Replicating Our Model Through Training

In early October, Phil Lilienthal, President of Global Camps Africa, received a call from a contract administrator at Pact in South Africa.  He hadn't heard from Daniel at Pact since 2010, when GCA did a USAID-funded training program in partnership with them. But when Daniel related the news that South African organizations were requesting GCA's training services again and asked if Phil and GCA could put together a program for these organizations in just a few weeks, Phil was excited.  Here was another opportunity to share GCA's knowledge and experience working with HIV-affected children in a camp setting with 180 new people and to give them the essential tools they would need to implement the intentional camping model.  Immediately, Phil and the Camp Sizanani team got to work.

Renowned trainer, Michael Brandwein, who facilitated the training in 2010 agreed to lead the program again.  Gwynn Powell of Clemson University, who had worked with Michael at the 2010 training, also agreed to come back to lead the evaluation effort and serve as an assistant trainer.  The South African staff began planning the logistics and coordinating the participation of 40 of Camp Sizanani's own vochellis (counselors) in the workshops so that they, too, could get the benefit of the training.  And together, the team created an educational, interactive, and explosively powerful program that went off seamlessly in November.