Camp Boys to Men

For years, Peace Corps worldwide has had a special focus on ensuring successful girls' development. Many posts hold an annual summer camp called "Camp GLOW" (Girls Leading Our World) focusing on issues pertinent to girls - physical, social, and educational development. Some PCVs were talking back in December about the success of the Camp GLOW project in Pohnpei, but were bemoaning the fact that boys development has been inadvertently neglected in the process. Here in Chuuk, boys stand to benefit greatly from such a personal-development-themed camp. So, with 2 other PCVs from the Mortlocks (Dan on Kuttu and Trevor on Ta), I authored a grant through the Australian Embassy's Direct Aid Program for $2,700 USD to run a camp. It was awarded in February, and so from June 16-19, the first annual Mortlocks Camp Boys to Men will be held on Moch!

Boys, on average, start smoking at age 13. They start drinking alcohol by 14-15. And they become sexually active as early as 13. About 25% of each graduating 8th grade class will not continue on to high school. And, anecdotally, if you ask a young man if they've been affected by suicide, almost every time they'll be able to give the name of a family member who has taken their own life. *(I was devastated to find out that a 24 year old guy named Sonson took his own life in March. He had worked at the hotel which hosted all the Peace Corps functions in Chuuk, and was a friend to our PCV community.) Substance abuse, mental health, reproductive health, and simply understanding the importance of education are not treated sufficiently here. In America, we take it for granted that we get sex-ed in 5th grade, again in health class in 8th grade, and then in health class in 10th grade. The rule of law prevents (most of) us from smoking before 18 or drinking before...18. We're conditioned to talk about our problems and thus are able to (much of the time) avert problems before they become serious mental health issues. The culture here, however, is not so hands-on.

So, we 3 PCVs in the Mortlocks are addressing these issues head-on among the 30-some 14 year old 8th grade graduate boys from Satowan, Ta, Kuttu, and Moch Islands over 4 days in a culturally-sensitive way. I'm in Weno for the week to process the payment, open a bank account, make some purchases, and otherwise organize it so we're set to go in June. While we can't make kids stop smoking, hopefully just having conversations and giving them the critical thinking skills to make connections between decisions and their long-term health will move them along a better and more sustainable path in life.