ALTERNATIVE BREAKS

Camp Ramapo

FIU gave me the opportunity to be part of the Alternative Breaks program. I was able to participate in two trips, one in the summer of 2018 and the other in winter of the same year. On both of these trips, I went to Camp Ramapo in Rhinebeck, New York. Camp Ramapo helps children and young adults transition into independent lives even though they have disabilities. Camp Ramapo has undoubtedly increased my awareness of learning disabilities among young adults. It was definitely one of the most memorable and enjoyable trips of my life. It was inspiring to see how these young adults are on a path to better handle their disabilities. I found it fulfilling to give hope and inspire solutions by providing workshops and my personal experience for similar problems they were experiencing. I also found it enlightening how most of the adults at the camp found it comforting in learning about the label of "learning disabilities" because it helped them understand themselves. This was eye-opening for me because we all seek to self discover who we are.

I like how they planned skills to help them succeed in college, do well in their job, despite their learning disabilities. These individuals are constantly struggling with difficulties, physically, emotionally, and or mentally that they face on a daily basis. It really gave me an insight into who I am as a person and to be grateful for having met the staff assistants and my alternative breaks family. I have learned so much from them and to own who we are and embrace our differences. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to cross paths with a diverse group of people and with them, make a better version of me. Ramapo will always be a great memory and a place that I’ll never forget. Ramapo provides a safe place for them to express their disabilities freely without judgment and for that, I went to Ramapo twice.