Six student counselors—some from Team Kenan, one from the University of North Carolina—designed and ran Exploring Durham, a summer camp for refugee and migrant children, on East Campus from July through early August.

The campers, who ranged in age from 7 to 14, hailed from Burma, Honduras, Mexico, Nepal, and Somalia. Most have lived in Durham for an average of two years, with the most recent arrival six weeks before camp began.

Over the course of a busy five weeks, campers hiked through Duke Forest, trekked around Duke Gardens, visited the Museum of Life and Science and the Morehead Planetarium, picked blueberries, and attended a Durham Bulls game.

It wasn’t all fun and games: reading, math, and computer time were a daily feature. Having been issued Durham County Library cards, campers made weekly trips to the downtown branch. And counselors helped the campers make sense of their personal narratives, with each camper working on a family tree, video statement, and autobiography.

For campers, Exploring Durham was an opportunity to adjust to life in North Carolina, helping the most recent arrivals adjust to school and giving everyone the chance to make new friends. For the student counselors, the camp was a good example of ethics in action, a chance to experience the human element of what had been a research exercise. Everyone left with each other’s phone numbers and promises to keep in touch—promises fulfilled by an early September mini reunion at the apartment complex in Southwest Durham where many of the children live.