WC Happenings: Meet the Coordinators-Summer 2011

Recruitment, curriculum development, research, new organization partnerships....World Camp activities are in full-swing! But as we look towards our exciting summer, we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to our 2011 Coordinator Team:

Rachel Dudasik

Rachel Dudasik, Volunteer Coordinator

We're thrilled to welcome Rachel back for another summer on the ground in Malawi! Rachel graduated from Appalachian State University, where she studied Sustainable Development and Third World Studies. She returned as a coordinator to World Camp post-graduation for our summer 2010 sessions. Rachel's also volunteers her spare time in the WC Office in Asheville, working on everything from grants to program development. Her humor, comforting nature when it comes to health issues and dedication to fully embracing each day are merely a few of the things volunteers have to look forward to. Rachel will fly over with the Y2Y volunteer group and work with the SS2 program. We're sure John's gonna be pretty happy to have her back as well. No one appreciates his cooking like she does....except Katy, perhaps.

Stephanie Henderson

Stephanie Henderson, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

Stephanie will join us this summer after graduating with a Political Science degree from Middlebury this spring. Miss Henderson volunteered with World Camp in January 2009, where fellow campers fondly remember her as the "first person to jump out the door, shove bricks under the tires and push the bus when we got stuck in a massive mud hole"...among other things. Don't worry parents, your kids are in good hands. Stephanie's currently writing her thesis on how social perceptions of HIV on a regional level match with global perceptions and whether that level affects the success of prevention programs in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa. She's diving into four norms surrounding HIV: human rights as a health topic, gender equality, the role of MSM in disease prevention and condom use vs. abstinence. Needless to say, her extensive insight into the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa is one among many that will strengthen and broaden our Coordinator Team.

Karen Clark

Karen Clark, Program Coordinator

Karen joins World Camp this summer for her 4th session as coordinator. Originally a January 2010 volunteer, she seemed to plant part of herself in this area of the world for good. She's been one of our most active participants in curriculum development since her volunteer session, and her passion for addressing HIV/AIDS in Africa is inspiring. She plans to live and work abroad post-graduation. Karen began coordinating in Summer 2010. She worked with both adult and Y2Y volunteer programs over the past year. Karen recently returned to Colby College after spending the fall semester in Botswana and January with World Camp in Malawi.

Daniel Thornton

Daniel Thornton, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

World Camp is excited to have Daniel join our Coordinator Team for the long haul. He is a philosophy graduate from UNC. Daniel describes his experience as a 2007 volunteer as much more than a "passing moment [with] Malawians...[it was] one of the formative experiences of [his] life." His travel experience in Europe and teaching experience in Egypt (where he currently lives) are among the qualities Daniel brings to our team this summer. Daniel has great investment in improving communication between volunteers and students, as well as increasing the effectiveness of our environmental lessons. With both Rina and Jaren gone, we're pumped to see what creativity and vigor Daniel will bring to Boom-Chicka-Boom!

Katie Sacca

Katie Sacca, Volunteer Coordinator

A 2007 Malawi volunteer, Katie spent the summer coordinating our college and Y2Y programs in 2008. Katie has degrees in Environmental Science and Medical Anthropology from Connecticut College and recently finished her Masters in Public Health at Boston University. Her international experience is vast--as a child she spent many years living abroad, studied abroad in Botswana during college and spent a summer in Australia as a blind guide for People to People Student Ambassadors. With her ever-increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS and environmental issues, dedication to Malawi and all the help she's given to our curriculum over the years, we're so happy to welcome her back!

Katy Lackey

Katy Lackey, Program Coordinator

Katy returns to Malawi for her 8th session as a coordinator. Leaving her 2005 volunteer session, Katy recalls a woman on the flight telling her, "It's hard to leave, isn't it? That's why they call it 'the Warm Heart.' But you left a piece of yours here too and you'll be back." How right she was. Katy has coordinated our programs in India and Malawi since 2008 and spent considerable time on curriculum development and volunteer experience development. Her passion for people and sections such as male empowerment and student activism stems from her degrees in psychology and religious studies as well as her travel experiences throughout India, Central America, SE Asia and Malawi. Volunteers this summer can look forward to joining Katy in the Banana Song, the Lion Game, nsima eating contests and of course, bubbles.