By Abby Hislop, Class of 2018
This summer I had the privilege of being a camp counselor at YMCA Camp High Harbour. The 3 weeks I spent there were filled with being with kids of all ages, leading “skills” such as water games, archery, arts and crafts, etc., and worship. While being a staff member for the past two summers, I have come to realize the true importance of servant leadership. The principles of servant leadership must be embedded in each staff member when managing the responsibility of the over 400 campers that walk through the gates of Camp High Harbour every week. Whether its staying extra time after a skill has ended to help and encourage a camper who is struggling to climb up the rock wall, or getting back up from the table to refill a water pitcher when you were starving and had just sat down, I learned that taking initiative without the expectation of a reward or even acknowledgment is a quality just as important as communication skills in a leader. Serving as a counselor in training last summer and an assistant counselor this summer of a cabin with twenty girls ages 11-13, I was constantly putting the girls and their needs before my own from morning until night. The goal is to give up every ounce of your time and energy as you possibly can to ensure that they have the best week of their lives, because that’s what servant leadership is all about: focusing on the needs of others before your own. I am so thankful I have a place like Camp High Harbour that gives me, along with numerous other staff members, the opportunity and experience of being responsible for others and to discover that one doesn’t have to be in the spotlight to be a leader, but the service behind the scenes is a form of leadership too.
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