Camp ALMA

The lovely ladies of the winning team, Las Panteras Rosadas

Camp ALMA, which stands for Actividades Liderazgos Mujeres Adoloscentes (Leadership Activities for Adolescent Females), is a Peace Corps youth leadership camp that is organized and carried out by volunteers in each region of Peru. This weekend we hosted Camp ALMA for about 33 teenage girls of La Libertad. The weekend consisted of games, activities, leadership workshops, educational sessions, and opportunities for the girls to form relationships with other girls in their region. La Libertad is a diverse department, composed of traditional Sierra/mountain environments and more progressive Coastal areas, so this was a unique opportunity for teen leaders throughout La Libertad to get together and share experiences. The location was beautiful and featured space for camping, swimming, volleyball, campfires, and other games. Both male and female volunteers participated in this weekend camp, but the males were primarily responsible for cooking and cleaning while the females volunteers took a more active role in the activities and workshops (reinforcing the breakdown of gender stereotypes!).

The girls were broken up into color-coordinated teams, and despite their initial whining about being separated from their friends, they were united and exited to work together by the end of the first evening. I was the proud representative of “Las Panteras Rosadas” or Pink Panther Team. Each activity was an opportunity to earn points towards the final “championship”. The prize/mascot of Camp ALMA was a gold mannequin we fondly named “Almama”. Although I personally thought this giant trophy-like doll was somewhat creepy, the girls liked the idea of passing around the trophy depending on the point dispersion. Throughout the weekend we prepare massive quantities of food, executed various games, and facilitated various sessions about leadership and youth engagement. One of the most unique activities we did was the “Human Flag” which involved taping a team member to the wall and decorating them as if they were your personal team flag. I was the lucky candidate, and after rolls of scotch tape were not-so-gently adhered to my skin, I actually managed to stick to the wall. Here I am, stuck to the wall and pretending to enjoy it.

Many of the youth living in isolated rural areas don’t often have the chance to travel or meet people outside their own town, so this was a great opportunity for the girls to meet other teens from their department as well as international volunteers. The weekend was successful and we were even featured in the Trujillo newspaper!