Camp Europe is a YMCA Europe signature programme aimed at building resilience among people affected by the violent conflicts ongoing in and around Europe.
During the summer of 2024, YMCA in the Czech Republic hosted three main camps within the Camp Europe programme, all planned and implemented with great creativity, hard work and effort. Of course, behind this success was a dedicated team whose unwavering commitment made it possible.
One of the organisers and a camp counsellor, Kristina, shared her story with us:
“I received all the materials for this camp, thank you so much, great job,” Kristina smiled as she read these lines from YMCA Camp Europe staff team member Irina Berdzenishvili. The words “thank you very much, great job” are often heard in different languages by this 16-year-old girl from Ukraine, who volunteers at summer camps organised by YMCA Plzeň-Starý Plzenec.
Her colleagues speak to her in Czech and English, while the children who attend the camps speak Czech, Russian and Ukrainian. Kristina is therefore fluent in four languages. “I’m also learning German, but I need to improve it to the level of the other languages, there’s never enough time,” she complained. “But next year I’ll get better at it, I promise.”
Kristina learned to set goals and confidently achieve them through dance. Her mother took her little, energetic girl to the nearest dance studio at the age of four, not knowing that this exact studio would produce champions, and that her daughter was not only agile but also talented and musical. Kristina was also hardworking and energetic.
Year after year, she learned new styles and techniques. At the age of nine, Kristina became a three-time world champion in the junior category in hip-hop, house dance and dancehall styles. The next step was mastering freestyle and participating in battles.
This determined girl confidently climbed the dance ladder and took her rightful place in the Ukrainian dance community until the war suddenly interrupted her. “I can’t dance when explosions are going off and people are dying in my country,” Kristina said, a little embarrassed. “Others can, but I can’t…”
After leaving her hometown, which had become as dangerous as the rest of the country, Kristina found herself in the Czech Republic. On her very first day, she applied to a local school. When the school principal asked her how she was going to learn if she didn’t speak Czech, she confidently replied that she would learn. And indeed, in less than three months, she was speaking Czech with her new friends and classmates, expanding her vocabulary every day. She received straight A’s on her report card, and when asked where she wanted to go after finishing school, she replied that she wanted to attend gymnasium.
That year was incredibly difficult for Kristina. War had broken out in her country, and her beloved father stayed behind. Kristina was in her last year of primary school in the Czech Republic, while simultaneously completing her final year at a Ukrainian school online.
At that time, no one knew how long the war would last or if there was any hope of returning soon, so Kristina continued her Ukrainian schooling. On top of all that, she took three additional courses to prepare herself for entering gymnasium and… she got in. At both gymnasiums she applied to, she topped the rankings.
She chose a language-focused gymnasium, though she still remains friends with mathematics. “All the wars in the world happen because people can’t get along or understand each other. I want to help them with that, which is why I need to know many languages. I hate wars…”
Now Kristina has completed her first year at gymnasium, still maintaining straight A’s. As a way of showing gratitude to YMCA Plzeň-Starý Plzenec for supporting her in her preparation for gymnasium, she now works closely with the organisation.
Helping with summer camps is one form of this cooperation. Despite her young age, she successfully takes on adult tasks and manages them with ease. She has found friends and like-minded people at the YMCA and Camp Europe. Here, she is given space for self-realisation and the opportunity to interact with team members from other countries.
Kristina feels needed here and is already practising her ability to help people understand one another. She also enjoys being with the children, and they love to give back. She plays with them and helps them to learn. Perhaps one day, her body will respond to music again, and she will feel the desire to dance once more. And maybe she’ll even share her knowledge of dance culture with others, opening up the world of dance she once called home.
