Basecamp | Naomi

Panic buying maybe isn’t what first comes to mind first when you think of our leadership training for young people, but it played its part in Naomi’s decision to sign up for February’s Basecamp at Gowanbank…

I booked the last place for the February Basecamp, because the June event was fully booked, and I didn’t want to miss out. I'd had an amazing time at a camp held at Glenshee and then Gowanbank, so it was a tough decision whether to continue as a camper or become a Trainee Leader.

At 17, I have lots of friends who are participants at SU Holidays, but it definitely feels like the right thing to become part of the team now. I’ve just finished my final year at school, and I’m ready for some new challenges.

I'm so glad I went to Basecamp. It's excellent preparation for becoming a leader, and the training sessions cover a lot of ground like how to lead different aspects of an event. In the session about how to lead games, I was able to contribute some of the crazy game ideas we play in my youth group; we had such a lot of fun in that session and a real sense of togetherness.

Another stand-out moment for me was the workshop where we shared our personal stories. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it was a moment of real closeness when everyone in the group took a turn to share something about their faith journey. It surprised me how willing everybody was to do that—we got to know each other so well in the course of just a short weekend.

I am looking forward to returning to an SU Holiday at Gowanbank, and Basecamp means I feel ready to contribute on the team. I know there will be lots of opportunities to connect with a small group of young people, to spend time chatting with them over meals and to take part in activities together—I am aware of the influence I may have in that leader role.

It’s going to be a busy summer, as I am also setting up a holiday club in my local church. I have support from other people in the church, including a previous youth worker, but I’m taking some action to make it happen. We haven’t had a holiday club since before Covid and it feels like it’s time to provide something for the children in our community. I have a long summer holiday between finishing school and hopefully starting at university in September to study medicine, so it feels like a moment when I can get involved and try and do something that makes a difference.

Naomi O’Brien