Empowering the next generation of young women
Camp Lucy Summer 2024 at Renton Rowing Center
Empowering women
62 young women were empowered to be strong, powerful, supported, and brave this summer - the Camp Lucy themes that permeate its every fiber.
Camp Lucy took place over two months in three boathouses around Seattle; Pocock Rowing Center in Eastlake, Renton Rowing Center in Renton, and Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center in Seattle.
In 2021, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation had a vision to serve more young people, particularly populations who are underrepresented in rowing, such as girls, people of color, and those facing socio-economic barriers.
Data shows that girls who play sports experience many benefits including attaining higher levels of education, being mentally and physically healthier, and earning higher wages as adults compared to their non-athlete peers. Camp Lucy was launched to introduce more young women to sports opportunities.
The program runs in honor of Lucy Pocock, a pioneer in women’s rowing, and is designed to increase social-emotional learning outcomes, foster leadership, teamwork, and communication, cultivate confidence, and promote healthy lifestyles. While the program serves athletes - fondly known as Lucies - it’s also attracting young women of color to be coaches and counselors as well.
An ecosystem envisioned
When Zoe Vais founded Camp Lucy, she knew it would take some time to build the program and see all of her (and her team’s) efforts come to fruition. This year, Zoe feels that the program has come into its own. Participants leave camp with increased confidence, and enthusiasm to return the following summer. Many campers have asked how they might be involved after they’ve aged out of the program. Coaches are blossoming too, with many returning year after year, developing their skills and leading with conviction and charisma. These elements add up to a recipe for success. The impact is indisputable when athletes and coaches want to come back and give back.
What makes Camp Lucy unique is its intentionality. From the partnerships and participants to the program curriculum, camp structure, and coach training, Camp Lucy runs with its intended outcomes in mind. Firstly, to use rowing to show young women how awesome they are, and to create sisterhood and autonomy in a boathouse setting. Secondly, to intentionally increase access to rowing for girls of color and those facing socioeconomic barriers. And thirdly, to build confidence and competence through fostering a welcoming and safe place for everyone involved. This intentionality has led Camp Lucy’s curriculum (a holistic and sacred asset) to become a resource for coaches and athletes year-round, not just during the 8-week summer program.
Strong, Powerful, Supported, and Brave are the intended qualities the program supports for Lucies and coaches alike. Camp Lucy’s creators developed the curriculum with the hope of instilling these themes into all program aspects. Each day, the curriculum intentionally fosters camper empowerment and growth so that participants find themselves feeling more strong, supported, powerful, and brave with each passing day, developing a fervent “I Can Do That!” mentality as they learn and grow in spaces that were once unfamiliar to them.
Camp Lucy’s structure is part of what makes it so unique, and so fun. The program not only teaches campers all about rowing but includes intentional learning based on the many life lessons athletes gain from sport - all complemented with a heaping dose of classic summer fun. Each day, the Lucies experience a learn-to-row session, a thoughtfully crafted workshop that highlights a daily theme, and games, crafts, or tasty treats.
A critical piece of the program is the well-prepared coaches and counselors. All of Camp Lucy’s coaches and counselors participate in trauma-informed coach training, which helps them learn to recognize and respond to stress reactions from campers in a positive and growth-oriented way, unlocking the true healing potential of sport. Camp Lucy’s curriculum is written with a trauma-informed coaching style and an athlete-centered approach as the backbone of the camp. This cultivates a supportive staff environment that prioritizes learning and healing in sports and creates transformative experiences for the campers.
In her long-term view, Zoe envisions Camp Lucy as an ecosystem, where the curriculum leads athletes, coaches, and counselors to be their best selves, empowered by their newly developed skill sets. Zoe shares that she would love to see “a counselor-in-training or mentorship program for the Camp Lucy graduates, or even just a way for them to return to the program as volunteers.”
Confidence in leadership
Gem Gatmaytan started coaching at Camp Lucy in its first year. Back then, Gem was developing a DEI initiative in the Seattle rowing community, and Camp Lucy hit home hard because it was a community of people I was trying to reach.”
Gem was inspired to learn more about trauma-informed coaching, not merely as a coach but also as an athlete. She admits that many coaches start in the sport with an “unconsciously unskilled mindset,” but with Camp Lucy’s clear vision, she was compelled to be a part of it. Gem shares that Camp Lucy “is a beautiful way to introduce other athletes in the region to coaching.” Gem currently rows for Seattle Pacific University. Coaching at Camp Lucy has helped develop her passion for the sport, and her coaching ability, while fulfilling her desire for more DEI in rowing. With the camp’s summer schedule, it’s ideal for college students looking to develop their coaching skills while still prioritizing school. Gem attributes her growth in coaching confidence and competence to Camp Lucy - the leadership, the curriculum, the training, and the vibe.
A welcoming experience for everyone
Gem has witnessed the program’s evolution and admires how seamless and streamlined it has become, which she accredits wholeheartedly to Zoe’s great leadership. But Zoe would be the first to agree that it has been a team effort and coaches Mia Luna, Magda Vidal, Monica Firmani, and Katia Meuleman have also been instrumental in the curriculum development over the past few years. Having a group of coaches that campers can relate to encourages Lucies to feel more welcome, included, and safe at camp. In return, the coaches feel fulfilled knowing they are changing young women's lives. It’s beautiful.
But camp isn’t always roses and butterflies. When Zoe had to call a parent in the summer because of some unconstructive camper behavior, she used her counseling background, trauma-informed training learnings, and the core Camp Lucy themes to interact with the family. This helped nurture the family’s interest in and understanding of the program’s intentions and ensured a welcoming and safe experience for everyone involved.
A bright future
Inspired by Marian Wright Edelman’s quote “You can’t be what you can’t see,” Camp Lucy’s team has worked hard to provide clear avenues for continued camper participation. Options include returning to camp next summer, rowing at a local boathouse after camp, or participating in school-year events such as the fall field trip to the University of Washington, or the annual 26-point LU Marathon of Meters in February. Aspirationally, the team would love to provide opportunities for the program graduates to return as volunteers, or as coaches or counselors-in-training so that more young women of color can experience rowing led by those who share their identities. Whatever the future holds for Camp Lucy, it’s exciting to witness the next phase.
“I think it was really fun. The teachers are really supportive and very helpful and it’s just really fun.” - Camp Lucy Participant 2022
The current outcomes for Camp Lucy show:
93% of participants made meaningful gains in 2 or more social-emotional learning outcomes.
85% of campers reported opportunities at camp to create an environment in which young people feel safe and supported by one another through improved leadership, communication, and teamwork capabilities
70% of campers reported increased positive identity and boosted self-confidence from before to after camp.
Enhanced athletic skills, nutrition, and mental well-being and fitness. And, 96% would recommend Camp Lucy to a friend.
Camp Lucy is a program offered through the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and is entirely grant and donor-funded. We’re relying on you for your continued support of this remarkable program.
If you would like to know more about Camp Lucy or are interested in hosting a camp in the future, please go to: https://www.pocockfoundation.org/camp-lucy
