After months of planning and hard work, Campacity 2024 took place over April 15th-21st in Toledo, Spain at the Castillo de San Servando youth centre, with the support of the local government. We then moved across to YMCA Camp Priego and were hosted by YMCA Spain
The second “Campacity” Conference was a joint initiative of YMCA Europe & Y USA, hosted by YMCA Spain that aimed to:
Increase capacity of YMCA Camp Europe with human resources able to offer relevant and innovation-led ideas on forms and contents of camp programmes, whereby they are focused on trauma-healing or mental health, life-skills or resilience development, refugee rehabilitation or integration, conflict management and transformation, etc.
Build capacity for the YMCA Camping Movement to work with war affected young people and families in Europe – with a focus on, but not exclusively limited to Ukrainian IDPs
During one week of sessions, participants:
- Strengthened their capacity as camp programme leaders to deliver relevant and innovative programs focused on trauma healing, development of life skills, conflict management & refugee integration;
- Gained practical tools, skills and resources for camp management;
- Became catalysts for deeper strategic cooperation within camping program in Europe;
- Built a network of camp peers between Europe and the United States.
All this was made possible through a successful collaboration between the YMCA Europe and Y USA participants and by sharing the meaningful work each national or local YMCA does. 75 Participants (46% being female and 54% male) from 15 different countries came together motivated to learn and share, with the aim that united them all – love of camping and belief in it’s impact. As the team was diverse not only culturally, but also in terms of work, approaches and methodologies for accomplishing their goals, strategies, experience, and backgrounds, the team had an opportunity to explore different dimensions and share best practices, get inspired and create connections for future collaborations.
“Met amazing people, felt appreciated and valued for what I do and for everything that I am trying to do.”
The program was balanced with capacity-building sessions and cultural exposure time designed to help connect and create connections. Participants had the option to attend workshops for many cross cutting topics that play a crucial role in the creation of a successful camp such as strategy building, fundraising, partnerships, monitoring and evaluations just to name a few. Apart from this, they had an opportunity to learn about the Do No Harm methodology, as in today’s world, it is crucial to stay mindful of our actions, plans and projects.
Furthermore, the beauty of Campacity was equality which made the whole week more special. Everyone was given equal opportunities to share their work, culture and experiences. It is wonderful to see people coming together from different parts of the world and uniting around the same values, beliefs and goals for the betterment and strengthening of the YMCA and the camping culture.
“I hope to intentionally hold hands with all leaders here as we build better connections for increasing the capacity of camp impact worldwide.”
The Conference was hosted by YMCA Spain at Castillo de San Servando and Camp Priego. The team demonstrated amazing hospitality and great commitment to the project. The historical city of Toledo allowed participants to explore and connect, while Camp Priego created a sense of community and helped participants get back to their roots – camps.
As a final note, it needs to be mentioned how wonderful and empowering it is to see people working hard today with whatever means they have to create a better tomorrow, and Campacity demonstrated that even if we live thousands of kilometres away from each other, we are part of something bigger;
Campacity Conference 2024 was the beginning of a productive Summer 2024 which is promising various Camp Europe camps and activities to bring together more people and contribute to the cause and to the development of European Camps. Camp Europe 2024 Call for Applications is already open. Apart from this, the team has discussions regarding future plans for International gathering 2025 and various activities that will strengthen the Partnerships created during Campacity 2024. Therefore, here is a beautiful beginning of a strong collaboration and Camp Europe – so you are not alone.
