Help Jamie Ryan Promote Camp One in a Hundred

The average summer camp is essentially cheap baby sitting. You drive your kids to the gym or school or other facility, and deposit them into the hands of bored college students less interested in your children than their studies. Then for the next eight hours, they’re herded along with all the others from arts and crafts to dodgeball, trapped in a turbulent sea where as far are as the counselors are concerned, your kid is just another erratic goblin among the screaming, boisterous mass of children swarming around their feet. A little disturbing for some kids, possibly, but when the madness is magnified by Autism, your kid could be overwhelmed by the cacophony.

No kid should have to experience that. My name is Jamie Ryan; I’m a 17 year old working on their Eagle Project for BSA, and I’ve decided to assist these children by promoting the services of a non-profit called Camp One in a Hundred

Camp One in a Hundred is about as far from an average summer camp as you can get. Having worked with kids with various social disorders, the camp’s founder was able to design the ideal environment for kids with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, and other challenges. The camp is relatively small, approximately thirty kids each year, divided into three groups based on age. Each group is led by five counselors each, including a licensed occupational therapist and social worker, with far more experience than college students, professionally trained to work with kids. On top of well-organized activities such as lego-building, cooking and yoga, the kids are led through various improv activities that allow them to practice social skills through a variety of games and exercises. The kids also receive time to simply interact with each other, providing them with a safe space to obtain social activity without the fear of judgement or ridicule from other kids.

The camp takes place at the Northbrook Covenant Church (though is by no means religious), and provides a more comfortable atmosphere than most. The interior is kept at a comfortable light level, with some rooms being left cool and dark for relaxing, and others with long windows and colorful walls for a cheery atmosphere. Rather than using bright whites for the walls and ceiling, the building is made from brick and wood, resulting in an environment that avoids overstimulation. The outside has multiple playgrounds with the usual equipment, and provides access to sunny grass fields and shady spots under broad, leafy trees, as while as a miniature wood that kids are allowed to play in, provided they remain in certain areas near the playground. In terms of location, the camp couldn’t have done a better job at creating the least oppressive environment possible.

I went to this camp nearly a decade ago, and when I arrived, I refused to get out of the car for five minutes, due to my traumatic experiences at my previous camp. By the time my lash year came around, One in a Hundred was the highlight of my entire year. I owe a lot to that camp for my ability to function in school, society, and life today, and I want other kids to have the same opportunity I did. That’s why I’ve decided to dedicate my Eagle project to this camp, specifically into making a video to promote the camp. We’ll be gathering clips during camp this year, directing some of the events at the camp for optimal footage, editing and composing it into a promotional video, and displaying said video on the website and social media. The money will be used to for all of these procedures to ensure that we encourage as many parents to enroll their kids as we can, so that parents are more likely to come to camp and provide their kids with the help they need. We don’t need a massive amount of funds, but everything that you provide will not only contribute to the project; any excess will of course be given to the camp for future improvements.

I appreciate any and all support that you’re willing to give! If you want to know more, feel free to check out the website.

https://oneinahundredprogram.com