5 days of youth camp in the Highlands
This year’s youth camp was exceptionally held neither in the Slovak Paradise nor in the Jeseníky Mountains, but in our favourite Třešt’, where we organize a summer school for adults every year. Trips to nature and sightseeing were replaced by more training, especially on the tatami, which many of us appreciated very much. At the same time it formed an interesting contrast between the previous summer schools and the various trips that took place during the year.
The main focus of our stay in Třešt’ was the morning tatami sessions and the afternoon outdoor exercises with the joe, where we developed especially liveliness, activity and mobility. We also did a lot of high falls.
During these five wonderful days we took a trip to a nearby quarry with very nice and clean water where we took a bath and on the way back we had a very pleasant training session in a nearby meadow. The next trip was to the Jihlava firefighters, where their commander, aikidist Čeněk Jirsák, gave us a tour and allowed us to try interesting things that we would not have been able to get to. From cutting a car, to climbing a 40-meter ladder, from where there was a beautiful view of the surroundings, to sliding down a pole. This was a childhood dream come true for many of us.
Preparing lunches was also an interesting experience – we split into groups and each day a different group prepared food for everyone. From shopping to cooking to washing dishes, we did it all!
The free time together was mostly spent playing our favourite board games, going for various walks or sitting in the café. We spent one evening having dinner together by the fire, where we had a great time.
Unfortunately, this camp has also come to an end and we have nothing to do but look forward to the next one and maybe even a longer one.
Written by: Jan Váňa
Photos by Lenka Honzáková and Martin Švihla
