Students embark to Camp Casey

It is time for the annual leadership conference Camp Casey to once again host the students of Bellevue College. Located on Whidbey Island on the Puget Sound coast, the former military base will be the site for the annual leadership retreat hosted by Student Programs. “The purpose of the event is to help students develop a ‘toolkit’,” stated Brandon Lueken, the program coordinator at Student Programs and adviser for the event. “[Students will ask themselves], ‘What’s my communication style?’ ‘How well am I listening?’ ‘How am I communicating with people who learn differently than me?’ We’re developing some of that leadership toolkit so that it can be used throughout the year.”
Camp Casey isn’t only focused on helping students become better individuals, but seeks to expand the community at Bellevue College as a whole. Lexi Bach attended Camp Casey last year and said, “It is a wonderful opportunity. It’s free. [When I went], I got to network with a lot of people.”  Lueken added, “We see a lot of returning students at Camp Casey, but not a lot of students that have just enrolled at BC. It’s those first-year students that we really want to see. This is an opportunity for them to learn a lot more about themselves and about others.” Nora Lance, associate director of Student Programs, said, “We highly encourage any student leaders, officers in clubs and new ASG members to come. It’s a time for them to network, get to know their constituents, and to get to know the people that they will be working with for the next year.” Both the outgoing members of ASG and the new members are required to attend Camp Casey. “We hope that we can catch some of the students who are new officers,” Lance added. “I think they don’t quite understand what it is, and afterwards, they always say ‘I wish I had gone.’ It would be wonderful if we could catch those students beforehand.”  “There are two parts of Camp Casey,” said Lexi Bach. “One part is lectures, and the other part is […] group activities. There are games, problem solving […] My favorite part is a rope course that’s extremely fun and challenging. I never thought that I would be able to climb a tree; that was a part of it.” The deadline for applications has already past, however, students are encouraged to come during the week. While all of the seminars are free to Bellevue College students, they will have to provide their own transportation.