Happy Canada Day at Camp Brébeuf Public Speaking
The sun was proudly shining, as we drove to Camp Brébeuf on this beautiful glorious Canada Day morning. I was excited to be presenting to high school students on Leadership Camp week. My longtime good friend, Luc Dupuy, Outdoor Education Programmer / Camp Counsellor and Trainer recommended me to his team, to speak on the subject of Relationship with Self. Upon review of my Public Speaking proposal, Ms. Moncrieffe, Summer Camp Director, and Ms. Morkunas, Assistant Summer Camp Director, agreed that I would be a welcomed Guest Speaker on this subject, so they graciously invited me to present, on this most auspicious of all days for all Canadians.
Once we turned onto Brébeuf Path, we slowly drove up the long country road. We passed a silver canoe, along the side of the road, which was beautifully botanically filled with colourful flowers, and to the left of it, was a bright orange lovingly hand-crafted Camp Brébeuf sign. As we entered the main grounds, we slowly drove in, passed the basketball courts, through the gates and we parked right beside the Hunter Dining Hall, as designated.
Upon arriving, Luc Dupuy walked over from the main office to warmly and happily greet and welcome me. I was absolutely delighted to see him. He showed us into the dining hall, where many campers were sitting at the tables, sharing friendly smiles and socializing amongst themselves.
Luc showed us the wall mounted television over the fireplace, which could easily connect the laptop via the HDMI cable. Although we brought all our equipment: projector and screen, this seemed like the optimal choice. As we set up, Luc was always on hand to assist as needed. Wesley, a fellow Camp counsellor, came by to see me and welcomed me as well.
Although, we had arrived an hour before I was scheduled to start my presentation, it appeared the itinerary was ahead of schedule.
Wesley provided an informative summation on the topic of the day, “Relationship with Self” followed by a humourous short skit, where all the camp counsellors engaged, to highlight the significance and importance of knowing ourselves.
Following the skit, Luc Dupuy, provided a heartfelt introduction, describing me as one of his oldest and best friends, with whom he went to school and was now pleased to introduce me as a public speaker. I was humbled and honoured.
After such a wonderful introduction, I was unable to start right away as some minor items required to be tweaked and tested before starting my public speaking presentation.
Minutes later, I commenced my presentation to an attentive audience.
After my presentation, I happily answered questions from the campers.
Once the question period concluded, Wesley thanked me for my presentation. The campers took a few extra minutes to complete their Exit Tickets, before departing to their next scheduled activity.
Below are excerpts from some of the campers’ Exit Tickets:
Today I heard/saw… “a public speaker share the challenges she has faced / faces in her life”
This made me think… “about the struggles / challenges I have faced & how I overcame them”
Now, I wonder… “how I can use my experience to grow, & build a stronger relationship with myself and others”
Today I heard/saw… “If you have a good relationship with yourself you can accomplish more and are able to face any changes.”
This made me think… “That with supportive family and friends you can believe in yourself and always do what you want no matter who you are.”
Now, I wonder… “How to build up so much self relationship.”
Today I heard/saw… “to always value and believe in yourself and to never give up.”
This made me think… “That even when times are hard, I just have to keep pushing through”
Now, I wonder… “how I view the world differently.”
Today I heard/saw… “everyone has value”
This made me think… “good”
Now, I wonder… “what my purpose is”
Today I heard/saw… “you can overcome anything with help from your friends and a positive mindset.”
This made me think… “Am I ready to take on bigger challenges”
Now, I wonder… “would my friends help and guide me through these challenges?”
Today I heard/saw… “Someone who has overcome all their roadblocks.”
This made me think… “That you can do anything no matter how hard, all you need is positivity”
Now, I wonder… “how can I learn to love myself and others more?”
Today I heard/saw… “A good relationship with yourself and others is a healthy life”
This made me think… “everyone is special in their own way and you are always loved by someone”
Now, I wonder… “How everyone else thinks of this and their opinions and how they feel. What is another person’s opinion on this?”
Today I heard/saw… “that your outlook can change the outcome of a situation.”
This made me think… “that some situations may not be as bad as we think they are.”
Now, I wonder… “how I can change my outlook to be similar to this”
Today I heard/saw… “That Giselle’s challenges empower her.”
This made me think… “I can do anything!”
Now, I wonder… “How Giselle does it”
Today I heard/saw… “Giselle’s challenges empower her”
This made me think… “I should be happy with myself”
Now, I wonder… “how life is challenging and struggling”
Today I heard/saw… “Giselle shares a meaningful presentation where she shared how to overcome difficulties.”
This made me think… “about what I would do in this situation if I were her.”
Now, I wonder… “how I can act like Giselle in my daily life.”
Today I heard/saw… “that Giselle is someone who stops at nothing”
This made me think… “about how powerful a person can be”
Now, I wonder… “How does Giselle communicate”
Today I heard/saw… “A strong & beautiful woman talk about how she got through all the difficulties in her life”
This made me think… “She has a lot of caring people in her life that help her”
Now, I wonder… “nothing”
Today I heard/saw… “I need to learn to love myself before I can have a healthy relationship with others”
This made me think… “About my relationships with friends & family”
Now, I wonder… “how I can improve on loving myself”
Today I heard/saw… “That no matter how many challenges we have, we have to keep going / trying.”
This made me think… “How do I deal with my challenges.”
Now, I wonder… “What can I do to improve with how I deal with challenges”
Today I heard/saw… “that Giselle has a great relationship with herself and others.”
This made me think… “about how important it is to have a healthy relationship with yourself.”
Now, I wonder… “How do I maintain a healthy relationship with myself?”
Today I heard/saw… “Giselle’s daily struggles yet her strong heart powers through”
This made me think… “How she still keeps a well and kind spirit despite her disabilities”
Now, I wonder… “I shouldn’t take what I have for granted”
Today I heard/saw… “that if you have any disabilities, you don’t have to lose hope / give up.”
This made me think… “how people take things for granted”
Now, I wonder… “can everyone find their true self?”
Today I heard/saw… “That she has learned how to cope with her problems”
This made me think… “that I can cope with my problems in the same way.”
Now, I wonder… “how do I start.”
Today I heard/saw… “ways to deal with, and overcome challenges we are given”
This made me think… “that all challenges are not as bad as they may seem, and it will get better”
Now, I wonder… “If I can use any of the challenges, I have been given to benefit others or myself”
Today I heard/saw… “how our challenges are truly a gift from God and can positively create a better relationship with our self”
This made me think… “that God has blessed me and I need to appreciate that more and I need a better relationship with myself”
Now, I wonder… “how and if I can integrate these strategies into my life to form a better relationship with myself”
Today I heard/saw… “That we all matter even those with disabilities because God created us all.”
This made me think… “how we should treat everyone equally because we’re all equal.”
Now, I wonder… “how I can show kindness towards everyone whether they have a disability or not.”
Today I heard/saw… “A person who is truly comfortable with who they are, and because of it have developed a strong and lasting relationship with others and God.”
This made me think… “How can I become more comfortable with myself and help others to do the same”
Now, I wonder… “How will my life and my relationships with others improve if I become more proud of who I am.”
Today I heard/saw… “Someone who loves themselves”
This made me think… “That I should love myself too”
Now, I wonder… “if everyone loved themselves, we would get bullied less”
Today I heard/saw… “The struggles that one has and how they can overcome them”
This made me think… “what are some of my struggles and how can I overcome them”
Now, I wonder… “How my peers cope with their struggles”
Today I heard/saw… “You need to love God and yourself before you can let yourself form relationships / friendships with others”
This made me think… “to do a self reflection once a week to evaluate my self relationship”
Now, I wonder… “if everyone did a self-evaluation would we be all more aware of the effect our words have on others”
Today I heard/saw… “You need to love yourself before you can love other people / relationships.”
This made me think… “how do you learn to love yourself and when do you know you’ve found your identity.”
Now, I wonder… “do I know who I am? Do I love myself?”
Today I heard/saw… “a girl who has overcome many challenges and maintains a positive attitude”
This made me think… “that you need to self reflect and love people unconditionally”
Now, I wonder… “do I know myself?”
Today I heard/saw… “That a girl with cerebral palsy and a hearing disability became an inspirational speaker”
This made me think… “That we must believe in ourselves so we can overcome our setbacks as she did”
Now, I wonder… “If I try my best to train and believe in myself maybe I could take my athletics to a new level”
Today I heard/saw… “a presentation given by a girl with CP. I heard about her story and how she overcomes obstacles.”
This made me think… “that if Giselle can handle such obstacles that I too can push through.”
Now, I wonder… “How I can apply her views to my life to create the same self-acceptance”
Today I heard/saw… “A speaker talk about increasing, strengthening, growing relationship with self.”
This made me think… “about challenges I have faced and how I overcame them, how I can do this better”
Now, I wonder… “How I can grow my relationship with myself.”
Today I heard/saw… “Someone who lives their life to the fullest and working through somethings”
This made me think… “that they have a purpose”
Now, I wonder… “what is my role in the world? What is my purpose?”
Today I heard/saw… “It’s only when you learn to love, respect yourself is when you can create a true relationship with yourself”
This made me think… “What type of challenges I can overcome when I have a stronger relationship and believe in myself more”
Now, I wonder… “When I overcome challenges will I be able to grow as a person?”
Today I heard/saw… “A very strong person who has overcome and achieved a lot in life because she seized the moment.”
This made me think… “that she is one of God’s strongest warriors because she never gave up.”
Now, I wonder… “how many people’s hearts will you teach by the time you retire?”
Today I heard/saw… “Giselle Gaylie’s Speech / presentation – A presentation about love, self-awareness etc.”
This made me think… “about self-worth and accepting challenges”
Now, I wonder… “What challenges can I help others with”
Today I heard/saw… “An inspirational public speaker who faces her own challenges but continues to inspire her audiences as a public speaker”
This made me think… “about how grateful I am to have relationships with others in love and support”
Now, I wonder… “how I can use what I learned today in my life and apply what Giselle talked about to my relationships.”
Today I heard/saw… “She is a very positive person and cares a lot about God and family as well as friends.”
This made me think… “about how much I love my family and friends”
Now, I wonder… “How to do self-reflection.”
I’m so glad some of the campers were inspired.
After my presentation, Luc promptly approached me and thanked me for it too. He shared how much he enjoyed it and how it resonated with the theme of the day. This morning’s public speaking presentation was a new one. It was completely inspired by the prescribed topic, “Relationship on Self”. I was just so pleased; it was so well received.
Before leaving the dining hall, Luc and Wesley, the gracious hosts, indulged me in some pictures. Luc thanked me before leaving and he kindly said good-bye, as he ran off to his next task and responsibility. Once Luc left, we finished packing up and loading the vehicle.
Before leaving the campground, Ms. Moncrieffe, Ms. Morkunas, and Ms. Williamson, administrative assistant / photographer, came out from the main office and we took some pictures together. They really appreciated my visit and my presentation to all the campers too. Ms. Williamson offered to share some of the memorable pictures, she took. (Some are enclosed below.)
It was certainly a wonderful opportunity this morning to appreciatively share with campers, counsellors and staff alike my public speaking engagement on Relationship with Self. All around, it was a glorious and memorable Canada Day morning at Camp Brébeuf, and I was happy to have been asked to be a Guest Speaker for their Leadership Camp week.
