their home groups to discuss gender roles. They had very interesting conversations about gender roles in Armenia, their family, as well as how they imagine their role in the future. I was very impressed with their use of conflict resolution to work through some of the disagreements which arose during the discussion.

The afternoon contained some heavier subjects, domestic violence and trafficking. While these topics can be stressful and difficult to imagine, the girls did not shy away from wanting to speak about these very important issues.

Today ended with a continuation of our talent show. Once again the girls came prepared with tremendous performances that demonstrate their individuality and unique gifts. The enthusiasm and ingenuity of the girls inspired the Peace Corps councilors to share an American dance, the Cotton Eye Joe. We were excited to demonstrate an American style dance just in time for the Fourth of July. At the end of the dance the girls even do-si-doed with us! The day concluded with the presentation of our very stylish GLOW t-shirts and hats which we will all be wearing tomorrow!

GLOW-Day 3

Day 3 at GLOW camp started off with an outdoor block that transformed the campgrounds into a Hollywood extravaganza, lovingly dubbed GLOW-wood by the campers! 

On our first sunny day in Stepanavan since GLOW got under way, the girls became movie stars crawling through a “collapsed tunnel” on a movie set, red carpet assistants dodging the paparazzi to bring water to their Hollywood charges, blind aliens at a movie premier on Mars, and actresses in a new fantasy film wandering through a magical forest. 

The campers worked together in their small groups to overcome the challenges that the scenarios presented, and began to really come together as a team.

Later on, they discussed the advantages and disadvantages of different styles of leadership. They discovered the skill and excitement of public speaking, and what it means to resolve conflict.

On a personal note, I was particularly struck by the girls’ willingness to be vulnerable in their honesty with each other. I am certain that after only a few days, we are all, campers and counselors alike, learning a great deal from one another.

We finished the day with a dance party, and a two-part talent show that can only just begin to scratch the surface of the spirit, creativity, and ability of our campers. They continue to inspire and amaze me!!