The 4th rung on the Pyles program’s ladder is the Worker Training Program. Below is an article written by one of our newest Workers, “Skipjack.”
“Skipjack” can be seen 4th from left, in the black shorts.
My Pyles Camp experience this year was a scary yet amazing experience, with a lot of twists and turns. It started when I first got on the bus - I saw all of the boys' faces. Some had doubts, many were fearful, and the others were excited and filled with unmet curiosity. I was drawn towards the kids that had doubts because I was also in their shoes. I told them, it’s OK because we're heading to a place that is filled with life lessons as well as a family bond that can never be broken. The boys that I told had smiled back, and I could tell they had fewer doubts because they couldn’t stop smiling the entire way there. That's not all when because once we got off the bus, we all started to work together. Workers, campers, voyagers, and everyone around, we all worked as one to unload the bus. After that, the workers drove down to the camp and started getting to work.
I began as an Outcamp Specialist where I helped the kids get ready for outcamp. Though this was short-lived because after two sessions I was promoted to Cook’s Assistant where I helped prepare as well as clean up meals. My boss, as well as the head cook, was Draco. He was like a father-figure, and he knew how to cook, which was a craft I wished to pursue in the future. We made the meals from scratch each and every day. There was usually no clean up because the campers and counselors ate everything, even the crumbs.
There was always one thing that tops it all. It was the last night of campfire on the very last night of the summer. The kids would be tired, but they just started to open up there. They would all get up one by one and they would say their favorite Pyles Camp experience. I’m genuinely honest when I say that I always cry on that night. Not because of their tragic backstories, but because I could see myself in their shoes. It was almost like I was going through time, but what really makes me happy was going back down the mountain. Though it meant that the session was over, seeing the kids change from doubt and fear in the faces to excitement and an unwavering amount of energy was something I wouldn’t change for the world. They just can’t wait to come back next year. I still see those kids in school, in my town, and in my memories. After all, they all are my little brothers.