Fully capturing the feeling of a Swift Youth Foundation event is close to impossible. For me, this is especially true of the summer sessions at Camp Swift. I have Swift to thank for many of my professional and interpersonal skills. It's a place that asks you to give your best, because the campers, counselors and staff deserve it.
Here are two pieces of writing I've done on how Swift has affected me and made me feel:
"Living in Arizona took a positive turn when I discovered the Swift Youth Foundation (formerly known as Camp Swift). Swift is a non-profit organization that helps foster the social and emotional wellbeing of children in Phoenix, Arizona. This includes after school supervised activities during the year, and an overnight camp in Northern Arizona over the summer. The campers at Swift are chosen by either their teachers at school or by leaders within homeless shelters or Boys and Girls Clubs. Many campers are dealing with social and financial difficulties at home, and Swift gives them the opportunity for an escape, to meet positive role models, and to participate in programming that focuses on goal setting and fun. Many of these campers continue on to be leaders at Swift as counselors or staff.
I first attended Swift in 2008, the summer after I moved to Arizona. Some of my closest friends are through the Swift Youth Foundation, because sharing a Swift session means seeing vulnerability, supporting your co-counselors and staff members, and showing up for a cause larger than the self. Friendships that are born at Swift are born from such honesty and shared memory that returning each summer feels like going home to family. The mission of the organization is infused into everything we do on Camp. Sports are not only a space for fun, but for learning teamwork, working through conflict, and using physical activity as an outlet. For the last few summers, I have volunteered as a Unit Head, helping to lead a group of about fifty campers and twenty staff, and as Staff Director, maintaining the staff schedule and leading about fifty staff members. This last summer, my job title was “Yoda.” I was the go-to person for programming advice, mentored Unit Heads, and worked to help campers, counselors and staff. Possibly most powerful, many came to me for advice when campers discussed family dynamics, arguments occurred in cabins, or staff felt emotionally drained. Discovering the Swift Youth Foundation in high school allowed me to see the beauty of my community in Arizona. Many of my most sacred moments have been affiliated with Swift. More than anywhere else, Swift is where I found my voice."
"The space in which I feel my spirituality most deeply is Camp Swift. The Swift Youth Foundation is not inherently religious or spiritual. It is an organization that supports underserved youth in the Phoenix area, and hosts an overnight camp for children in elementary school. The children are chosen by leadership within homeless shelters, schools, and Boys and Girls clubs. Despite its secularism, I feel an overwhelming sense of spirituality and connection when I am there. As an atheist, this connection is not to a higher power, but rather to an almost tangible web of safety and care between the staff, counselors, and campers. I have never seen the good in others the same way I have during a Camp Swift session.
We know this protective bubble of goodness cannot follow the campers home, but while they are in our care, we do our best to let them know they have role models, love, and that they matter. Camp Swift’s two slogans are “Fun is just the start,” and “All the love they can get, all the food they can eat.” We learn more from the campers and their experiences than they learn from us. We provide the setting, and they provide the meaning. I never knew grilled cheese could be spiritual, but seeing the joy on campers’ faces as they cheer and enjoy a simple meal has changed my life. Our hope is that the connection they gain during their Camp Swift session shifts their trajectory, as least slightly, toward connection. When I am at Swift, I feel like my spiritual cup overflows with gratitude, belonging and meaning. I am my most whole, spiritual self at Swift, and aim to carry this feeling with me even when I am not there."