School's In Session - At Camp Erdman!

Aloha Blogosphere!

Well it's official, School is back in! Summer camp officially ended on August 13th, 2010 with just under 1000 kids signing up for camp and having a great time this summer. Whether it was the amazing Operation Purple Military Experience Days (one of which had the Mayor of Gotham City, Nestor Carbonell, visit), the exciting Wizard Week or even the challenging Olympics Week, lots of kids came to camp, had a great time, made new friends and learned new skills. It was a fantastic experience.

And all of those kids are now back to school - but they can still come back to camp! As the school bells ring to get students in their classrooms, the Camp Erdman bell rings getting students to their classrooms - at Camp! During the school year, the amazing 32 acres on the North Shore becomes one enormous interactive classroom. Students learn Beach Ecology on the beach. They learn the composting process hands-on in our garden. They learn how to challenge themselves, reach their goals, and try new things.

YMCA Camp Erdman's school programs fall under two categories: Environmental Education and Leadership. The Environmental Education (EE) program is designed for students in grades one through six and focuses on applying classroom concepts in a real-world setting. The Leadership program is designed for students in middle and high school. It focuses on learning the skills of communication, cooperation, teamwork and trust through various group and individual challenges. Students are then taught how to apply these skills in their day-to-day lives.

"We were hiking just yesterday and one of my girls made a comment that it was the first time she had ever been hiking. She just had the biggest smile on her face doing it." - Ms. Rankin, Nanaikapono Elementary.

"The best [class] was Animal Adaptations. I got to touch a turtle - a real turtle, actually." - Student

For more information on School Programs, please contact Sarah Miller at 637-4615 x.25 or email her by clicking here.

Also on the horizon is Fall School Break Camp from October 3-8, 2010 and Halloween Family Camp October 29-31, 2010. For more information visit www.camperdman.net.

As always, a great way to stay in touch with us is on our Facebook Fan Page and our Twitter Feed. Check out lots of our great videos on our YouTube Channel.

From International Trainee to Reality TV

Aloha Blogosphere!

Summer Camp is underway and, in fact, it is almost over! We're in Session 6 right now with only three more sessions to go until the end of summer. If you're thinking about registering for one more week of Summer Camp, now is the time to do it! Spaces are going quickly and we're seeing more campers than ever re-registering after a great week of camp! Make sure you visit www.camperdman.net or call us at 808-637-4615 to register today!

International Training Program News:
Onto some exciting news! If you visited camp while the "Green Class" of internationals were here, you may remember Ana Moraes from Brazil. Well this International Program graduate is now starring on a Reality Television program in Brazil! Called "Bosao do Brasil," the program takes competitors around Brazil where they compete in Head to Head challenges and the chance to win R1,000,000 (One Million Real; $500,000USD). We're all rooting for Ana as she embarks on this fantastic opportunity. For more information (if you speak Portuguese) click here.

Hiroshima Program:
In it's 50th year, the YMCA of Honolulu--Hiroshima YMCA "Let's Get Together" Program participants departed for Japan this week. These ten participants are engaging in the longest running program of its kind in the United States. Participants are experiencing Japanese culture first hand and teaching their Hiroshima hosts all about the culture of Hawaii. The efforts of exchanging culture and friendship help our countries move toward mutual understanding and respect in the pursuit of world peace.

Hiroshima has the dubious distinction of being one of two Japanese cities that experienced first-hand the horrors of nuclear holocaust. Hopefully, with the important learning that will take place, it will go a long way in preventing the mistakes of the past from ever happening again.

Each program participant has engaged in a number of training opportunities and the actual trip to Japan is the result of months of hard work on the part of the program participants. YMCA Camp Erdman would like to extend a heartfelt mahalo to these young participants as they embark on a very important journey! Congratulations all.

As always, if you would like to contribute to "Erd's the Word", email your article to Peter McGregor - pmcgregor@ymcahonolulu.org

Operation Purple & Session 1

Summer Camp 2010 is in full swing with lots of great things happening. The first two weeks of summer were dedicated to Operation Purple Camp. This camp for children of deployed members of all branches of our Armed Services is sponsored by the National Military Family Association through generous funding from the Sierra Club and Sierra Club Foundation. Each of these children walked away from camp with a greater sense of Environmental Education, Communication, Stewardship and their role as members of the Military Community. With an overall theme that "Military Kids Serve Too", these campers found common bonds through the unique challenges that they face every single day. Each week of Operation Purple Camp was highlighted by a special Military Experience Day that featured Military Police obedience dogs, Coast Guard boats, Helicopters (2 of them! One from the Marines, another from the Coast Guard), a Light Armored Transport Vehicle from the National Guard, a dive tank from the NAVY Dive Team and much much more. Nestor Carbonell from LOST and the new Batman movies even stopped by during the second week to pose for photos with the campers and sign autographs. It was a truly memorable two weeks and over 500 military kids attended!

Session 1 marks the first week of Traditional Camp at YMCA Camp Erdman. With eight more weeks to go, Session 1 kicks off with an Alien Invasion Theme. There are currently two aliens from the planet of Omnimata searching for their long lost children named Calcium and Sodium. Having drank a magic space potion, two counselors will be revealed this afternoon as being aliens!

There are still eight weeks of Traditional Camp ahead of us this summer and still plenty of spaces available. You can sign up by calling 808-637-4615 or by visiting www.camperdman.net

Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo ("The Fifth of May") and to celebrate, we've invited Memo from Mexico to share the history of the holiday with a little bit of help from Wikipedia. You can learn more about Cinco de Mayo by clicking here.

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin.

In 1861, Benito Juarez stopped making interest payments to creditor countries which put Mexico in a financial bind. In response, France attacked Mexico to force payment of its debt. France decided that it would try to take over and occupy Mexico. France was successful at first in its invasion; however, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat an attack by the larger French army. In the Battle of Puebla, the Mexicans were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French advance on Mexico City. A year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Emperor Maximilian I on the throne of Mexico in 1864. The French, under pressure from the United States, eventually withdrew in 1866-1867. Maximilian was deposed by President Benito Juarez and executed, five years after the Battle of Puebla.

The Battle of Puebla was important for at least two reasons. First, although considerably outnumbered, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army. Second, it was significant because since the Battle of Puebla, no country in the Americas has been invaded by an army from another continent.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla and in the United States. The date is observed in the USA and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

New Internationals Arriving Soon

Aloha Blogosphere!

We have not updated in quite some time and we apologize for this but we have been very, very busy preparing for one of our busiest and most exciting times: Summer Camp! Summer Camp is a great opportunity for kids from all over to join us here on the North Shore for fantastic weeks of safe, fun and adventure combining summer tradition and aloha spirit. If you have not already registered, be sure to do so soon as our registration is certainly picking up speed as we get closer and closer to the summer camp kickoff!

This summer we will have two fun-filled sessions of Operation Purple Camp for children in Military families followed by nine weeks of traditional summer camp adventures for kids of all backgrounds. Not only do these nine weeks of traditional summer camp include all of the amazing activities that our keiki love (archery, swimming, Alpine Tower, sports, games, exploring and more) but also Specialty Camps like Surf, Horsemanship, Rock Climbing and ESL! Be sure to click here for more information on our exciting summer programs.

We are excited to welcome twenty American camp counselors to help us this summer. These dedicated young men and women have gone through an extensive interview process that includes reference checks and background checks - we are confident that we have hired the best of the best for these positions. They will join the ten international program staff that are already here. Additionally, May 9th, 2010 welcomes the arrival of a whole new International Class full of ten exciting individuals. For more on that, we come to our guest blogger, Kaiulani from our Metro office:

Exciting News from YMCA Camp Erdman!

This May, ten new staff members will be joining the International Training Program out at YMCA Camp Erdman. The already prestigious program started just five years ago with a handful of staff and is now one of the most successful international training programs in the U.S.A.

If you are not familiar with the International Training Program, trainees from all over the world instruct school programs that oversee more than 5,000 keiki and teach them about the environment, leadership, and team building. All trainees are equipped with degrees in Education, Physical Education, Sports and Recreation or with a minimum of five years of experience working with kids in similar areas.

The current staff of eleven is a diverse group hailing from countries like Japan, England and everywhere in between. Once the ten new members join the group the amount of trainees will double in size! YMCA Camp Erdman hosts international trainees from Brazil, Canada, Columbia, England, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Senegal and Spain.

Hawaii has always been a diverse community and we are proud to say that YMCA Camp Erdman is carrying on the inclusive tradition of aloha.

Wow! Thanks for that great article, Kaiulani! Don't forget, all of those exciting International Trainees will be Summer Camp Counselors living in cabins and working with our keiki this summer! This can be seen on the YMCA of Honolulu website (click here).

Remember, you too can submit a blog article. Just email Peter McGregor or Sana Hanible to have your voice heard!

YMCA Camp Erdman's Family Camp Weekends

Aloha Readers!

After a three month break, Family Camp season is back up and running at YMCA Camp Erdman! We've got various family camps coming up over the next nine months and we're very, very excited about them! If you're a military family, we've been lucky enough to partner with various organizations to provide family camps to members of our military community thanks to the fantastic generosity of these organizations. Click here for more information on military family programs.

Health, wellness, and a 10K race? Sounds like a recipe for family fun! Our Health & Wellness Family Camp is happening Easter Weekend (April 2nd-4th, 2010) with lots of great activities for the whole family. In the morning of Saturday April 3rd, we'll be running a 10K race for adults and a 2K race for keiki. Come and spend the entire weekend at YMCA Camp Erdman or participate in the race. Our program is designed to help you and your family connect together with many great activities. Do as much or as little as you choose! Do activities together as a family or divide up so that each member of your family can do they activities that they like to do. For more information, click here. Evening programs include family games and the infamous YMCA Camp Erdman Campfire Spectacular! Space is limited to be sure to sign up today!

We're constantly updating more than just our blog! Check out our Facebook Page and become a Fan, Follow our Tweets on Twitter, and watch our Vids on YouTube. If you're interested in learning about more of the great programs at YMCA Camp Erdman, make sure you subscribe for Email Updates.

That's all for now! If you're interested in contributing to the blog, be sure to email Peter McGregor with your article!

After 13 Months by Ana Moraes

Aloha Blogosphere!

We've got an exciting update today from Ana Moraes! Ana came to camp approximately a year ago as a member of our International Training and Mentorship Program and is writing specifically for any individuals thinking of coming to join the program. But, of course, all are welcome to read!

Before we get to Ana's post, be sure to come visit camp this Saturday, February 27th, 2010 between 11am and 4pm for our FREE Community Celebration Day! Camp activities will be open and free to the public! Food and refreshments are available for purchase! And now, on to today's article!

Aloha readers! I’m writing today specially for the people that think about came to camp to enjoy the international training or volunteer program at YMCA Camp Erdman.

When I knew about the program I thought “ok, sounds good, live and work in the North Shore of Oahu for a year, make international friends, have fun with keikis and families …” what I didn’t know was how much this experience could make difference in my life.

All the moments that you live here, will stay with you forever. Working here you don’t have just a fun job, but you also learn and teach a lot, share moments that will be forever in your mind. You make friends from around the world, you learn new languages, different cultures and also how much we are the same doesn’t matter which side the world you are from. You live in one of the most beautiful islands in the world and learn what’s the ALOHA life style.

Here you always will find people able to help and support you, we live all far from our families, but we´re together a big Ohana.

So if you are thinking to come and enjoy the program don’t lose your time. Don’t be afraid, the time here pass so fast and when you look back, you just have “mahalos” to say for all the people that shared with you in your Hawaiian life.

Huge Mahalo for all my camp friends and coworkers!

Ana Banana

Thanks so much for the great post Ana! Remember, if you are interested in our International Training and Mentorship Program, be sure to email Valdon McKinnon for more information! For more on our Blog and other Social Media Networking, email Peter McGregor!

Christmas - Brazilian Style!

Aloha readers!

We apologize that it has been so long since our last update for things going on at camp! We had a very busy Christmas season welcoming back our friends at the National Military Family Association with our first ever Operation Purple Family Retreat. This was a huge success and it was great to partner with our friends at the NMFA once again. Additionally our Winter School Break Camp was more successful than ever before with 27 youngsters coming out and enjoying a week of camp here at YMCA Camp Erdman with their counselors Trish, Keilla, Paulo and Memo! Such a great week and we promise that the slideshows are coming soon!

Coming up for the rest of January and February, Camp is ultra busy with our Annual Support Campaign. Our ASC raises funds to help send kids, families, groups and other individuals to camp. Often, many campers cannot afford Camp Erdman's programs and our ASC helps those families who need support. If you are interested in helping us by donating, being a volunteer, or using your skills somehow, please call camp at 808-637-4615

Onto today's article coming from guest blogger and brand new volunteer Thais from Brazil. Thais is spending three months here at YMCA Camp Erdman and is already showing some great initiative.

Well, i´m going to tell how i usually spend my Christmas holiday.
There´s a long time that I spend Christmas holiday working, I was a lifeguard for 6 years in Brazil, then I didn´t have much time to celebrate.
At the Christmas night I used to go to my grandma´s (by father) house, with all these part of the family. At midnight we always had a wonderful dinner. Then early in the morning, before go to work, I used to go to the church take a time for myself and thanks for one more amazing year.
I was born on Dec 26st, I could never had a party, so usually, we had a double celebration at the Xmas day, at my house, with all family - that was already waiting for me and my brother return of work with a party for me!
But this year was reeeaaalllyyy different!
I spend my holiday on air!!!! I was in the aeroplane coming to Hawaii - that was a dream to me.
It was weird, cause I didn´t have time to go to the church, and celebrate with my family, although it was such an experience because it was the first step of a new journey! I could´t gave myself better Xmas/bday gift than this trip... I was anxious, and could´t sleep during the day , because we was flying over many beautiful views, and i didn´t want to miss one detail! I was counting minutes to arrive!
When I arrived in Honolulu, I felt a strange but good thing... It was like I´ve been there before! Even when I saw that one of my best friends in Brazil was there to pick me and take me to the camp. Wile we waited for other friend of us to arrive from Brazil too, she told me a looot of good things about the camp, making me feel much more comfortable.
Now, I´m really happy here! Me and my new friends went to a nice place in Haleiwa to celebrate my 24th year, we´re always together hanging out, meeting new places... With many new friends, one lovely dog, in a paradisaical place, a thankful and pleasant, it´ll be for sure one of the best experiences of my life!!!

Mahalo Thais! If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please email Peter McGregor - pmcgregor@ymcahonolulu.org

Bye for now!!!