Every summer, Patrick Henry College hosts Teen Leadership Camps to give high school students an opportunity to grow in their faith and learn about everything from C.S. Lewis to speech and debate.
This year we're excited to offer a Virtual Camp Experience, and the camp staff is so excited to engage with campers. Camps started this week, so we caught up with some of the counselors.
Grace Roberts.jpg?width=206&name=IMG_4800%20(1).jpg)
How she got involved:
I was a Teen Camper myself for all four years of high school... and I fell in love with Patrick Henry College—its campus, its people, and its love for Christ. Teen Camps drew me to PHC soon after as a student myself. Not only did I see the Teen Camps counselor position as a wonderful way to give back to my school that I love so, so much.
What she’s looking forward to most:
I look forward to serving and encouraging these campers even over hundreds of miles and doing so alongside a team of amazing people.
Favorite book:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
What does Teen Camps mean to you?
In high school, Teen Camps was the highlight of my year. It was where I went to get to know new people, be encouraged and mentored by the counselors, learn new things, and be stretched in my faith in new ways. Teen Camps will forever hold a very special place in my heart. It is a wonderful opportunity to bless the campers who come, and to be blessed in incredible measure myself.
Max Bennett
What he is looking forward to most:
Getting to know and grow with the kids and the counselor team.
Favorite book:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, though, I’m thoroughly enjoying two books I’ve gotten into this summer: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
What does Teen Camps mean to you?
Teen Camps means growing closer to God through fellowship with others and God-honoring academic instruction.
Joshua Schumacher
What he is looking forward to most:
I’m looking forward to getting to meet the campers and… build them up in Christ, getting to interact with my fellow counselors and hopefully build them up in Christ, and be built up in Christ by them.
Favorite book:
All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg, because it’s really just quite heartwarming, and I love it.
What does Teen Camps mean to you?
It’s an opportunity to build into a bunch of students’ lives. What you learn at the Teen Camps, about how to do Moot Court and stuff like that, is thirty percent of what you take away from the camps. Seventy percent of what you remember from camps is the stuff that you learned just from the counselors: the chapel messages, growing as people, growing in Christ, that’s what it’s all about. That’s what it means to me. So, I just hope that I’m up to the task of being able to do that.
Adreana Mendez
How she got involved:
My sister attended Teen Camps last summer, and she loved it! When I heard PHC was hiring for Teen Camps, I was interested in participating so that I could also help other kids have a great summer like my sister did. It also gives me a chance to get to share why I love PHC.
Favorite book:
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
What does Teen Camps mean to you?
I think that serving with Teen Camps offers an opportunity to bless teens and even the staff. I want to give back to PHC in some form, and this is one way that I can do that. After hearing about my sister's experience, I wanted to bless kids like her in the same way. To me, it's an opportunity to bless teens and to also be blessed. I want to share God's love..
Hope Turner
How she got involved:
I heard about it from other PHCers, and since I staffed TeenPact my senior year of high school, I thought Teen Camps might also be fun!
What she’s looking forward to most:
All of it! I’m really excited to meet all the campers and to take part in all the fun games, but we’re going to learn a lot too, which is exciting! If I had to choose one though, probably the games.
Favorite book:
I have SO many favorite books, but I’d have to say The Princess of Cortova, which is the third book in The Silver Bowl series.
What does Teen Camps mean to you?
Teen Camps is a way to learn about really cool things in a fun way that glorifies the Lord. It engages your brain, your heart, and your spirit. Having fun, learning a lot about cool things, and growing closer to the Lord are all very important to me, and those are the core elements of Teen Camps.
_________
Are you interested in Teen Camps? Sign up here!
