“I have a tremendous fear of heights. On our way to an altitude parkours I stayed below to make photographs. One of our participants wanted to do the parkours, but only when I came along”, says Maayken, a volunteer at Roeland. “So, no sooner said than done.”
“Two of the tougher guys from camp decided to join me. One in front of me, one walked behind me. They helped me circumnavigate every obstacle. It turned out to be an unforgettable experience.”
Barbecuing together, a fantastic moment.
Maayken is a volunteer with Roeland for more than 8 years now. She was a Junior, a coach, and a head of camp, and this for all the age groups. She teaches French and music for a living.
Maayken: “Last summer I was a Head of Camp in Chemilly for the group aged 15-18, and I was also a coach in Virton. One of the finest moments that summer was the barbecue event. Dining together under a radiant French sun, it felt like vacation in its truest sense. And I will never forget the game we played on French national holiday. Some baguettes were involved. Hilarious moments guaranteed, for sure.”
Moment dodo
“At the Virton camp we initiated the ‘moment dodo’. It is a ritual we do in the evening when the teachers tell a story or stage a little play before bedtime. It instils a feeling of togetherness within the group.”
Life-size Cluedo
“We do countless activities at camp: kayaking, an excursion to Vezelay, mountain biking, altitude parkours, barbecue, village party, casino night, escape games, going on a werewolf hunt… and, of course, a party to finish the camp week. My favourite activity is life-size Cluedo when we invent small stage plays to coach the game.”
Blossoming participants
“It is especially beautiful to see how our enrollees blossom at camp. Being immersed in a new language is no small feat, but after a couple of days our participants make the switch when they discover that speaking a new language is not that bad at all.”
