Teen Retreat 2020 Explores Nashville, Tennessee

For Teen Retreat this year, Hemophilia of Georgia staff, volunteers, and teens explored the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Throughout the weekend, our group of 46 traveled to museums to learn about the culture and history of the music city. We relaxed at the beautiful facilities at Camp Widjiwagan, and we celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by giving back to the community through a service project.  

When we arrived in Nashville on Saturday afternoon, our first stop was the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. As a group, we sorted, packaged, and prepared food to be distributed to communities across middle Tennessee. In this region, more than 350,000 people are food insecure. That’s one out of every six people. In just two hours, our group was able to package 2,882 meals by sorting 3,458 pounds of food. These meals will be distributed to families within 46 counties in Tennessee. Not only was the project rewarding, but it was fast-paced and a fun way to start the trip and get to know one another.

After our service project, we drove down the road to Laser Quest, where we darted through a black-lit, multi-level arena designed for a high-tech game of hide and seek. We split up into two groups and tried to tag the most people to win the game. After getting our bodies moving and our hearts pumping, we relaxed with some arcade games, billiards, and snacks.

When we arrived at Camp Widjiwagan on Saturday, it was a beautiful night. After dinner, our volunteers took the teens to play basketball and other outdoor games in the field. By 10 p.m., we were ready to relax and prepare for our next day in the city.

On Sunday morning after breakfast, we gathered for an educational session. Deniece Chevannes, HoG director of health promotion and evaluation, and some of our volunteers facilitated a two-hour educational session for the teens. This session focused on skills related to transitioning from a teenager to an adult. The activities included learning new exercises for joint health, understanding bleeding disorder genetics, working in teams, communicating with others, and thinking outside the box. There were a lot of puzzles to figure out, and the teens did amazing work.

After the educational session and lunch, we drove back into the city of Nashville. Our first stop was the Parthenon Museum where we had a guided tour through Nashville’s replica of the Greek Parthenon. The group was amazed by the 42-foot statue of Athena and the casts of original Greek sculptures. As we toured the museum, we learned about Greek mythology and ancient history. 

Our next stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame. At this museum, we were able to split up into smaller groups and explore the museum at our own pace. We were at the perfect place to discover the history, art, fashion, and all things country music. Some groups got together and sang songs in the recording studio while others created digital music in the sound lab.

After the museum, we stuck with the music theme and had dinner at BB King’s Blues Club. We dined on the southern fare and watched live local music. After dinner, we headed back to camp where we watched a movie, played board games, and got ready for our final day in Nashville.

Our last stop in Nashville on Monday morning was the Belmont Mansion. We were guided by staff throughout the historical Italian Villa house where we learned about the family who once lived inside, their experience during the Civil War, and architecture and art during that time. Much of the furniture and many of the statues and artwork were originals from the 1800s.

Learning about the history and culture of Nashville was an unforgettable experience. Listening to live music, hanging out with each other, and playing games were some of the teens’ favorite activities. It was great getting to know the teens more, and we are so appreciative of our amazing volunteers who helped make Teen Retreat possible. We cannot wait to see our teens and volunteers again!