Junior Counselors
Introducing the Chinatown Adventure 2010 Junior Counselors…
Group 1 Junior Counselor: Helen Zhao
Helen Zhao is a rising Senior at Boston Latin School and if she’s not slaving away at school or at home on Facebook, you can most likely find her at the dance studio! She has been dancing for over 11 years now and is an Assistant Teacher and member of the ACAS Traditional Chinese Dance Troupe which tours all over the world to perform. Along with Chinese Dance, Helen also trains in Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Jazz. At school, Helen enjoys spreading Asian Culture as an executive officer for the Asian culture club and contributing to the school newspaper as a Photo Editor and Business Manager. She had her first experience with CHAD in the summer of 2009 where she had the time of her life working with G3. She is very excited to be returning as a JC for G1 and cannot wait to serve the Chinatown Community this summer. Helen is super excited to meet all the cuties of G1 and to make their summer at CHAD, unforgettable and fun-filled! Helen also hopes to create lasting memories with the staff and make CHAD 2010, the best summer yet!
Group 1 Junior Counselor: David Fun
David Fun is a rising Senior at Boston Latin School. He plans to go to the medical field after studying the life sciences in college. Some of his interests include volleyball, reading a good book, basketball, MMA, and listening to music. He decided to return as a JC at Chinatown Adventure because he used to be a camper himself and wants to give back to his community for everything it had given him. In addition, he wants to give his campers the best summer experience they can have, teaching them to learn to appreciate their community’s cultural heritage. He looks forward to a great summer with his SC and helping his campers grow this summer.
Group 2 Junior Counselor: Lori Wong
Lori is a rising Junior at Boston Latin School and doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up yet. She loves spending time with the adorable children at the Chinatown Afterschool program, where she has been volunteering at for the past two years. She also enjoys learning how to make various Chinese arts and crafts, being part of the school Recycling Commitee, and volunteering in Chinatown through a group called Youlead. She was a camper at CHAD ever since she was in 3rd grade and wants to be a junior counselor so that she can be a role model for the current campers. She used to live in Chinatown and still feels really close to the community so she feels passionate about volunteering in Chinatown. Lori is looking forward to experiencing CHAD in a new way, bonding with the counselors and campers, the field trips, the lessons, and the fun!
Group 3 Junior Counselor: Philip Chu
Philip Chu is a rising Senior at Boston Latin School. He likes to play volleyball, read, and listen to music. He decided to return as a Junior Counselor at Chinatown Adventure because he wants to have fun and meet even more kids. He is excited to work with group three again because he worked with them two years ago when he first started as a Junior Counselor.
Group 4 Junior Counselor: Bonnie Leung
Bonnie Leung is a rising Senior at Boston Latin Academy. She was a CHAD camper for five years. This summer will be her 3rd summer working with CHAD as a junior counselor. She grew up in Chinatown all her life and has a great understanding of her community. She does much volunteer work to serve her community such as volunteering to be teacher assistance for Kwon Kow Chinese School, help spread the importance of the Asian community through a Boston magazine called Asian Boston, and helping out at Chinatown Afterschool program.
Group 5 Junior Counselor: Cindy Guan
Cindy Guan is a rising Senior at Boston Latin School. She is currently undecided about her future career plans. In her free time, she likes to run, shop, sing, read, eat, and do anything fun. She wanted to return to CHAD this summer because she really loves working with kids. She also grew up in Chinatown, and truly enjoys serving the community. This summer she is really looking forward to making tons of new friends, lasting memories, going on field trips, and taking cute pictures!
Group 6 Junior Counselor: Amy Zhao
Amy Zhao is a rising Senior at Boston Latin School. She loves playing volleyball and going shopping. She feels very passionate about Chinatown being her home, a place where she has lived her entire life. She was a CHAD camper for four years, and during her last year as a camper, one of her goals was to become a junior counselor, someone that can be a role model to younger students just like her junior counselors had been for her. She was an intern for the Chinese Youth Initiative which is a youth program that is part of Chinese Progressive Association. As an intern, she had the chance to learn about the more about the problems concerning Chinatown and how youth can be take part in changing those problems. Also, she is a member of the Asian American Civic Association’s Youth Council, through which youth are able to become leaders in the community. This summer she wants her campers to have a memorable summer by having fun, learning about their community of Chinatown, and gaining new learning experiences.
Group 7 Junior Counselor: Raymond Yang
Raymond is returning for his third and final year as a Junior Counselor. He was first involved with CHAD at the age of 7 as a first grader and returned every summer for the next six years. He will be the JC for group 7, which is also the group he had his first summer. He is excited to be reacquainted with his former campers for the summer and hopes to prepare them for high school and the future ahead of them. Raymond will be a Senior at Boston Latin School in the fall of ’10. His hobbies include basketball, ballroom and salsa dancing, along with long walks on the beach.
The Junior Counselor Position:
Each Junior Counselor works with groups of children for six weeks during the summer, implementing a self-designed curriculum. In the programs, Junior Counselors work with college-aged Senior Counselors. Junior Counselors are expected to keep in close contact with parents and community members to ensure the best possible camp experience for the children they are serving.
Further, Junior Counselors are an integral part of camp fundraising and operations and are expected to work as part of a team to ensure that the program runs well. Junior Counselors are encouraged to limit outside commitments, as community involvement and program preparation are vital to this leadership experience.
All Junior Counselors are expected to work for one week of staff training, six weeks of camp, and two Junior Counselor weeks after camp is over. You must commit to working from June 22 to August 20. All Junior Counselors will be paid $8.00 per hour. Specific duties of the Junior Counselor position are listed below:
I. Training
A mandatory one-week training prior to the beginning of camp providing skills in curriculum development and classroom strategies as well as community leadership. Counselors are also expected to attend any trainings and retreats designed by directors throughout the summer.
II. Camp Administration
General camp administration (with Senior Counselors) including but not limited group decision-making, general camp operational tasks such as lifeguarding, as well as taking an active role in fundraising for their program.
III. Teaching
For most programs, Junior Counselors are expected to:
- Along with their Senior Counselor, develop a curriculum that fits the needs of their particular group of children, meet with families regularly to discuss their children’s progress, and share curriculum plans with parents and ask for feedback
- Discuss and share curriculum ideas with directors, senior counselor, and Leaders! Coordinator
- Teach for at least 1 hour of class a week.
1. When appropriate, invite parents on field trips and into the classroom
2. Serve as a mentor to the children in the camp
3. Take an active role in modeling community building and leadership during camp collaborations
VI. Leadership
- Each week Junior Counselors will meet with their Leaders! Coordinator for one hour of workshops on leadership, activism and community organizing skills as well as reflection on their service experience.
- During JC Week, the Junior Counselors from every camp will have opportunities for further leadership training, community building and ways to bring what they have learned over the summer back to their communities during the school year.
VII. Midsummer Celebration
All Junior Counselors will be responsible for planning and organizing one of Boston’s largest citywide summer events: the 10th annual Midsummer Celebration! During Midsummer planning meetings Junior Counselors from different camps will work together to:
1. Plan a carnival featuring games and a moonbounce for the children
2. Produce and host a talent show during which we recognize community leaders
3. Promote the event using media strategies and community organizing techniques
4. Ensure the professional execution of the event by managing logistics
5. Build community unity and make a positive impact in Boston