from the July, 2009 issue of Kiai!

Building Leaders & Transmitting Core Values at
Camp Kokoro 2009

By Kyoshi Sarah Ludden

Camp Kokoro is a place where 6- 14 year olds gather daily to spend the morning training under the tutelage of young, dedicated and loving black belt instructors, experiencing the challenge and discipline of karate, the mental and physical exertion of intensive training, and the camaraderie of Thousand Waves. Each afternoon we enjoy the lakefront, with a communal lunch under the shade trees, resting before the exciting games of kickball, ultimate frisbee or "jujube." Kids can go to the beach for a swim, participate in the chess and checkers tournament, create their own games and adventures, read. For 2 ? hours!

Even Camp Kokoro campers need a break from karate. So one day we ride the bus, singing and carrying on, to Mystic Waters Water Park - THE place to swim and play in the summer. The kids have a blast. The counselors do, too. Supervising 40 children while swimming and playing with them in the pools is a great way to make a living.

Special martial arts opportunities such as board breaking, circuit training, nunchaku lessons and kata and sparring tournaments, enrich and broaden the students' karate experiences and deepen their commitment to their training path. Fitness and health are fostered and relationships within the dojo deepened.

But what really makes the camp so special, why it fills to capacity in less than four weeks when we open registration on January 2nd, are the values of camp, our overarching commitment to make camp a place where everyone is safe, respected and cared for. Where no one will be teased or excluded. Where all conflicts will be resolved non-violently, and all problems solved by negotiated compromises.

Remember the young, dedicated and loving black belt instructors I mentioned? They are indeed the future of Thousand Waves. I am so proud of them. They are a team, led by Sensei Triston Alvarez (once a 10 year old white belt himself many years ago), the youngest just entering high school and the oldest in their early 20's. All are relatively new to the world of work, a world of early morning staff meetings, demanding bosses (me), equally demanding children seeking their attention, the responsibilities of teaching and supervising 40 children for six hours a day, rain or shine.

Each year members of the staff take on more responsibilities, gaining new skills and passing other responsibilities down to the next tier of leaders. This year, for example, Sensei Triston took over (from me) the task of organizing the entire camp karate curriculum-analyzing the specific demographics of each session with respect to age and rank, making staff teaching assignments for each group, and providing the needed coaching to this cadre of relatively new teachers and assistant teachers.

Similarly, Senpai Jordan Garcia took over Sensei Triston's job of overseeing the afternoon park recreational activities. And Senpai Akinwande Oyebanjo took over Senpai Jordan's job of supervising the older groups' field games and was mentored by Sensei Triston to run some of the special karate classes in the morning. And I finally trusted someone else to take the kids to the water for swimming and get them OUT in time to get on the bus. That would be Senpai Alan and Senpai Zoe. The leadership building opportunities of Camp Kokoro are profound and the future of Thousand Waves deeply nurtured.

What makes 2009 so very special is our guest from the Pine Ridge reservation in Kyle, South Dakota, Ashleigh Hernandez, a lovely 14 year old Lakota Indian. She is a Counselor in Training (CIT), loving our community, the karate classes and the afternoon recreation and we are loving being with her and learning about her family, culture and history. Once again our martial arts provides a vehicle for making new friends, expanding our definition of family beyond our immediate community, and developing respect and concern for others.

I LOVE Camp Kokoro!

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