Campfire Conversation

While there are a lot of pieces to a 'great summer camp' puzzle, summer staff is the biggest and most important one. For many camps, international staff members who come through the J1Visa cultural exchange program are essential to their staffing puzzle. Ivy Cohen, head of Camp Leaders, is around the campfire to explain the importance of these great people to camps across the US.

When we last left you, summer camp staff orientation was about to start and the campers were not far behind. It's been a few months now since we dosed the last campfire of the summer and caught our collective breath. Camp was amazing and challenging and fantastic and tiring – more so than any summer before. And, it was the most important summer in the history of our industry. Here's a short conversation from the two of us as we learn from this past summer and prepare for an even better Summer '22.

Wow - What a year! Tonight's final campfire of this season is about both remembering and looking forward. We hope this fun "wrap up" conversation leaves you looking forward to more Campfire Conversations this fall. Have a safe and happy summer!

Want to know what it's like growing up at camp, leaving camp, and coming back? Want to know what it's been like to be a camp director preparing for the most important summer of our lives? My friend Adam Baker, Director of Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge, is around the campfire tonight and will give you all the details. Enjoy!

We are all coming out of a very tough time with Covid and political strife and so much more. However, it's time to move from despair to HOPE. No one I know thinks more deeply about this move than John Hamilton, the Director of Camp Hope America. It's hope-full people who change themselves and the world around them in positive ways. John will tell you how it gets done. Pull up a log and have a listen!

We are lucky when we get to learn from legends, even more so when they are our parents. My friends, Ross Moskowitz of Camp Westmont and Matt Stoltz of Island Lake Camp share many of the lessons learned from Mike and Bev and Fred and Minna. There are some very important lessons for parents (and children!) in this conversation. Enjoy! ‌

Health Care at summer camp is very much in the limelight these days. (Frankly, it always should be!) Tracey Gaslin, the Executive Director of the Association of Camp Nursing, is around the campfire talking about how parents, Health Center staff, and camp directors can best work together to make Summer 2021 a happy and healthy success.

Sometimes‌ ‌it's‌ ‌easier‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌the‌ ‌impact‌ ‌of‌ ‌something‌ ‌when‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌further‌ ‌away.‌ ‌

We‌ ‌all‌ ‌know‌ ‌summer‌ ‌camp‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌gift‌ ‌for‌ ‌children.‌ ‌This‌ ‌is‌ ‌especially‌ ‌so‌ ‌for‌ ‌those‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌poorest,‌ ‌

most‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌situations.‌ ‌Global‌ ‌Camps‌ ‌Africa's‌ ‌Executive‌ ‌Director,‌ ‌Emily‌ ‌Crowder,‌ ‌is‌ ‌around‌ ‌

the‌ ‌campfire‌ ‌talking‌ ‌about‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌good‌ ‌being‌ ‌done‌ ‌in‌ ‌South‌ ‌Africa‌ ‌by‌ ‌people‌ ‌who‌ ‌love‌ ‌summer‌ ‌

camp‌ ‌and‌ ‌kids.‌ ‌Make‌ ‌sure‌ ‌to‌ ‌check‌ ‌out‌ ‌their‌ ‌upcoming‌ ‌‌Global‌ ‌Gathering‌!‌ ‌

We've all lost a step in the 'joy' department. The lockdowns and the past year has been tough for everyone. It's time to unclench our hands and open up. That's the only way to give and receive any gift… and especially the gift of camp. Camp owner and director Kate Kelly is around the campfire to talk about the important lessons of joy camp can offer up.

What would five decades of summer camp experience teach? What if those (ongoing) fruitful years included learning from and visiting camps not only around your own but around the world? John (Jorgi) Jorgenson, Camp Director at Camp Tawingo and the Head of the International Camping Fellowship spends some time around the campfire to chat. Pull up a log and sit a while - it'll be well worth your time!