Day 1 -- Leadership

Janice Chan 3S (3)

Our hearts brimmed with joy and excitement on the first day of the camp, which was relaxing. In the morning, we visited the school campus and the vastness of it impressed me a lot. The fresh air coupled with the wonderful environment is rather uncommon when compared to Hong Kong, so I am grateful for the opportunity to visit this university. 

Then we designed the totem pole, on which each animal represents a distinctive characteristic of a great leader. From this activity, I began to have a revelation of my own self and fathomed better understanding of it. I realised that a leader is not perfect but needs to possess certain essential leadership skills. At night, there was a campfire and we had fun with sparkles, which I have never played. Hopefully new experience ensues in the following days.

Azura Kan 3T (16)

The first day of our leadership camp in Canada began with activities on campus. The games we played required us to cooperate with our group members and strengthened our bond with one another. We learnt that a successful leader should be confident, responsible and open-minded, which are vital qualities in achieving a common goal jointly. 

The campus tour familiarised us with Canadian school life. The school campus here is gigantic, with each faculty having its own separate building. The study environment is ideal for students due to its comfort. In addition, the designing of the totem pole, a cultural representation of Canada, allowed us to learn about our own inner qualities. 

At night, we had the first experience of singing camping songs in the midst of a campfire. Singing actually enlightened us in that it could connect people together. We are glad that we are getting on well with the counsellors. Overall, we have learnt a lot of qualities of a good leader. Most significantly, we lead to inspire, and everyone should try the best to be the inspiration of others.

Bindhiya Thiruvenkadam 3T (33)

Our first day in Brescia was truly exciting. Though some of us got mild jet lag, we still managed to keep our energy levels high to play the fun games our counsellors had prepared for us. My favourite activity today was the campfire. After a whole day of walking around the campus and playing dodgeball, it was a great way to relax and eat some delicious s’mores while playing with sparklers. We took many lovely pictures and I can’t wait for whatever is next in store for us, planned by our amazing counsellors and teachers!

Gladys Charm 3A (5)

We started off our day with a mass in a church. The sisters and priests here are friendly but the songs are noticeably different compared to those in Hong Kong. We devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to our God. Then, through playing ice-breaking games and listening to the counsellors sharing their inspirational experience, we realised all the more the importance of not comparing with one another. Confidence is unquestionably an essential quality that should be found in a leader. 

The counsellors have told us some fun facts about Canada and we were truly engaged in drawing the totem poles, which are characteristic of Canada. We have also developed our team spirit through playing dodgeball. The campfire at night was exhilarating and summed up our fulfilling day perfectly. 

Melody Fok 3P (8)

We visited the campus of Brescia University College and Western Ontario University today. Being the only tertiary women’s university in Canada, Brescia College boasts an admirable history and an enjoyable environment. 

We then played games with the friendly counsellors and had a campfire at night. The culture here is different from that in Hong Kong for we need to dispose of the utensils we use after our meals into respective bins. It is indeed something that our city can work on. I am now looking forward to our forthcoming experience! 

Hannah Fok 3T (9)

On the morning of the first day, we played some ice-breaking games and brainstormed about the qualities of a good leader. Personally, I think the most important qualities are being responsible, open-minded and considerate. Through the discussion, I learnt from my friend that there is no good leader nor bad leader. There is only a better leader, who always works together with other members as a team to achieve a common goal. I couldn’t agree more. This idea is rather new to me but I learnt to think from multiple perspectives and be open-minded towards this learning experience. This is the first step of becoming a leader. 

In the afternoon, we made our group totem poles. The animals drawn on the totem poles represent our personalities. Through choosing our own animals, I understood how my friends see me and how much I know about myself. This is related to one of the LS topics I’ve learnt in form 1, i.e. the Johari Window. I was fascinated by the way we applied what we have learnt in a different context. 

At night, we had a campfire gathering. It was a really special and unforgettable experience and I was amazed by the beautiful sunset. It is only the first day of the summer camp and I’ve already gained so much. I am looking forward to the many activities in the coming days and to learn to be a better leader.

Angel Wong 3L (36)

Today is the first day of Brescia Girls LEAD camp and I am so excited, the long flight didn’t reduce the enthusiasm and excitement in me. The most interesting part is OF COURSE the Totem Pole. We can express our true selves in the animals we chose put on the Totem Pole. Leadership is built upon our self-knowledge. The craft provided us with a chance to reflect on our own personalities while letting others to comment on them, showing our own understanding and new feelings of ourselves. We also started bonding with our counsellors. I personally think that they are fun, modest and interactive but most importantly, they are very patient which is a key factor in leadership. 

Isabelle Tan 3A (29)

Today was our first day in Brescia University after we arrived. We were given a guided campus tour by Raina, our counselor. We saw many different kinds of birds and picked up a few pine cones for our group members. With the gentle touch of the summer breeze on my skin , I can’t help but marvel at the breathtaking scenery around campus. There is a variety of species we couldn’t see in the Hong Kong like skunks and groundhogs. I’ve visited a few universities in Hong Kong before, but they are just another concrete jungle in other parts of Hong Kong. There are flower beds and trees but large patches of grass are very rare. Here in Brescia University, there are lawns outside every building. It’s amazing to see how spacious Brescia University is, compared to those universities in Hong Kong. We also had a campfire gathering at night. We ate smores and played with sparklers.

Our counselors were all friendly to us and I’m sure we can get to know each other better in these two weeks.

Sally Wong 3A (34)

I attended the Sunday Mass this morning with other Catholic students. The liturgy was more or less the same as that in Hong Kong. However, I’ve never heard of those songs in the Mass. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, the people there were kind as well, I actually enjoyed the Mass today.

Meanwhile, we had a campus tour. We visited The Ursuline Hall and saw a whole collection of graduates’ photos since 1929. It is very touching and memorable. In the afternoon, we created our totem poles and it was extremely fun. Later on, we played dodgeball and I was enriched by the great team spirit. 

At night, we built a campfire. We took a lot of pictures together, roasted marshmallows and played with sparklers. To conclude, it was a marvelous day and I am looking forward to the many activities in the following days.