Finding Home: Ajsi Selmanaj’s Journey to Belonging at the Glenn Carpenter Centre

Finding Home: Ajsi Selmanaj’s Journey to Belonging at the Glenn Carpenter Centre

When I was younger, I dreaded summer.

Most kids count down the days to vacation, but for me, summer felt like a long stretch of quiet. I loved the school year because it meant being out of the house, seeing people every day, and having a routine where I felt like I belonged. But when school ended, so did that feeling.

I had come from a place where family was everywhere. Where I was surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents nearly every day. But here, it was just my mom, dad, my little brother, and me. While I was lucky to have them, summers felt smaller and lonelier. I’d get invited to a few birthday parties, but most days just sort of blended together. I spent a lot of that time wishing for school to start again.

And then came 2024.

There was a fishing derby at the Glenn Carpenter Centre, and I went with my mom and brother. I remember being just a kid waiting in line for a fishing rod. No idea that I was about to find something so much bigger than just a fun afternoon.

That day changed everything.

I instantly fell in love with the place. And it’s not hard to see why! The Carpenter Centre is beautiful. The trees, the water, the trails, the open air. It feels like nature itself is welcoming you in. It’s everything you’d want a camp to be. It has the space, the scenery, the programs, and the heart to give people not just a summer, but a real experience.

From that day on, I started looking for any opportunity to get involved. I applied to become a Junior Counselor and that’s when everything truly started.

The Carpenter Centre became more than a camp. It became a home.

For the first time, I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. I found a group of people who were kind, inclusive, and genuinely uplifting, and I found something I didn’t expect: purpose.

As a Junior Counselor, I got to be the person I once needed. I saw the impact I was making. Not just in organizing games or helping with crafts, but in being someone kids could trust. I was someone’s safe space, someone’s light in a dark tunnel.

One camper I’ll never forget is Junebug. We bonded quickly. He was full of interesting stories, questions, and this huge energy. Funny enough, we connected over our shared love of cherries. Every day, he had something new to tell me and I was always there to listen. For him, I was someone he could rely on. And for me, he reminded me just how much kids are looking for connection, for joy, for someone who sees them.

I worked with campers who had just arrived from Ukraine, helping them adjust to a completely new life. I listened to kids from group homes who just needed someone to really hear them. And one of the most meaningful things for me? Seeing those same kids outside of camp at a concert, at the grocery store, at my instructor job and hearing them call my name with a smile because it means they chose to remember me.

And now, I watch new families walking into the Glenn Carpenter Centre, families who are maybe coming here for the first time. I see the nervous smiles, the hesitation… and then I watch it fade as they’re welcomed in. I see the spark of belonging that once lit up in me. And in them, I see myself.

Camp has taught me so much.

It’s taught me how to lead.

How to listen.

How to support others with patience and compassion.

How to create joy, and how to hold space for someone going through something hard.

How to be part of a team.

How to grow into someone I’m proud of.

And just like we grow, the camp grows with us. Thanks to the generosity of donors, we’ve recently added a new building — Crabtree Hall — turning the Glenn Carpenter Centre into a year-round Outdoor Education Centre. That means more kids, more experiences, more memories. The community grows, and the physical space grows with it — proof that your support is building something lasting.

My hope for every future camper and every family is that they get to feel what I felt. That they leave with people skills, confidence, and memories that stick for life. That they’re guided, seen, and celebrated. That they feel the warmth of a community that says, You belong here.

I want to keep being part of that. I want to keep helping kids find their place just like I found mine.

I could say a million great things about the Glenn Carpenter Centre, and it still wouldn’t be enough. But I’ll say this:

I am eternally grateful.

Thank you for helping build this home — for me, and for so many others.

Download her Y story here

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