What Teens Are Saying

No one says it better than the youth! Here's what teens who have been to a residential summer camp and/or Hip Hop Hope are saying:

• I have been to quite a lot of camps with my age teens, and this community stood out like a banana in a cherry tree. Never before have I spent a week with kids my age and never once was ridiculed or made fun of. There was so much love.

• The most useful experience I will take home is the feeling of being unified with so many different people and feeling that I can connect with so many different people on a different level.

• I love that when I get to the ferry terminal I was already greeted with open arms. The people (youth, adults) were so excited to meet everyone. There is so much positive energy and everyone was ready to learn and be creative. I learned so much about myself and I challenged myself in ways I never do.

• I loved being able to come into myself and feel truly whole. Something I haven't felt before. The connections that I made here with others transcended daily interactions and I've made friends who I know will be present for the rest of my life.

• Life isn't about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself.

• What I liked most about this Hip Hop Hope was that at the beginning I thought I wasn't going to fit in but then just like all the other POHs I made lots of friends and found out people were actually nice.

• I’ll try my best to follow my dreams and not be around any gangs, plus people think they know me, but I just tell them about 15% of what I love or do, so I’ll try to express myself more.

• I learned that communication and listening are the ways we will change the world for the better.

• I enjoyed making many meaningful friendships and being able to exercise my creative ability without fear of putdowns.

• There is too much to pinpoint one thing about Power of Hope. The support that I received from everyone was phenomenal. The energy was delirious. The way that this camp is run is different from any other.

• This, my final POH session, provided a sort of closure to my childhood. I now feel ready to face the college world as an adult.