06/13/2024
On Monday night, I had the pleasure and absolute joy to attend the Gala for OTC:  odyssey team camp - and wow, did it fill my Soul with joy.  I got to reconnect with Adam Simon the Director as well as some dear old friends. 
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I first heard about OTC on a bus in Chang Mai Thailand -
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A woman who I just met named Nancy Muriello was sitting next to me. I remember telling her about how I was passionate in college about being a teacher / educator. Here is what I told Nancy:
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My Education 101 professor Diane Cudahy at the College of Charleston was brilliant, experienced, wise and passionate. We were a class of about 40 and when she asked who is planning to become a teacher on the 1st day of the semester about 3 people raised their hands. At the end of the semester she asked again and EVERYONE except 1 person raised their hands.
I was one of the many who she converted to the cause ---
with a dream of changing the world one youth at a time.
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In her class I wrote my "Philosophy of Education" paper. I was passionate about really seeing kids, being curious about what lit up their Soul, and crafting a personalized education around their passion.
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But then, when I looked at making Education my major all of the classes to become a certified teacher were labeled things like 'teaching cutting and pasting 1' 'teaching cutting and pasting 2' 'teaching cutting and pasting 3' .... (you get the picture) I wouldn't be able to take any of the dance or fine art classes that were MY passion - and how hypocritical would that be - to have that passionate philosophy and then tell the kids I never followed my own Heart and Soul. ... So I became a double major in Fine Art and Art History and took all the dance classes the college had to offer.
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"I was a mentor in the schools" I told Nancy "I miss working with kids"
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"Why don't you come to camp with me this summer!?
"My sister-in-law Lauren brought me to this Camp for teens - Its this amazing place where they get to be themselves" Adam is always looking for new counselors - I can put you in touch."
And she did ...
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I remember calling Adam from my mom's porch with my silver flip phone. It was June, 2006 Adam said he was fully staffed, but he needed one more person who could teach dance. (I remember getting shaky and my stomach dropped)
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I was totally not a dance teacher. My professional dance friends had music, warm up routines, fancy combinations... I had no music (this was before spotify and the cloud!) and no experience teaching teens.
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I told Adam "Well, I love dance. Its my favorite thing and I've danced my whole life, and taught tiny kids tap/jazz/ballet .. but I don't "TEACH Dance!"
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"Great, your HIRED, You'll teach all the dance classes" he said with confidence.
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"But... But... I really don't teach dance" I said... my palms sweating"
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"You'll be great" he said with an aire of finality, they are just teenagers and all you have to know is one thing more than them"
(Adam Simon = the total opposite of cancel culture and the Apprentice 'Ya Fired' mentality)
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Camp was the place I learned to LEAP!
To have courage to do what I loved.
To just wing it - to be PRESENT.
That all the knowlege in the world doesn't even come close to somone who just has a tiny bit of experince sharing their heart and passions.
It was the place I learn to 'facilitate by fire!' to be flexible and be totally in the moment.
To let the people in front of me and the moment guide the flow - that this was more powerful than any master plan my mind could make up. To TRUST.
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I've gone through SO many trainings after my college degree, Pilates Certificatin, 4 Yoga Certifications, So many winters of Thai Massage Training in Thailand, Mindfulness training, Birth Doula, Death Doula trainings, a 2 Year Earth Based Ministerial training to name a few....
... and at the Gala on Monday I realized that one of the most impactful things on my current ablitity to hold space as a Grief Guide, the Host of the Walk Through Grief with Grace Podcast and the Founder of the GRACE Collective is NOT a certification or a licence.
It is the felt experince of being 24/7 at OTC summer after summer 5 full summers in a row (and a couple of week long Yoga Camps after that)
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Now I have the great fortune  of working for myself and creating the offering I bring to the would & I get to bring my FULL Self into my work...
Because I got to borrow the confidence Adam had in me 18 years ago and start owning that confidence a bit at a time.
To the point where now I offer my own vision and version of Dance in a Monthly Ceremony called "Dream Dancing with the Ancestors" I had the confidence to pave my own way - follow my own passions and make the s**t up - just like I did all those summers in camp!
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So I say YES Camp sure does save lives by being a safe space to be supported and express who you are, a place to belong in community.
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AND The OTC culture that Adam held space for, helped me LIVE my life these last 18 years fully and authentically.
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Adam, may you recognize what an impact you've made on this world, on me, and inevitably on every councelor and camper these past 22 years.
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We were led by a director who taught us how to
Hold space AND tell jokes.
How to be scared AND be trust in others capabilities anyway.
How to be vulnerable and cry in front of dozens (or hundreds) of people AND let that be our greatest strength.
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Thank you, each and every camper / councelor / staff that I crossed paths with some have become my dearest friends. - I am so so greatful for the web we wove each summer.
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If you were at OTC too, I’d love to hear in the comments something about camp that evolved how your ARE in the world, how you LIVE life. I bet we'd all love to hear how this web of OTC enriched all of us.
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May we keep walking with
confidence and freedom.
With gratitude and love,
Jenn
