A Season of Growth: My Summer Volunteering with Valley Camp

I mean it when I say volunteering with Valley Camp was a dream come true. In fact, I moved from the United States to live in Urubamba specifically because I wanted to be part of this organization! My experience volunteering at Summer Camp 2025 was everything I wanted it to be: growth-promoting, revitalizing, and inspiring.

My name is Eliza and I grew up surrounded by mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah. While studying abroad in Cusco during the fall of 2022, I quickly fell in love with the magic of the Andes. Despite being in a new country, I felt at home in the mountains (just a little winded from the difference in altitude). Before the end of my school program, I knew I needed to find a way to return after graduating. While finishing my studies in English and Spanish literature for the next couple years, I continued to feel Peru’s pull. It wasn’t until late last year that my plans to return finally materialized.

On January 4th of this year I landed in Cusco. Three days later, I attended my first day of Valley Camp staff training. Though I was pretty nervous, I was immediately welcomed with open arms. The people working at Valley Camp are selfless and non judgemental; they care deeply about protecting the earth and are committed to offering nature-based learning experiences to children in the Sacred Valley. After only a few days of training, I realized I wasn’t just surrounded by a group of supportive coworkers, but instead I had an entire new group of trustworthy friends.

For the following four weeks I worked as a general volunteer for Summer Camp, helping wherever I was needed. Some days this meant accompanying campers in their workshops. We made traditional Peruvian bread together and created art projects using paints made from natural materials. Other days I planned and organized group activities, wrote newsletters to share with our donors, and helped our kitchen staff prepare lunches.

My favorite part of Valley Camp was going on excursions with the campers. For many of the participants it was their first time rock climbing, using binoculars, or camping. Their curiosity and wonder helped me more fully appreciate the beauty of what we experienced together. As I spent time with them, I began to see the world through new eyes; I examined everything more slowly and carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Prior to Summer Camp, I didn’t have a lot of experience working with kids. I’m grateful to Valley Camp for trusting me with this important responsibility. I learned a lot about myself while spending time with our campers. Often, I asked them to explain things to me if I had trouble understanding the directions. I was amazed with their patience and kindness as they helped me with my Spanish. What a gift it was to learn from and alongside such a diverse group of kids. 

After volunteering with Valley Camp I have developed more self-confidence. I am more comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people, and feel less self-conscious while speaking my second language. I have also felt my love for nature deepen and expand by exploring different parts of the Sacred Valley on our excursions. Thanks to the principles of environmental consciousness shared with our campers, I’m committed to living more sustainably and to working to protect the environment. I hope that as I travel back to the United States I can share the value of nature-based learning programs with those around me. 

I hope I have the chance to work with Valley Camp in the future; it is an organization I recommend to everyone. Thanks for having me!