Campfire Conversation

Maya Angelou said "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." This is certainly true for summer camp as well as the rest of the world. Briana Mitchell, the Director of AF Camp and co-founder of S'more Melanin (and a long time camper) describes how we can use summer camp to bring that strength of diversity to light.

Gina Greenlee said "Experience is a master teacher, even when it's not our own." Dayna Hardin, Owner/Director of Lake of the Woods and Greenwoods camps in Michigan welcomed campers and staff for Summer 2020. She's around the campfire tonight to share what she learned and describe the very hopeful path forward to an amazing summer 2021 for us all.

After months of COVID lockdowns and social distancing, our kids (and parents!) need summer camp like no other time in recent memory. And, while we are all excited about heading to camp, we've got to be honest about the rise in anxiety and intentional on how we handle it. Mental Health Counselor and summer camp veteran Rikki Goldenberg is around the campfire to help.

The idea behind this podcast is to shine a light on those lessons learned at summer camp and figure out how we can apply them in our lives going forward. I hope you'll enjoy what you hear and put these ideas to work in your life back home.

From the outside looking in, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought summer camp was a pretty insular place. The camp spirit at each camp is very high. The traditions are unique. The staff are fully engaged with how we do it. In fact, you'll often hear new staff members say 'Well, at my camp, we used to….'

While each summer camp certainly has many reasons for their kids and staff to think only about themselves, every great camp I know helps to develop generosity, altruism and servant leadership among their campers and staff members.

During these hard times in the US and around the world, I thought it would be fun to explore how camp has helped one young person reach out and give back to his community. JT Richman is a rising 8th grader from NY, a great big brother to Robbie and Viv, and a fantastic example of someone who, because of camp, wants to give back.

Cole spends some time around the campfire talking about what it's been like being a Camp Director in the time of a pandemic.

We all know the power of camp: the fun, activities we have a hard time re-creating at home, and the joy of learning something new. While many camps have closed for this summer, Happy Camper Live has become a great way to keep the spirit of camp going for kids all across the country. Join me, Allison Miller and Steve Slavkin to learn how we can literally bring camp home this summer.

After chatting with the moms last week, it's time for the dads to get into the action this week. Tune in as we assemble the "Council of Dads" to talk about how summer camp makes better Dads.

Camp teaches a lot of great lessons to kids and staff. And, it teaches us parents as well. I thought it would be fun and instructive to find out how camp has shaped the parenting styles of three great moms with whom I've had the pleasure of working for many years.

Summer camp serves as a launching point for so many people. Thankfully, it's helped a large number of staff and campers alike become professional helpers as mentors and teachers. LaDarrius Calvin, Vice President of Boy II Men in Indianapolis, IN, spends some time talking about the magic of summer camp the power of mentorship.

Summer camp serves as a launching point for so many people. Thankfully, it's helped a large number of staff and campers alike become professional helpers as mentors and teachers. LaDarrius Calvin, Vice President of Boy II Men in Indianapolis, IN, spends some time talking about the magic of summer camp the power of mentorship.