By Kristen Payne
I was already turning 16 when I spent my first week at Centauri Arts Camp. As part of a school project for my final year of high school I wanted to take a writing class, and there was very little offered in my small town just outside of Montreal. Then my mom discovered a writing program I could take at Centauri.
The thought of being eight hours away from home with complete strangers was intimidating but with bag in tow, I was immediately warmly welcomed by my counsellor and dorm mates. Being thrown into the Centauri community is seamless. Campers and counsellors alike integrate you into the ‘family’ as if you’ve been a part of it forever. I specifically remember walking down the hallway and having girls from my dorm pull me into one of their bunks, asking me about my life back home and introducing me to girls who weren’t even a part of our dorm. To this day, we are still friends. The one week I spent my first year at camp turned into two the following summer and an entire month in my final year as a camper.
Summer 2018 will mark my fifth year as part of the Centauri community. Looking back on the years, I recall countless workshops that I took as a camper; the dance, writing, photography, and film programs that I was part of and the crazy, creative events that happened every day. Seeing it from a counsellor’s perspective now, I know how much work goes into making every day more exciting than the last. We all share in the passion to create activities every single camper will enjoy.
Being hired to work at Centauri was an honour. I had spent 3 summers looking up to the staff who surrounded me and helped shape me into who I am today. Now, I was lucky enough to be given the chance to give to campers in the way that my counsellors did for me. These days, I am one of the members of staff who create the magic and family of Centauri. I interact with new campers who remind me of myself, nervous yet so excited, and I help create the magic for campers who have known Centauri for years. No day, no summer, is the same as the last.
Centauri camp counsellors have the most rewarding job. This summer I had the opportunity to welcome a camper all the way from Italy. She reminded me of myself, the day I first came to camp. I watched as every other girl in our dorm, all past Centauri members, helped her feel at home. Every day our room was filled with the girls belting out songs – from musicals to the top charts – and I woke the group every morning by playing the new Harry Styles album. Together we would start the mornings in fits of laughter and songs. Making someone feel welcome and watching new friendships form was the highlight of my summer, and this did not only happen in my dorm. I watched it happen in programs, workshops, and all over camp, again and again.
Centauri has taught me many things. While the arts programs set me on a path of discovery that led me into a university degree that I love, what I learned most, and continue to learn even outside of camp, is the value of the people who surround you. Every day I talk to my best friend from camp who lives hours away, and keep in contact with friends scattered all around the world. Whether you get the chance to be in someone’s life for a week, two weeks, or even two months, you make a difference. As a camper, every member of staff impacted my life – as well as all the friends that I’ve made and kept. What I learned this past summer is that not only do the Centauri camp counsellors make a positive impact on the lives of their campers, but that each camper leaves a positive impression on my life, as well. I am forever changed by seeing campers make new friends and use their imaginations to create wonderful works of art in the small amount of time they are at Centauri.
Kristen Payne spent three summers as a camper, and is entering her second year on the camp counsellor team. She is a student at Concordia University, studying for her Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communication and Cultural Studies. Kristen hopes to combine her love of writing and social media studies to work in the public relations sector, with the ultimate dream of working for a touring band.