Winter Break Arts Camp will bring them out of their shell

December 9, 2015

When I was about 10 years old my parents decided they didn’t want me to sit around the house all of winter break watching TV and playing video games. They wanted me to “try something different” and “socialize.” So, they encouraged me to attend a winter break arts camp at the local community center. At first I was pretty skeptical. Then, they expressed how much fun it would be and that I would have a blast. So, reluctantly I agreed.

It took me all of thirty minutes at the camp to admit they were right. Immediately upon arrival I was introduced to all the fellow campers and shortly after that they had all become my friends. There was a lot to do there; arts and crafts, singing, dancing – or at least what I called dancing. Out of all the activities I kept finding myself in the theater section time and time again. Never in a million years did I think I would go from playing the latest Call of Duty video game to participating in theater games with people who only hours ago were total strangers.

At the end of the day I was the last one to leave. All I wanted to do was play on the stage some more. And I believe that is when I became an addict. I became an addict to the arts – something I’d never been exposed to before. It didn’t end there either.

When I went back to school in the spring I asked my parents to sign me up for the theater classes and kept them on my roster all the way through High school. Doing just about every play, musical and showcase I could. I’m now enrolled in college majoring in film and theater, but finding my passion wasn’t the only thing I got out of that one day of camp. It truly did change my perspective on life. Before I was the shy kid. I talked only when spoken to and if you asked me to speak in front of anyone let alone an audience I would shake with nerves. Now I find myself addressing crowds of people with confidence and charisma. And it was all thanks to that one day of camp.

Mesa Arts Center has its very own Winter Break Camp coming up and I would say it’s definitely worth checking out. You never know, one day of camp could bring a child out of his/her shell or maybe make them more social. You won’t know unless your try!

Information about Mesa Arts Center’s winter break camp can be found at mesaartscenter.com, or call (480)-644-6520. Options are available: Dec. 21-24 and Dec. 28-31, weekly or daily registration.

By Rodney Meyer