Hi! Emily is the name but I usually go by Em, or if you ask my friends it’s “Noodles” as I have super curly hair!
This will be my first time working at camp and I am so excited I can’t really put it into words! I’ve worked with kids for around 5 years now at a youth initiative in my hometown of Hexham, Northumberland. I’m pretty far in the north of England so I’m looking forward to some Californian sunshine!
At the “youthy” I work at we take kids to local farms, theme parks, camping trips, the beach, swimming, you name it. I’ve worked with kids dealing with some pretty tough things and help them to make the most of their childhood and school. I love it so much that I’ve began my studies to qualify as a social worker and hopefully continue to work with young people in the future.
In my previous life I worked my way up the chain of a wine specialist, turns out I’ve got really good tastebuds! I realised after working in the trade for a while that the thing I loved the most was the stories and history of all the families who make wine around the world and put their soul into it. But volunteering on the side made me realise that my heart wasn’t in the business of it and I needed to make a difference in the world. Sometimes that’s something truly profound… sometimes it’s with silly string!
I volunteered as an anonymous “Listener” for a telephone counselling organisation here in the UK, I’ve also volunteered with a charity for women and girls, I began my journey with the kids in my hometown as a volunteer but I now work with them at least every week! We go through a lot of tea and toast… A LOT.
I help out in community projects like litter picking and fundraising for local charities, I organised a few rock nights and the biggest to date has to be my Skydive! That was amazing and terrifying and I’d definitely do it again. I’m quite a creative bunny and even when I’m studying I tend to doodle a lot or make something with my hands, I find it helps me think. I’m from a family of artists and social workers! We’re an odd mix but we complement each other!
I’m also a pretty decent archer with a keen interest in history, I grew up next to Hadrians Wall, the final frontier of the Roman Empire, I worked summers at sites along the wall teaching tourists the history of our home, we have old mounds and stone engravings that predate written history in our country and it gives a very fantastical sense of what a place has really seen. It’s quite rural, and the accents change village to village, the accent comes from a mix of Danish, Viking and Anglo Saxon so it makes a pretty unique sound!
After looking for a new adventure for a while I’ve decided that Camp is the adventure for me, my regular job and my future career is going to be hard at times, so it’s important for me to make sure I keep fun, play, magic and positivity in my life and I find that through my work with children and exploring the world. Each year goes by faster, it’s important to take the time to smell the grass, swim in the rivers and see the sky! Kids are an amazing reminder of what we can forget about as we grow up, magic and games, silliness and innocence… and an even more important reminder to put our phones down, close the laptop, and go explore.
