December Camp for High School Scholars

Children of Kibera's high school scholars spent the last two weeks participating in their December break camp, organized and facilitated by CoKF interns, Jackie Espana and Joscelyn Truitt. On the first day, the fourteen students elected to cover a variety of topics, all of which interest and inspire them at home and at school. The group agreed to discuss self-esteem, peer pressure, time management, healthy relationships, drugs and sex, and health issues that plague Kibera, such as HIV/AIDS. Throughout the two-week camp, run from 9 AM to 1 PM daily, the students participated in fun activities, discussions, and art projects. The first week introduced topics such as self-esteem and self-awareness. The group practiced assertive language to combat peer pressure, debated the influence of media messages on young people, and talked about decision making. Students composed self-awareness collages and participated in a positive poster making contest, to determine the most creative poster with the most positive message for Kibera's youth. The facilitators organized a self-esteem photo shoot, where each student had the opportunity to organize and design a photo shoot set representing a positive self-image. The photos were printed and distributed on the last day of camp.
Below: Students work on their self-awareness collages.
Lynette and Lowry design their positive message posters.


The second week introduced a different set of topics, immediately set off by heated talks about gender roles perpetuated by societal beliefs and customs. Students shared emotional coping methods pertaining to common but complex emotional reactions. They discussed relationship issues and the boys shed light on teenage male behavior for the girls, and vice versa. The group even touched on the cultural beliefs and emotional effects of female circumcision. The talks shifted to sexual behavior as the group intensely explored HIV/AIDS. Two days consumed discussions about biological and behavioral causes and effects, thoughts about stigma, and society's and the individual's role in the spreading the disease. The students read personal accounts of individuals living with the virus (from Stephanie Nolen's 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa) and explored the political stakeholders and major players in the AIDS epidemic in Africa (from Helen Epstein's The Invisible Cure: Why We Are Losing the Fight Against AIDS in Africa). The final days introduced straightforward information on sexually transmitted infections, safe sex practices, and the effects of various drugs on the individual. As official camp came to a close, Jackie, Joscelyn, and Jeff treated the students to a day at Nairobi's Safari Walk, where they watched lions groom themselves up-close and cheetahs pose in the tall grass far away. As a final treat, the scholars and facilitators attended the Red Rose Holiday Party, where everyone danced to popular music and ate biscuits and pilau. All in all, the camp was a success and the students demonstrated impressive insight and clarity on issues that can be so difficult for young people to discuss.
Left: Hassan and Fred create their positive message poster.
Below: Conso, Zeinab, and Yasmin work on the design for their positive poster campaign.

Above: The boys and Conso pose for their self-esteem photo shoots.

Below: Kevin shares his self-awareness collage piece.

Above: Starting off the day with yoga and stretching.

Above: Students participate in "A Pat on the Back", where each writes positive qualities on the back of each student.

Above: The girls form falling trust circles.