Two Girl Scout summer day camps focused on Hmong culture for girls of Hmong descent, Mai Time and Me Mai. Participants made crafts using batik and cross-stitch techniques, participated in Hmong language learning activities, and—for older girls—took a field trip to a Hmong village in Saint Paul. Our photographer visited and we collected the girls’ perspectives to share with them.

Jade Her shows her batik. Behind her (from left to right) are 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 at a camp for Hmong girls. I was excited to be at a camp for girls who looked like me. Some girls were like me, some were different, but we all had one thing in common: we are all 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 some of the Hmong symbols and my own patterns on my batik fabric. Some words and phrases 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 better. I liked that someone reminded us about self-care and our mental health.

On the last day of camp we had a lot of fun stations. I got to make my own affirmation mirror, sew my own hair tie, make my own Hmong hat, learn how to put on Hmong clothing, make amulets out of air clay and had an amazing photo shoot.

Abbey: My favorite part of camp was the crafts about Mai culture. The camp was challenging but fun! One thing we did at camp that I enjoyed was batik.

One of the camp participants plays a camp in which she recognizes colors in Hmong. She has to choose the right color on the wall (Photo: Sarah Whiting)

Annabelle: The fun thing about camp is that we learn about Hmong culture. And the games we played were fun. I liked that we also learn about mental health. Something new I learned was Paj Ntaub (traditional cross stitch pattern).

Caroline: I like the camp because I was able to learn Hmong and spend time with my teachers and friends. What I enjoyed most about the camp was learning the language and playing games.

Kaylen: New things I learned at camp were batik and paj ntaub. I enjoyed learning about Hmong and trying Hmong activities, playing games and making new friends. The challenging part of camp was speaking in Hmong.

One of the games played at camp (Photo: Sarah Whiting)

Olivia: My favorite part of camp was all the fun games we played. One new thing I learned was how to introduce myself in Hmong. It was fun, but I was a little embarrassed to say that because I’m still learning.

Paige: I think everyone should come and try the delicious food and learn Hmong. Learning was fun because we could play games while learning. My favorite game was Hmong bingo.

Scarlett: My favorite parts were eating lots of delicious Hmong food, learning how to play “Dhia Yas” (Hmong jump rope), and learning more Hmong.

Campers compete to guess the correct color called out in Hmong (Photo: Sarah Whiting)

Jade: I liked that we used games to learn the language, work together, and get to know other Hmong children. Something new I learned is batik. This is a great introductory class to learn about Hmong culture and language.

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