It is difficult to put into words without witnessing it firsthand, the experience of being around a large group of highly motivated and ambitious young teens from all around over the country (with various background and cultural differences) witnessing them all band together at Leadership Camp each year with the goal to become better individuals today and strong leaders for tomorrow.
While it is a very challenging week for these athletes, frequently pushing them outside of their comfort zone, it is truly a life changing experience for most of them.
And none of it would be possible without the help of caring and dedicated leaders like Lee Knight, Leora Hafri and Duncan Seawell (along with all the other coaches and volenteers) who make our Leadership camp a roaring success each year.
It’s all about surrounding yourself with the right people.
The greatest discovery any outsider could make about Camden is it's overriding response to failure: If it didn’t work last year, do it AGAIN this year (and if possible do it MORE).
Every year they pass more laws, hire more police, build more prisons, and sentence more offenders for longer periods-all without moving one inch closer to “ending” crime. If it didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Every year they spend more money on schools, hoping to “fix” whatever’s wrong with them, and every year the schools remain stubbornly unfixed. Spending money didn’t work last year or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Every year they try to make the criminals go away, and every year they remain with us. We couldn’t shoehorn these criminals back into the “the mainstream” last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, but you can be sure we’ll try it again this year, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it won’t work this year either.
Maybe its time to TRY something DIFFERENT.
Afterall, IF Camden is saved, it will not be saved by old minds with new programs but by new minds with no programs at all.
Much of my inspiration comes from Daniel Quinn in "Ishmael."