MEL Summer Camp 2025 Report

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." – Frederick Douglass

The staff and volunteers of the Mérida English Library are deeply grateful for the success of the MEL Summer Camp 2025. This was our third year running the program. Last year, due to renovations to our facilities, we had to cancel it—but this year, it was wonderful!

We know summers in Yucatán can be extremely hot, so we hesitated at first. But we decided to go ahead and hosted an info session for new volunteers. To our delight, many enthusiastic people attended. Those who applied participated in two training sessions where we prepared the projects we later carried out during the camp. We started on July 21, and the children who joined were excited to be at MEL. Some were already familiar with the library from our past Storytime days, while for others, it was their first time visiting.

Having bilingual volunteers made it much easier to connect with the children, especially those just beginning to learn English.

Each day of camp focused on a different theme—such as myths and fables, detectives, recycling, and pirates, to name a few. We began each morning with a welcome song, followed by a volunteer reading a book from our collection. After a short break and a physical activity session, we worked on arts and crafts using a variety of creative techniques.

From string art, cartoon sketching, mosaic making, and collage to stamping and more—the volunteers did an incredible job preparing and leading these activities with the children, all on their own!

We want to give a special shout-out to MEL instructors Mónica González and Richie Poe, who shared their expertise by leading Taiji and Pilates classes for the kids. Their contributions were a lovely addition to our daily routine. We are very grateful!

On the final day, we held a “Book Fiesta”—a celebration of everything we had accomplished: the stories we read, the projects we completed, the new skills we learned, and the friendships we made. Families sent snacks for a shared picnic, we had a piñata, and the volunteers set up a gallery showcasing the children's creations. It was a beautiful moment to admire everyone’s work.

At the end, we asked if anyone would like to try reading aloud, like we had done during camp. To our joy, four of the youngest participants volunteered to do a Storytime for us! We waved goodbye as they left the library—with the promise to return to their new happy place.

To the parents, children, and volunteers: thank you so much!