This week was the first official week of summer camp for SON Ministries; a week full of surprises, old and new faces, and adjustments. During our fellow meeting at the Columbus Foundation this week, I learned lessons from social profit leaders that perfectly align with the challenges and successes of the first week of camp. One thing that kept coming to mind, though, was the metaphor of looking at every child as a gold mine.

During our fellow meeting, we discussed the potential within each human being and the ability we have to help others reach their full potential. When I think of this potential, I think of gold; something that is highly valued and something that’s always in high demand. Within a child, the gold is there, just waiting to be mined. However, while everybody wants gold, few take the risk to mine it. It can be a dirty job – one that is tiresome, challenging, and maybe sometimes defeat. I’ve never personally mined gold, but I’ve worked with children and can say that sometimes it can be the same. But, the feeling you have when you see a child reach their full potential far outweighs any challenges you may have faced. When you see this, you know you have truly struck gold. Only a few days into camp, I’ve already seen many of my peers strike gold. Maybe it was forming a relationship with a shy child and encouraging them to express themselves in whatever way they feel comfortable. Or, maybe it was encouraging a teen intern to try out for the basketball team. Whatever that gold may be,we can only do our best to find it and help bring it out in the children we serve.

In only a short time, I’ve already seen so much potential. Something that Dr. Lomax said in our fellow meeting made me think about how we view potential and power. It is not our job to give people power or potential – they already have it. It is simply are job to show someone that these things are already within them, as cliche as it may sound. Like gold, potential and power are already there, ready to be mined and refined.