In July and August, The Transformations Camp was hosted at the YWCA and led by Jamie Stacy was a week-long empowerment camp focusing on self-worth, self-care, self-monitoring/regulation, self-instruction, and goal-setting skills. There were two separate sessions this year. Mrs.Jaime assigned us peer mentors, placing us in groups with other young women who gave encouraging advice and showed great leadership. Everyone at the camp was able to connect easily and create relationships with others while bettering their relationship with themselves. The things we learned were beneficial to our mental health and contributed to our overall well-being.
This camp came for me at the perfect time, being someone with very low self-esteem and self-worth. It was able to push me further out of my shell and help with my perspective of myself as well as the perspective people may have of me. There couldn’t have been a better person to lead the camp. Jaime Stacy is easy to look up to and empowering. She was able to teach us, to be vulnerable, and every conversation was meaningful. Some of the things we learned, starting with goal-setting skills helped us to not start too big and to set small goals. We learned that, as good as it is to have big goals, they have to be realistic. We also learned how to self-monitor and regulate our behavior and reactions. We got to see different methods on how to do this by learning about how our senses impact us. Aromatherapy, fidgeting, actively moving, and listening to music were a few ways we saw that helped, and most of us would say it calms us the most. Self-instruction is simply teaching ourselves. We also learned about self-care which contributes to our physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. Self-care varies from person to person but it is meant for you to put yourself first as a form of wellness. It caters to your health and happiness. Self-care is a combination of emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social factors or even a lifestyle.
Finally, we explored self-worth, and how we see our own value. Society’s standards are high and unrealistic. People are degrading and there is a trend of toxicity where we are continuously dragging each other down. It’s important to have self-respect and to have confidence in yourself. I know who I am as a person and how I view myself. Every action and step you take should be taken with purpose. The message of Transformations Camp that I cannot let go of is to walk in your confidence and self-worth and embrace opportunities given to you, to know the difference between confidence and cockiness and speak with intent. We’ve heard plenty of times that you should treat people how you want to be treated, but as repetitive as it is, we should never forget that every life is important and valuable. The YWCA Transformations Camp helped with my self-discovery and was reaffirming. Outside of everything we learned, the girls who attended had plenty of fun and enjoyed every activity.