Soyuzivka camps provide opportunities for discovery and adventure (09/04/05)

Soyuzivka camps provide opportunities for discovery and adventure

by Bohdanka Puzyk

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - This is the second summer for Soyuzivka's newest summer camps. Discovery Camp for children from 8-13 years of age and Adventure Camp for teens age 13-16.

This year Discovery Camp took place from July 7 through July 27 with over 56 children participating - 35 of whom were new to the camping program. As the name of the camp suggests this camp is about "discovering." The children take nature hikes to discover the terrain around Soyuzivka, and under the guidance of Camp Director Walter Nalywayko learn the many secrets of our wonderful resort.

They hiked to the waterfalls, the Green Pool, the cliffs and some yet unmapped and unnamed locations. While on these hikes the children were encouraged to collect many items that they would then use in their crafting session.

In addition to hiking, the children had a diverse selections of activities to participate in, such as volleyball, water polo, capture the flag and swimming to list a few.

Each week there was a mystery visitor who came to camp. This year it was the Reptile Man. He brought with him many reptiles, including his pet snake, lizard, snapping turtle and alligator (which he carries in a suitcase). The children had an opportunity to learn about these reptiles while being allowed to hold and feed them.

Each Friday, the campers took a field trip. They visited the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Zoom Flume Water Park and the Honey Bee Farm. To round out their camping experience, each week there was a bonfire during which the children were encouraged to sing campfire songs and team up to do skits that would entertain their fellow campers.

All of the participants had a wonderful time and this is a credit to the hard work of the camp's leaders. This year's co-"komandantky" were Nina Kobryn and Katya Nalywayko. They worked as a team to develop and implement a high-quality program full of activities and fun. Both ladies have been involved in camps for many years and bring a wealth of experience and energy to this camp.

As with any program, it is the efforts of the entire team that will make camp fun. And this year there was a great team in place with counselors and junior counselors. The counselors this year were Kira Myskiw, Chris Benoit and Mykola Hryhorchuk; the junior counselors were Elise Benoit, Anna Chelak, Lara Chelak, Nick Kobryn and Natalia Kuziw. Ms. Chelak and Mr. Kobryn were also junior counselors with Children's Day Camp in the mornings, returning to Discovery Camp for the rest of the day.

Because of this great team of people, the children were constantly supervised and involved in each activity. They had a great time and made wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime.

As its name suggests, Adventure Camp is based on adventure. The mission of this camp is for participants to learn about survival in the great outdoors first hand under the supervision and leadership of experienced and knowledgeable counselors. This year the counselors were Chris Johnson and Kirill Meleshevich, with Mr. Nalywayko being the camp director.

Camp size is kept small for maximum effectiveness and this year there were only 25 children over the two-week period. The campers set up their own tents, creating a campground were many of their daily activities took place. Their week included hiking the many marked and unmarked trails of Soyuzivka; rock climbing, during which everyone learned the art of rapelling and zip lining; and an introductory lesson to Scuba under the tutelage of George Hanushevsky (who conducts a scuba certification camp each summer at Soyuzivka).

The children also went white water rafting and donned their fatigues for paintball games. The days were also filled with many other activities - each geared to learning the skills of camping and surviving in the outdoors, such as how to start and properly extinguish a campfire, basic first aid, and recognizing various vegetation and its usefulness.

Again, the camp and its program would not have been possible without the efforts and dedication of Mr. Nalywayko. With his expertise and involvement the children were able to learn and develop skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Adventure Camp is built on each child learning the age-appropriate skills and returning each year to build on those skills. Each child was encouraged to try to participate to his/her fullest, to have fun, to make new friends and to learn to love and appreciate the world around them.

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