Brothers Jaydis and Nazyis: Growing Up at the Y
Amanda Zielinski, of Methuen, has seen her two sons grow, learn, make friends, and build strong relationships with caring adults in YMCA programs for nearly a decade.
Jaydis, 15, and Nazyis, 14, enrolled in child care at the Lawrence YMCA when they were in fourth and second grade, respectively. Finding a child care center that supported the boys and understood their needs created a foundation for the teens to become young leaders thriving in Y programs.
Amanda credits the Lawrence Y staff for their leadership and mentorship of her sons.
“Staff members have become a part of our family and we communicate often on milestones, check-ins, holidays and just simple hellos,” Amanda said. “Nazyis’s growth and Jaydis’s confidence are due to these wonderful individuals.”
As Jaydis and Nazyis grew older, the Y staff found ways to keep them engaged and active in teen development programs.
“From the beginning of afterschool care, the Y staff helped show Nazyis how to verbalize his feelings versus reacting negatively. This helped him grow. We always had the Y staff on our side; no one ever gave up on helping Nazyis.”
Jaydis was invited to participate in Core Four, the Y’s 3-day youth leadership summit held at Camp Lawrence on Lake Winnipesaukee. It was this experience that led Jaydis to learn more about attending Camp Lawrence the following summer.
“On his own, he learned about registering for camp, reached out to the camp director, and asked if he could come back to experience all that camp had to offer,” Amanda said.
Jaydis has attended every summer since. At the end of last summer, he was asked to apply to become a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) at Camp Lawrence.
The CIT program bridges the gap for teens who age out of traditional camp, but are also too young to become fulltime staff. At age 15, campers are invited to apply. The Y selects 24 campers—12 for Camp Lawrence and 12 for Camp Nokomis—for a three-year program that takes them from CIT to Camp Staff when they are 18-years-old.
First-year CIT’s at Camp Lawrence receive training and leadership development while supporting camp programs and activities. Jaydis is proud that he was chosen to be a CIT from a group of nearly 50 applicants. “I love meeting a lot of people from different states in the U.S. and building connections with staff at camp,” said Jaydis. This fall, he will be entering his junior year at Methuen High School.
“When Jaydis got accepted as a CIT his jaw dropped. He was speechless. He was very excited that he got picked. He received a full scholarship to camp. We could not have afforded the CIT tuition. The experience and responsibilities that come along with being a CIT will be great for him,” Amanda said.
Younger brother Nazyis is also an avid Camp Lawrence camper. For the last two summers he has attended for two sessions (one month in total).
“I love making fast connections with counselors and other campers. Camp is a great place to be. I love snorkeling, basketball, riflery, and swimming,” said Nazyis. The first time he had swimming lessons was at camp. “I usually choose swimming when it’s free time,” he added.
Amanda is very appreciative of what the Y has offered her sons. “Showing the community the impact the Y can have on families helps us continue to support even more youth. The amount of opportunities we have received from the Y — it’s the least we can do to share our appreciation and tell our story. I do hope it will inspire other kids as well.”
