Two summer Girl Scout day camps focused on Hmong culture for girls of Hmong descent, Mai Time and Me Mai. Campers create crafts using Batik and cross-stitch techniques, participate in Hmong language-learning activities, and — for older girls — go on a field trip to Hmong Village in Saint Paul. Our photographer visited, and we collected perspectives from the girls for sharing.
Jade Her shows off her batik. Behind her (l-r) is Annabel Briggs, Scarlett Xiong, Paige Moua, Olivia Thao, Abby Bussey, Carolyn Vang and Kaylen Vang (photo Sarah Whiting)
Iris (photo Tessa Anderson, Girl Scouts River Valleys)
From Iris: This was my first time being at a camp for Hmong girls. I was excited to be at a camp for girls who look like me. Some girls were like me, and some were different, but we all had one thing in common: We are all a part of the Hmong community.
I learned about Hmong symbols and their meanings: the heart, the ram’s horn, the mountain, the snail, the elephant footprint, and the house. I used a few of the Hmong symbols and my own patterns on my Batik cloth. Some words and sentences that we learned in Hmong included my family tree, numbers, colors, food, and self-introduction.
I loved playing Hmong Bingo and the Fly Swatter game It helped me learn Hmong a little more. I liked that someone reminded us about self-care and our mental health.
On the last day of camp, we had a bunch of fun stations. I got to make my own affirmation mirror, sew my own scrunchie, make my own Hmong hat, learn how to put on Hmong clothes, make air clay charms, and had an amazing photo shoot.
Abbey: The part I like most about camp was arts and craft about the Mai culture. The camp was challenging but fun! Something we did in camp that I enjoyed was Batik.
One of the campers plays a camp identifying colors in Hmong. She needs to hit the right color on the wall (photo Sarah Whiting)
Annabelle: The fun part of camp is that we learn about Hmong culture, and the games we played were…
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