Journey Around the World

By Kim Wilson, Hemophilia of Georgia

More than 140 people of all ages enjoyed taking a Journey Around the World during Hemophilia of Georgia’s Fall Family Camp Weekend last year. This camp is for everyone in the state of Georgia who has an inherited bleeding disorder, as well as their immediate family members, to come together and enjoy a fun and relaxing weekend while learning more about their condition.

I have been the Camp and Activities Coordinator at Hemophilia of Georgia (HoG) for five years, and liked that Journey Around the World includes a complete curriculum, is easy to implement, and comes with all of the materials needed. Designed as a trip that introduces campers to the type of bleeding disorder care available around the world, Journey Around the World helps raise awareness of the needs of people with bleeding disorders in developing countries. This program was developed by the World Federation of Hemophilia USA (WFH USA), which provided all of the supplies for each country as well as instructions for how to set up and facilitate this program.

We designed our schedule so that Journey Around the World was an optional evening activity. Families were separated into six pre-determined groups with a volunteer or staff member as their tour guide. Each guide received a boarding pass, which listed their first destination, and a passport for their group. The destinations, set up in different buildings around the camp, were Botswana, France, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Russia, and Egypt.

Upon arrival in each country, a staff member acting as the country representative greeted and welcomed the group. It was up to the representatives to make each stop fun and interesting; some dressed in native attire, while others tried to speak a little of the native language. The script provided by WFH USA introduced some of the culture and fun facts about each country. Representatives also used it to describe what it is like to live with and treat a bleeding disorder in that country. The curriculum focused on hemophilia but we added statistics and information about other inherited bleeding disorders such as von Willebrand disease, so that all of the participants would feel included.

While visiting each country the group participated in an easy project or game that represented that country.  In Japan for example, creating origami swans was a highlight of the evening, whereas in Russia, a native beverage and a Cossack dance was offered. At the end of each activity, the group’s passport was stamped and the representative would tell them which country was next. An in-flight snack was set up in the dining hall for groups to enjoy en route to their next destination.  The groups stayed in each country for about 30 minutes.  They could have moved faster through the rotation but since they were having so much fun we let them set their own pace.

At the end of the program the groups returned to the gym to debrief together. The families seemed to enjoy their Journey Around the World experience and went to bed with a sense of thankfulness that they have access to effective treatment, a hemophilia treatment center, and a strong patient organization.

We are going to offer this program again at our Spring Family Camp Weekend.  We have added a flight plan to the curriculum so participants can see the order in which they will visit each country. In addition, some of the staff will dress as flight attendants and will do a “flight check-in, safety procedures, take off” skit to start the program.  As part of the skit, we plan to offer peanuts for $5 per bag, candy for $20 per bag, and soda at $10 per can, just to make the whole flight experience a little more entertaining.

Journey Around the World is easy to implement, interesting to all ages, and everyone had a fabulous time whether they were a facilitator or a participant.  The topic was interesting to all ages and the families enjoyed having an activity to do together. I would love to see this program grow to include other countries so that the experience could be different every time it is offered. Camp directors could choose which countries to offer based on their camp theme, space available at camp, and available time.

Download instructions for Journey Around the World, or contact Michael Rosenthal, National Director World Federation of Hemophilia USA.

Find out more about Hemophilia of Georgia. If you would like more information about how they implemented the Journey Around the World program, please call Kim Wilson, Camp and Activities Coordinator: 1-770-518-8272.

Journey Around the World was funded by an educational grant from Pfizer.

April 2010