After not being able to hold the soccer camp for three years due to covid, we were able to gather from July 31-August 2 at Seoul Foreign School for our 13th annual soccer camp. We had 28 3rd to 6th grade boys attend the camp, all for their first time. We had 41 volunteers serve with the vast majority serving for the very first time. As a staff, we were concerned about how this camp would go. In past camps so many of the returning kids and volunteers would help set the atmosphere and we would hit the ground running in terms of joy and good behavior. For this camp the first day had some difficulties, but our volunteers were all amazing and thanks to their steadfast love the kids began to change quickly. Here is a photo blog from the camp…
We started day 1 by announcing the teams with each team welcoming their players one by one.We then gave the boys their uniforms (PSG and Tottenham) and new Nike futsal shoes. We always love to see their faces after they change. In the mornings the teams did warm up exercises and soccer drills. We then would have lunch in the cafeteria with meals the boys like (first day chicken, second day hamburgers, and third day pizza).The boys and volunteers also enjoyed some games after lunch in the cafeteria.After lunch the first two days we would go into the gym to play dodgeball and other activities.The air conditioned gym was always refreshing after practicing outside in the summer heat. But despite the heat, the boys really wanted to play outside on the nice soccer pitch. The daily scrimmages were very competitive. It was always fun to watch the volunteers react whenever a goal was scored. We would have the kids shake hands before and after matches. Due to the many years off from the camp I forgot to lead the boys in this on the first day. Sportsmanship was much better during the games when we started and ended this way. It wasn’t just the soccer that entertained the boys. 🙂On the last day awards were given out. This boy won the sportsmanship award for his team. He used to be a bully when he was younger but he has changed over the years. It was a joy to watch him interact well with his team and lead them as one of the oldest. On the afternoon of the last day we finished our camp by going swimming together.Trust me, they love this. 🙂During the camp we made sure every boy had a volunteer assigned to them to encourage them and look after them. On the second day this boy shared at his lunch table, “This is the happiest day of my life.” The kids were noticeably nervous the first day but as the camp progressed they relaxed. The goals for our soccer camps are always joy, confidence, and unity. We love seeing the boys come out of their shells during the camps and begin to smile and laugh and interact well with everyone. Team PSGTeam TottenhamGroup photoA big highlight for our staff was having 8 Oak Tree Project students/alumni serve with us during the camp along with 4 mentors. It always blesses us to see our college students/graduates who once attended these camps years ago as little kids serving now as adults and giving back. They all did a great job! Here is our staff: Jee (far left), Mijeong (next to her) and me on the right. The two girls between us are from Oak Tree Project. One is currently a social welfare major and is interning at the children’s home (orphanage) she grew up in. The other is a social welfare graduate and is working full time at the children’s home she grew up in. They were assigned as guardians/escorts from their homes during the camp. We loved having them with us and they had an amazing time.
Special thanks to Second Hand Rose, SIWA, S2S, Saving Grace Church, and KKOOM for helping sponsor this camp. A couple weeks before the camp we were very short in terms of funds and male volunteers, but all of a sudden the money came in and several men signed up. God is good! Thank you to all of our volunteers and special thanks to John Park and David Cheon for serving as head coaches and doing an amazing job. And thank you to Grace Lee from KKOOM who served as photographer and took all of these wonderful photos.
