"We don't have a camp culture yet. But here, I can see kids get away from technology and actually have fun with each other without phones and just be themselves." - Riga, YMCA Camp Seymour Counselor from Kosovo
This summer, two Camp Seymour counselors travelled more than 5,500 miles from Kosovo to Washington State with one goal: learn everything they could about YMCA overnight camp before taking those lessons home.
Erza and Riga, youth workers with YMCA Kosovo, spent the summer working alongside Camp Seymour staff, leading campers through songs, games, campfires, and cabin life. While they quickly became part of the Camp Seymour community, they were also preparing for something much bigger.
When they return home, they'll help launch the first overnight YMCA camp program in Kosovo.
A Partnership Built Through the YMCA
The opportunity began with Camp Seymour Executive Director Scotty Jackson, who connected with YMCA Kosovo leaders in 2024 during Campacity, an international YMCA conference focused on expanding summer camp programs across Europe. After building relationships there, Jackson traveled to Kosovo, meeting with YMCA leaders, local officials, and community partners to help develop the country's growing camp program.
Today, the partnership extends far beyond a single summer. YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties and YMCA Kosovo continue to share ideas, leadership strategies, and resources as they work toward a shared common goal of helping young people thrive.
"They're here to learn summer camp and pick up whatever they can about U.S. camps that they can use back home," Scotty said. "But we're learning from them, too."
Learning What Camp Can Be
While Camp Seymour has more than a century of camping tradition, YMCA Kosovo is creating its own. Until now, the organization has primarily offered day camps and youth leadership programs.
"We've only been doing day camps," Erza said. "Now, we're going to be the ones teaching others what camp can look like."
Before arriving, both counselors admitted they were nervous. They wondered if American campers would be different from the children they work with in Kosovo.
"I was scared that the kids here would be much different than the kids back at home," Erza said. "But when I came here, I realized that I fitted in perfectly with the American kids."
As the summer went on, they also shared a piece of home with Camp Seymour. Riga and Erza taught campers a traditional Albanian scarf dance, inviting them to learn choreography and experience a small part of Kosovo's culture. The lesson became one more reminder that the partnership was about sharing ideas and traditions in both directions.
The experience has reinforced what both organizations believe camp can do.
At Camp Seymour, Erza and Riga watched campers encourage one another, unplug from technology, and build confidence throughout the week. Those are experiences they hope to create for young people in Kosovo.
"We don't have a camp culture yet," Riga said. "But here, I can see kids get away from technology and actually have fun with each other without phones and just be themselves."
For Scotty, that's exactly why the partnership matters.
"Camp teaches kids things without feeling like school," he said. "They're learning responsibility, leadership, and how to care for one another just by living together."
Learning From Each Other
The partnership hasn't been one-sided.
Scotty has been equally inspired by YMCA Kosovo's youth leadership program, where teens progress through leadership training before becoming peer mentors, staff members, and even volunteer board members.
"They raise their own leaders," Scotty said. "It's an incredible model."
Likewise, Erza and Riga will return home with ideas for camp traditions, leadership practices, and relationship-building activities they hope to introduce in Kosovo, adapting them to fit their own communities and culture.
Moments That Matter
For Erza and Riga, some of the most meaningful moments came when campers reminded them why they chose this work.
After one especially challenging week, Erza questioned whether she was making a difference until a camper asked for the address of the YMCA in Kosovo so she could send her a letter.
"In that moment, I realized I was making an impact," she said.
Riga had a similar experience when campers asked if she would return next summer.
"When they told me, 'You have to come back next year,' I almost cried," Riga shared.
Those moments reinforced that the connections formed at camp can last long after the week is over.
Looking Ahead
As YMCA Kosovo prepares to welcome its first overnight campers, Erza and Riga hope to bring home much more than camp songs and schedules. They hope to create a place there young people can disconnect from technology, build confidence, and discover a true sense of belonging.
"This experience is changing me for the better," Erza said. "I'm becoming more confident in myself."
For Scotty, the partnership is only beginning. His vision includes future staff and youth exchanges, shared leadership development, and a lasting connection between the two YMCA communities.
Thousands of miles apart, Camp Seymour and YMCA Kosovo are proving that while camp traditions may look different around the world, the purpose is the same: helping young people grow into confident, caring leaders.