 Camp postcard is kind of a secret camp a lot of these kids. It's the first time they've been at camp I've never been horseback riding. This is all different for them. I'm scared. I think there's gonna be a lot of surprises It's still a little difficult dealing with 11 12 year olds running around trying to wrangle them in They just want to be kids This is the undercover side of what we do We get a whole bunch of kids From the neighborhoods that we work in And we bring them up here for a week The kids have no idea what we do and where we do it. That's beautiful. This whole week where they're counselors Griffin's ready. We're rooming with them We're eating with them doing everything with them. There's a lot of happy people, you know In a week's time you really develop a connection with some of these kids I know me too. Anybody who's worked with kids knows they teach you way more than you will ever teach them It's important that every kid has opportunity I'm actually glad to be a part of the camp. We managed to put life lessons in everything that we do here It's not what someone calls you is what you answer to what you believe you are. It's a one-in-a-lifetime experience Sunday morning the campers all arrive at a central location in Denver excited like scared Nervous big old smile for me. Excellent. I think for many people. This is the first time They're saying goodbye to their kiddo for a week So the parents wave goodbye and that excitement travels on to the bus They're singing songs Talking about what they think's gonna happen at camp And just having a good time riding on a bus I think going to camp will be awesome. We get to explore nature I've never been hiking. It's gonna be fun. Once you first get here, you don't want to be here They get off the bus and their faces. They don't know what to expect They're a little apprehensive Angelica. Some kids that all they want to do is go home. Charlotte and Queen. Some of these kids have never been out of the city They don't know what the mountains are. They've never been past city limits They're not got Papancho. A lot of them are immigrants first-generation You guys have any problem with anything that you might need just come to me no matter what it is Some of them English is not their first language Some of these kids have seen life more than you would have ever thought is possible for that age We're gonna get this stuff sorted out and then we're gonna go have lunch. All right, you guys ready? Everyone has water We don't know what they have going on at home what difficulties they might be overcoming Some of these kids say that they haven't eaten this well in their entire life. What do you guys think about chicken so far? At 10 11 12, that's when you really start becoming who you are It's an age where we see that they might be in the middle road and then they choose to go Fear off completely. So this is a good opportunity for us to catch that So we're here in beautiful Estes Park Estes Park, Colorado And we're with volunteers of America at the YMCA of the Rockies. We are at Camp Postcard Who's got a top bunk? I call top bunk. We have 71 inner city kids This is our room guys Between ages 11 and 13 They come from some of the poverty-stricken areas A lot of them have had you know trouble past your parents are relying on us to keep you safe They don't have the resources the family doesn't have the money to send them to a place like this. This is my first time I was playing with Since expensive This is a program that fully funded by the volunteers of America The camp is a hundred percent paid for for the kids Without having camp postcard they would have not had the opportunity for a summer camp Some people have never been on a horse before So they're just trying something new that they haven't done before the main goal and purpose of the camp They're nice animals is to give kids an experience that they have never had if you're to go right Pull home up to the right give them an opportunity to get out in nature Let them see you know the trees and the woods a lot of them have never hiked before break time. I mean How can you beat this kind of smells like vanilla? This is just so cool up here. Hmm. You don't have the school groups. You don't have the school clicks Friendships can bloom as opposed to you're different than me. I can't talk to you Back when I came up if you're different you were singled out And so when I watched this group of kids the differences are embraced and it's teaching the older generation to embrace it as well All of us work together perfectly to make something. These are not you know by any means bad kids or anything like that These are really great kids a lot of talented kids. I mean very smart kids We got a shower we've got a brush or teeth. Well, I mess around in here for a little bit until 10 My head hurts because I'm laughing too much And then we'll go to sleep good night ladies Can't postcard the acronym stands for police officers striving to create and reinforce dreams unbeknownst to them Their counselors are police officers from Aurora in Denver undercover police officers as you can see and we work Alongside the kids just like camp counselors They do not know that we are officers and will not know until the night of graduation Is anybody liking any of those ideas so far? It's hard to keep this under wraps for a whole week We're going a different way back. We're a bunch of cops and you know, we look and talk and act a little bit different Some of the kids have asked us what do you do and that's a big question. What do you do? Hey, Dan, what do you do? I can't say well, I'm a cop. I think they think I'm in the military or something They think that I'm a school counselor. They asked me what school I worked at We tell them that we're here to volunteer to help them get through this program Remember we have a bad big mountain climb right there. It's basically this We're trying to bridge that gap between police officers and the community and this is one way to do it the reason why we don't tell them right up front is we want them to build those Relationships and to get to see the officers not only as counselors, but as people, you know, they don't know us That they don't understand that we're real people. They have a lot of distrust for the police We are just a uniform with a badge. I'm not trying to get killed. I kind of get it I'm used to them. Half of my family's afraid because of getting killed. A lot of them are kids that maybe have had Interaction with police that maybe wasn't such a positive experience They may see us having to take a mother or a father or a loved one out of the home They're seeing a lot of different things on social media on the news Sometimes they're questioning if police officers really are good people because I'm a cop. I'm a racist or because I'm a cop I'm heavy-handed. I'm gonna go beat people or I'm gonna shoot people It's just a lot of labels put on us and if the kids are able to get to know us Before that label can be attached to us then when they find out who we are They already know what we're like. They already know what our ethics are They know what our morals are and they know what we are in the core They need to see that we are human just like any other human beings on earth We come in all color sizes from all different backgrounds. We don't want the uniform to be a barrier between us It shows them that there's a person behind the band You get it! I have Jeff It's welcome back to you Deidre Let's do this Oh he dropped it Kyle I'm late Mike Those kids wore me out Galen Avatar Summer You're out Dan There's one on the ground Lauren Lisa Dar Jennifer Monica Alright guys, you ready? PC Yeah! And Miss Val We're a work path! They've been really good They're awesome Jeff always makes us laugh They like to do a lot of activities with you They taught us life skills They're really fun They've been really nice They care so much about us And they actually like to listen to your ideas The work that we put into this program Is one of the hardest job I have ever done In my 23 year career in law enforcement Oh God Thursday, it makes it all worth it I'm a little anxious I'm a little excited The police officers are secretly going And getting in their uniforms We've been hiding our uniforms in the truck We're going to come in and surprise the kids And let the cat out of the bag That we're all cops They've been living and playing with police officers All week I'm a big surprise I'm a little nervous I don't know how the kids are going to react I don't think they have any idea I feel like a little kid, you know So we'll line up a little bit back there And I'll always give the preparatory We'll actually march in And formation behind the kids Everybody can hear the footsteps And try to look out You know what's going on What's going on It's the Popo! Chief me That's the job! What? What? Get up out of the chair Oh my God, these counselors Have been hanging out with These are police officers It was such a powerful moment To see the kids' eyes lit up That all this time They've been, you know, sharing a room With a police officer Every eye was teary It was a moving emotional experience We each got up and talked about Each kid individually That we had in our small group This is Jonathan, he's a little shy I have never seen this young lady Not able to go into a room And find a friend I saw him putting his arm Around another camper Who was struggling Tamias has a heart of gold He really does And that's how he is A true natural leader She has an inner strength That shines through interactions During camp he really came out of his shell He was giving me that strength I needed While I was away from my family We grew to trust each other And what we did It was honor being your counselor It was honor getting to know Each and every one of you You're gonna do great things in life And I thank you for being One of my campers Thank you for being an awesome camper Thank you for being my camper Thank you, man Thank you We made it, buddy I'm sorry I made it Ready? One Surprising I was in shock I was like We were sleeping with cops I was kind of shocked This has got to be fake I thought they were actual police officers The reason I did this Is I was one of these kids Growing up My dad was in trouble We were afraid of the police Because we didn't understand Why, you know, they would take it away And I saw that happen a lot And I knew that They were doing a job My dad made mistakes To be on the flip side And be able to be In my shoes Is an awesome experience I'm sort of like A little bit creeped out When I see police officers The cops are out to get us So we try to stay our best They come in We're thinking that They're like teachers They're something And out of nowhere There's cops here all along Trying to help us You guys are surprised, though? They still feel the same way It's just that We know a bit more about them It's easy for me to say that Now it shows that Police officers are out there To help us Under all the uniform They're still the same person Like us I feel like They're close to my heart You're a good kid It's funny, okay? There wasn't just Cancellors They're a family I know it was like Five days or something But it really means something I know It makes me want to Do what they do As a living too Just so I can give it to kids That don't have that experience And I can help them I hope that When they are back home Playing with other friends On the street They see a police officer They remember back to camp And they say They're people like us I had a lot of fun With a whole bunch of police Officers When I was away at camp It would be good When they leave on that bus And they give you a hug And they've got tears in their eyes And they genuinely are saying They're going to miss you That's what it's all about