A Holistic Guide for Building Camp Communities
Now is the time for camp.
The magic of bringing people together at camp will be greater than it ever has before. The songs will be louder; the skits will be funnier; the dining hall will be messier; the cheers will be longer; and the bonds will be stronger. Camp is a magical place not because of its physical space, but because of the people who make up our treasured camp communities. We are a strong and resilient community of storytellers, leaders, travelers, pioneers, and trailblazers. This summer may be the first time you will step foot on your campgrounds in over two years. This may be the first time you have seen your camp counselors and campers in person if you all kept in touch with an online summer camp and some virtual Zoom hangouts. It has been a long few years for our camp community. Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a loved one from this deadly virus. We are a community built on the strength of each other’s empathy and grace, and camp was no stranger to the effects of this pandemic. Some of us postponed our sessions, some of us transitioned to an online summer camp, and some of us had to cancel our entire season altogether. The emotional, spiritual, and financial hardships of this past year were incredibly challenging. We know that the impact of the novel coronavirus will not magically disappear overnight, but we can begin to build back our camp lives and create a foundation to heal the loss of this past year.
Regardless of how much time has past, you will want to develop a stronger-than-ever counselor training program to help those rusty leaders get back on their feet. We know the first day of camp is going to be filled with more anxiety than ever before, so make sure you have an inventory of games and icebreakers ready to go. This is also a time for celebration, so be sure to prepare a celebratory camp session theme and some meal themes as well.
This is your home for any camp resource you need. From skit ideas to camp songs, we have a vast library of old and new information to make your camp session the best one yet. Need the lyrics to the “yeah, toast” song or the directions for jigalow? We’ve got you covered.