Levi’s Camp Lightbulb Journey
By Levi Smith
My journey with Camp Lightbulb began out of a desperate attempt to find organizations to support a student at my school. I am a school counselor and was honored they shared a vulnerable part of themselves with me. I vowed I would help them in any way I could. Camp Lightbulb appeared in my research, and the opportunity to be a camp counselor arose. Five months later, I found myself venturing to Provincetown, Massachusetts, as one of four camp counselors for the July 2022 season. Needless to say, I had expectations, and the experience itself surpassed them.
I expected to ignite enthusiasm within campers, passionately lead camp activities, and support campers through their own self-exploration. I accomplished this, but I was naive about the other things that camp would offer. I did not expect to grow in my own self-awareness and understanding of privilege in the queer community. I did not expect to be humbled by the countless challenges campers have faced in their daily lives. I did not expect to develop life-long friendships with campers and my fellow counselors. I was hired to do a job, but I did not know I was going to find a home in that Provincetown hostel.
With every camp experience, I learned and grew personally from each camper. The Gender Euphoria Fashion Show particularly was a captivating experience each week. Though I felt honored to watch the campers strut along to their anthems, the real joy was witnessed in the moments leading up to the show. I heard the joyful laughter, the nudges of encouragement, and the celebration of authentic expression happening throughout the halls. I would gaze out the windows and catch the campers hugging each other, snapping photos, and dancing around in their chosen attire. The beams of happiness radiated from their innermost core like rays of the sunrise bursting from the horizon. Witnessing them in this state of genuine self-actualization empowered me with the strength I needed to do the same. For the first time, I had the level of confidence necessary to explore my own gender euphoria. It never crossed my mind that the campers would be the role models I needed this summer. Camp Lightbulb is an experience like no other and what I took away from it was unquestionably invaluable.