A Sense of Belonging
November 2023
By Itayi Mangah
I grew up in a small country called Zimbabwe. A country approximately 7600 miles away from here. Never in my young life did I ever imagine leaving home and raising a family in a foreign land. I had a wonderful childhood and I was fortunate to have many opportunities and I had the love and support of many people around me. I had my community of friends, church, schoolmates and family, and I had a strong sense of belonging. Now fast forward to years later, I found myself a parent to a young girl in a foreign land here in the United States, and I wanted my daughter to have the same experiences and sense of belonging just as I had when growing up, but, being an immigrant with no family and very little guidance, I was challenged and could not do it by myself!
A friend told me about Onaway, and I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I took my chances because I had no idea what Onaway was really about. However, I quickly realized that I had made the right choice. Maita at first was reluctant but with every summer she came back and she thrived. It took her 3 summers to move from “minnows” in swimming. It was at Onaway that she found out that she had a passion for singing and acting, and she took classical music in high school. She took boating, canoeing, and the first summer she made a candle holder which I proudly show off to everyone who visits our home. There were some challenging summers as well where she almost came home, but in all this, she was supported either by adults or friends around her and came home a better person. While Maita is no longer a camper, she has made strong friendships and her love for camp is deep! This summer Maita did not return as a counselor however she was very concerned and curious to know if opening day went well and even offered to help if needed. When it comes to Onaway, I have seen a sense of responsibility and care that I have not seen in her for other things. You see that’s the spirit of Onaway, that sense of belonging, you can’t explain it but you feel it.
One of Onaway’s values is COMMUNITY which states …. COMMUNITY: Guided by tradition and through a spirit of belonging, love, and independence, Onaway encourages cooperation, compromise, awareness of others, and development of individual strengths, all of which build community.
I did not go to Onaway and cannot relate to a lot of camp traditions, however as a parent I am happy that Onaway provided that community for my daughter to thrive, be herself and develop into the confident young woman that she is today. I am on the board today because of her, and my hope is that Onaway will continue to be that special place where everyone feels they belong.