A Recap of G.O.D.'s Camp Skillz 2021

G.O.D.’s Camp Skillz Provided a Safe and Fun Summer Camp to Over 280 Campers

Camp Skillz was facilitated by the dedicated Robert Muñoz and Craig Duffy who served as Camp Directors, Derek Bargatze as Lead Conselor, Stephen Ownby as Activities Coordinator, Candace Galford as Program Administrator, and several Counselors, Facilitators, and Junior Counselors from the Workwell program.

Written by: Ryan McAllister

It is a nationwide issue that parents do not have access to affordable summer camps that provide their children with meaningful summer experiences. This issue should call for a response in those people who know the Word of God.

“{Jesus} sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’” Mark 9:35-37

A society that does not make a safe, hospitable place for children does not welcome God. Camp Skillz is a response to that need. It is an affordable children’s summer camp facilitated by G.O.D. International that aims to give kids a fun experience that helps them acquire new skills, make friends, and feel valued for who they are.

Each week this summer, Camp Skillz had a theme and region of the world around which activities and skill lessons were structured. Week one was Creative Week, highlighting the nation of India. Kids had to rethink what was possible and find their inner artist through activities such as chai tea making, chess dodgeball, Indian dancing, and mandala creation! Week two was Adventure Week which saw kids trekking into the unknown in East Africa as they explored their surroundings and tried new things with activities like a savannah relay, a search for the big five animals found on an African safari, and the creation of a traditional Ugandan drink, Munanaansi! Week three was Active Week with lessons about the region of Latin America. Kids ran, skipped, jumped, played and SCORED as they outran their boredom and got active making salsa and playing games like capture the flag, beach volley-soccer and salsa dance! Week four ended the summer with Innovative Week in South East Asia which focused on kids learning how to upgrade their world by learning, growing, and discovering new ways to have fun with the resources they had around them with activities like water balloon royale, meditation, martial arts, dragon tag, and a team dance creation! Each of these weeks gave kids an opportunity to learn skills connected with each of the week’s themes and regions while also making their summer extremely fun!

A recent study published in May 2021, by the national organization, After School Alliance, found that after a safe environment (97%) and knowledgable and caring staff (96%) these were the top 5 factors that parents considered important for their child’s summer experience. Camp Skillz focuses on every single one of these!

While all of these fun, skill building activities were taking place, kids were also being taught character values and were able to develop friendships with one another. These values were derived from the Word and from Jesus’ example. Both the values learned and the friendships developed will be valuable to these kids into the future.

In sum, the summer was an amazing experience for everyone involved - from the fantastic campers who participated to the administrators, dedicated employees and self-sacrificial volunteers who gave their all to make sure this camp could be the best possible. It was a successful effort to create a hospitable environment for children this summer that gave them a place to grow and develop as the kind of kids that Jesus expects to see in the world. If you were involved in any way with camp this summer, I know that you felt the presence of God. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.