My ANYTOWN Story

by Silvana

Hall High School, 11th Grade

My name is Silvana.  I attended ANYTOWN in May, 2009 as a delegate and later as a counselor in August.  My ANYTOWN experience was nothing like I thought it would be, I was expecting to go ANYTOWN and wanting to come home right away.  I didn’t think that a camp could actually make a change in my life or the way I thought, but I was wrong.  ANYTOWN turned out to be a place where I felt comfortable being myself, a place where I didn’t have to fear that someone would prejudge me because of how I am.  ANYTOWN allowed me to see things from another point of view and opened my eyes to how society is influenced today by the media and those with social power.  I was able to listen to others stories and see how things such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, oppression and prejudice affect them in their day to day life.  I found that there were people in my community that faced similar struggles in life like me.  And, I was surprised to see how well I could relate to the new friends that surrounded me.

ANYTOWN was a rejuvenating experience which allowed me to make positive changes in myself so that I could then make changes in my society.   When I returned home I wanted to teach others of what I had learned at camp.  I began getting involved in my school to help bring some of the ANYTOWN spirit to the community.  I quickly applied as counselor for the August 09 camp and was ecstatic to see that I had been accepted.  It turned out to be yet another amazing experience in which I was able to watch the delegates come into a new environment to which they had not been exposed to before.  I found that my experience as a counselor was also eye opening; I took note of things that I did not realize in my time as a delegate, and learned something new each day. It was incredible being able to watch someone go through the growth that I went through as a delegate.  I was honored to be able to make a positive change in the other delegate’s lives and help bring the knowledge and comfort to them that were given to me by the staff at my camp. I now call ANYTOWN my second home and will continue to return as long as I can to help make big changes in not just one person, but a community, and eventually the world.

My ANYTOWN Experience

By Marquis

Windsor High School

At some point, you have to face up to your place in American society. To find out what that place is, you have to determine how far you can walk out on the plank without feeling uncomfortable by yourself,” said Arthur Ashe. My life has forever been transformed by attending Anytown in 2006. Anytown is a week-long program of education, participation and discovery of ways to combat hatred and prejudice.

One of the main points of Anytown is to go back home and revolutionize the world. I have grasped that concept; I have changed my vernacular, met more people and fought for what was right. Changing the world is what I intend to do. That may seem like a huge bite to chew, but changing the world can mean changing one other person, although I would love to change as many minds as I can. I want to help people realize that the things they do relay a message to others about themselves. Saying, “That’s so gay!” demeans people and takes away their freedom of choice. It creates a purely negative connotation and assists in fostering hate in those of a different sexual orientation.

Experiences that have come from Anytown are impossible to overlook. I made countless friendships with people of all races, economic backgrounds, sexual orientations and religions. There is such a diverse collection of people. Anytowners formed a rapport that week by conferring on outlooks, bigotry and incidents when we felt that we were the object of hate. Moments at Anytown changed me for the better. I learned to express my feelings and truly love someone else. I opened up with many people. I told them about my fears, worries and dark times. In building those friendships, I learned that I was a part of something, I felt accepted. I had no doubts, fears or insecurities. That is how I felt at Anytown.

Over the last three years, at Anytown, I have realized several things about society and myself. I have understood how to communicate my problems and opinions. I have learned that we all are one. Lastly, I have learned to fight for what I believe is true. In school, sometimes I have to put myself out there to get what I want done. When someone acts in prejudice, whether it be verbal or physical; I have a moral obligation to stand up. After Anytown, acts of social injustice are not present when I am around. I like to think of myself as a social justice officer. It gives me a sense of direction and helps me to remember what I deem to be true and essential.

My ANYTOWN Experience

By Charles

Hall High School

I applied to ANYTOWN to learn a little about prejudice and diversity.  I’ve always considered myself a socially aware person, especially in regards to discrimination, so I figured I’d fit in at a camp looking for “youth who are interested in exploring their own social identities and biases.”   I ended up learning a whole lot more than a “little.”  ANYTOWN not only opened my eyes in so many ways that I never expected, but it inspired me to actually do something with my newfound knowledge. 

              Prior to camp, I saw segregation occurring around me daily.  I observed black kids sitting together at lunch and white kids hanging out with each other in hallways, but never really did much about it.  I tried to surround myself with different types of people, and still do today, but besides that I never really tried to make a change.  In fact, today I would classify myself more as “part of the problem,” then the “solution.”  I thought it was cool to call things “retarded” and even laughed when my friends said some pretty racist things.  ANYTOWN completely changed that aspect of me.  On top of that, I was a fairly quiet kid, who spoke only when spoken to and never really made much of a stir.  I would hardly call myself a “leader,” and I highly doubt anyone else would either.  ANYTOWN changed that too.  Recently I’ve been spending a good amount of time down at the NCCJ office, helping around and trying to make a small difference, eagerly waiting the fall when I can go back to school and set some campaigns, such as one to change our Native American mascot, into action. 

              So what makes ANYTOWN so life changing?  I’m still not quite sure.  Kelly and Muneer are amazing, of course, and so are all the rest of the staff and advisors.  But what really made ANYTOWN for me, I believe, were my fellow delegates.  I’m not sure how they did it, but the group that Kelly and Muneer managed to round up was simply amazing.  Everyone was so open to new ideas and different people, and if they weren’t at the beginning of camp they certainly were by the end.  I never thought a camp with such a strong goal and message to send would be such a blast, but it really was. 

              Looking through the post evaluation forms from the May camp which I attended, I’d say something like ninety-eight percent of respondents marked that they would like to attend a similar program again. Some mentioned that ANYTOWN “opened my mind to the rest of the world's cultures and ideas/beliefs,” while others said they “made lifelong friends in 5 days.”  When asked what they would do to improve the camp, the most common responses were to make it longer and to allow for more time to sleep, while one eager delegate suggested that he needed to be added to the staff.  I know this is supposed to be a personal reflection on my experience, but one of the most crucial things to me was that everyone there sincerely enjoyed camp.  That’s why such a great community was formed in which such growth could be fostered, prejudices crushed, fun could be had and friendships could be formed.

My ANYTOWN Experience

By Brishell

Hall High School

“You cannot make eye contact with anyone other than the Hispanics!  Stay with your ethnic group at all times!” These were the directions given to us during the segregation activity on the last day at Camp Anytown.   As I walked into the camp cafeteria that day, I noticed my fellow delegates, i.e. campers, segregated by our racial background.  The counselors were “barking” directions at us telling us who we could associate and talk with. There was not one sign of freedom in sight.  We were all under pressure, forbidden to make contact with any other camper.  The people who I had become close to throughout the week, I was told I could no longer communicate with.  I felt such pain, like my whole soul was trapped in a black hole of cruelty.  What were our counselors doing to us?  All week they had done an amazing job creating a community among all of us that was just and respectful– and now this.

The National Conference for Community and Justice’s (NCCJ) Camp Anytown was introduced to me through a friend who thought I would enjoy working to build a perfect community - a community where all people were accepted and celebrated for who they are.  After hearing about some of the activities that were done during the week and the amount of new friends I would have the opportunity make, I was hooked and wanted to experience the excitement for myself. 

My first thought when I arrived at Anytown was “what in the world did I get myself into?”  All the counselors were lined up singing this corny Anytown song and I thought to myself “this is just too weird and I want to go home”.  I would never have imagined that only five days later I would feel more at home, more accepted, more a part of a true family/community than any other time in my life.  From singing and dancing to laughing and crying, every single moment of Anytown has imbedded itself not only in my memories but also in my heart.

The counselors facilitated a number of workshops that opened my eyes to my own biases and prejudice. The segregation workshop, which I started to describe earlier, impacted me the most. The camp advisors separated the delegates and counselors by our race, culture and religion. Once they labeled us, they gave us a number of stern rules we had to follow. For example, we weren’t permitted to look at anyone other than our racial group, staying together at all times was mandatory, and cleaning the cafeteria up after everyone was done eating their breakfast was an obligation for my Hispanic group. It was harsh and got worse when I realized that my rights, freedom and beliefs were taken away. Going from a confident all around leader, to a slave who was trapped under authority’s control, was drastic change for me.

Hours later, my heart was released and my world was illuminated with joy as everyone broke the silence and the rules when we realized that if we came together, we did not need to follow the social rules that had been thrust upon us.  Hollering and laughter’s of accomplishment lingered in the air when all racial, ethnic, cultural and religious groups mutually gathered for the acknowledgement of our equality and celebration of our diversity.  In the end, everyone broke the rules and we came together, not only because we were fed up with the activity and the oppression, but because it was the right thing to do.  This activity at Anytown taught me to challenge the status quo. Just like we were segregated at camp into our racial and ethnic identity groups, this is how we were segregated in my high school. Coming together as one made me very joyful. The experience was one that influenced me to get involved in my community and join clubs in school that try to create change. It motivated me to be a leader and to work to make my world a better place for all.

In the past, equality was something that crossed my mind every once in a while. I never really thought about the challenges minorities face every day. In the news we observe a lot of violence due to people’s prejudices. Many people get so caught up in the big picture that they do not realize that it is the little things that can make a big difference in one’s life.  As a young girl, I always thought that we should work on the big problems first, not recognizing that the biggest change can come from the “small” things we do.  Some examples of the small changes I have made in my life since Anytown are; speaking up when I hear a racial or ethnic joke or slur, making sure that the language I use is inclusive and being kind to all.

Experiencing what others faced in the past and going through these activities really impacted my perception of our society. Now more than ever, I believe that everyone should be equal and be respected.  Having had the opportunity to “walk in someone else’s shoes”, I think differently and feel that instead of solving the bigger problems first, we should begin with the little ones. Problems that may seem minor, are the ones that build up to bigger ones and if it is possible to get rid of them, then maybe someday there can be peace and equality. Now I pursue a future in which there will be social justice. Helping others and setting an example in my community is what I want for my future.  Anytown has helped me educate others in my school and my community about things that might seem normal to some but painful to many.  This experience has taught me to speak up against injustice as well as take action to create a better tomorrow.