SNHU Students Make a Seriously Fun Impact in Ireland

By Olivia Gage, Class of 2024

In August 2023, a group of ten Chandler Center students departed Boston for Ireland to serve as volunteers at a summer camp called Barretstown, which is part of a network of Serious Fun camps across the globe with the mission of providing camp experiences to children with serious illnesses and their families. For the past 20 years, Barretstown has allowed families to attend the camp at no cost. As of last summer, Barretstown has hosted 100,000 campers from across Europe.

Cara is the Irish word for “friend” and refers to volunteers, camp counselors, activity leaders, and any other support staff that ensures camps run smoothly. Ten students served as caras filling in the role of camp counselors. Each cara was assigned a cottage (the same as what Americans call a cabin at a summer camp) and spent the following seven days with a group of ten campers and fellow caras.

Upon arrival, students were given a day to acclimate to the time change and explore Dublin. The following day, students were bussed from Dublin to the camp for a full day of training. After approximately twelve hours of training, caras moved into their cottages and anxiously awaited the campers’ arrival the following day.

Once campers arrive, the life of a cara shifts from self-focus to camper focus. Everything revolves around the happiness and safety of the campers. Over seven days, caras are with campers for twelve to fifteen hours a day. Activities during the day included arts and crafts, music, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing, archery, low ropes, horseback riding, music, drama, studio (music video making) and scrapbooking.

One of the most special moments of camp occurred each night before bed. Every night the camp had a “Cottage Chat.” Cottage Chat was when all the campers were in bed and a reflection question was asked. The reflection question is typically focused on lighter topics early in the week and slowly shifts toward deeper questions that allow campers to process the emotions associated with their illnesses. These questions often left the campers feeling closer and the caras shocked by their emotional maturity and ability to handle their situations with grace. Most caras find themselves carrying around the answers from campers for years to come and take the lessons they learned from campers to heart.

The final evening of camp there was a celebration of the week with everyone gathered in the theater to watch a slideshow, hand out awards, and express thanks to everyone who made camp possible. After all campers are picked up, caras have a debrief session. At the debrief session, caras were commended for their hard work over the past week and were given the space to process emotions and say their goodbyes.

Barretstown allows SNHU students to gain valuable tools for their future academic years, careers and life in general. All students who participated in this year’s trip are thankful for their experience, the generosity of Laurie ’89MBA and Clarke Chandler, the Chandler Center, and SNHU for the opportunity to attend Barretstown.

The Chandlers remain committed to supporting the important work of The Chandler Center and the students it serves. Thanks to their dedication, The Chandler Center has been able to introduce students to new engagement and learning experiences, such as the trip to Barretstown.

After the trip, students had the opportunity to write letters of thanks to Laurie and Clarke. Brooke Rowell wrote in her letter, “I am forever grateful for this trip, and I will spend a lifetime remembering the girls, remembering the memories, and holding a special place in my heart for people like you who add positivity and wholesomeness to a complicated life. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you. Not only for the monetary value of this trip, but especially for the change I see in the world and in the people in it after this trip, and for the difference I got to make in someone else’s life. Thank you for being you and thank you for sharing the most magical gift of a lifetime with me.”