Live from camp: From strangers to friends in 24 hours

A group of new faces, two weeks away from home, and housing in a different environment. What could be more intimidating in a teenager’s life?

Yesterday, I arrived on the front steps of the University of St. Thomas with a limited amount of journalism experience and knowledge in my pocket. I came to ThreeSixty with one goal: to improve and polish my writing and reporting skills. However, after spending a day with the ThreeSixty team, I know my experience here will educate me in all areas of life.

Reporting involves key analytical skills, but more importantly, it fuses the art of social communications with the world of journalism. Although I can’t stop my incessant chattering and laughter with my friends, I often shy away from strangers.

At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, I sat in a room with 12 strangers. Now, 24 hours later, I sit in a room with 12 new friends. After uniting through the game “Just because I’m….doesn’t mean I’m…,” sharing a room of laughter through “Apples to Apples” and exposing our emotional sides with the movie “Children of Men,” it feels like I’ve known our ThreeSixty group for years.

I’m still anxious and worried about what direction my story assignment on teens working as peer health mentors will lead me, but at least I know I won’t be alone when dealing with any hardships in the next two weeks of my life.

—Rebecca Xu, ThreeSixty 2010