By Nitya Krishna Das
Who could have imagined Srila Prabhupada’s most beloved Fisher Mansion being used in this way? Who could have imagined that kids would trade in their vacation time to come to the Temple to study about Krishna? Who could have imagined over 100 kids swimming in the bliss of Krishna Consciousness, many for the first time? Certainly Srila Prabhupada would have faith and we’re grateful that he bestowed his unlimited mercy upon the 40+ volunteers who helped make this camp a HUGE success.
The 2013 Krsna Kidz Camp hosted by Detroit ISKCON was held over Thanksgiving break from Wednesday to Saturday, creating an atmosphere of unparalleled energy, enthusiasm and bliss in the Temple. Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari welcomed over 100 kids from as far away as New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee to participate in the four day camp. The impressions permanently made in the hearts of these young devotees are a priceless gift in this holiday season. The goal of this camp is simple: make lifelong memories for these children so that they will never leave the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna.
This year’s theme was 26 Devotional Qualities. Teachers prepared for two months to develop a curriculum that would be both fun and educational. Learning these 26 qualities is no easy task for most of us adults, but we were amazed to see how quickly the kids incorporated these qualities into their daily activities: showing respect to everyone, being friendly to new guests, demonstrating patience in prasadam line and even being magnanimous by sharing their gift with others. It was inspiring.
As always, the camp concluded with an amazing performance on Saturday for all the parents. We had a drama about Haridas Thakur, a wonderful song highlighting each of the 26 Devotional Qualities, a thunderous mrdanaga and kartal performance and an amazing video made by the teenagers – a MUST SEE:
There were so many heart-warming stories just in time for the cold winter season rapidly approaching. We heard one story repeat itself over and over again from several families. Parents decided to “push” their children to attend one day of camp so they could get some blessings, but then let the children “enjoy” the rest of their vacation doing what they wanted. After the first day, amazingly it was the children that were “pulling” their parents back to the Temple, begging them to register for the rest of camp. In one day, they made lots of friends, laughed and giggled and learned that Krishna Consciousness is about having fun with Krishna. These newer children to Krishna Consciousness were fully immersed in the ocean of spiritual bliss and actually were teaching their parents about the process of awakening our love for Krishna. One girl asked me in car ride home on the final day: “Prabhu, why can’t we have camp every day? This is not fair.” This was her first time coming to the Temple and she was hooked. We even had one young boy return from India on Friday and he forced his father to bring him to the Temple for the final day of camp, even though they were both fully jet lagged.
The camp days were filled with so much variety that the children were bustling with enthusiasm and excitement all day long from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers were scrambling to keep up with their energy, but thankfully mercy from Sri Sri Radha Kunjibihari kept them all going strong.
Daily Schedule:
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Morning program with mangala arati, Tulasi puja and japa.
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Children met in small groups with teachers to begin learning about the 26 Devotional Qualities.
11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Specials Classes, including mrdanga, henna, art instruction, computer training, jewelry making, bhajans and more.
12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Children sang and danced in arati.
12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Prasadam Lunch specially made for kids
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Specials classes
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Children met again in their groups to prepare for the Saturday Finale Performance.
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Games including an obstacle course featuring Govardhan Hill, Yamuna River and more, scavenger hunts leading everyone back to Goloka Vrindavan and much more.
All in all, the 2013 Kidz Camp was a huge success in trying to plant the seed of bhakti into the hearts of these precious children. The team is already making grand plans for 2014, so mark your calendars and join us. Check out the website for pictures and more information: www.krsnakidzcamp.com.
