Today on the show we’re talking with Gem, who has put together a great list of 5 camp -inspired small changes you can make in your family life that will improve your mental and physical health. She’s written a blog about this same topic. As we talk about in the show, there is research supporting the process of making these changes from the Gottman Institute. If you want more information on picking a theme for the year, this post has more information from Sunshine Parenting. Finally, you don’t have to take our word for it, the Greater Good Institute at Cal has this research on the impact getting outside has on your happiness.

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Today on the POG-Cast, we’re thrilled to welcome one of our favorite humans, the award winning Sis! Sis was a 4 year camper and just finished her 3rd year as a Group Counselor. She is also the winner of 2023’s Coach’s award. She and Soy chatted about homesickness, why she loves working with our youngest campers, and advice for new scared/excited campers (and counselors!)

You can  read the comments her peers wrote about Sis along with background on Coach’s Award here.

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We’re kicking off Season 6 of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast with an interview with a person who we believe has been around camp longer than anyone else, Manny Vezie’s daughter, Diana Bunney. This interview is also available on our YouTube as a video if you would prefer to watch it! Soy also promised a link if you’d like to send someone a WOW, so you can do that here! (it’s bit.ly/writeawow)

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We don’t have a patreon and so far Spotify hasn’t offered the POG-Cast an exclusive deal. We’ll never put our episodes behind a paywall, but we thought we should do what so many other podcasts do and share a bonus episode!

On this special episode of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast, Soy and Sunshine got rid of our usual format and just talked about camp and what makes camp special, with a focus on how our amazing counselors deliver that experience and what we as a camp want them to get out of the experience. (spoiler alert, our goals for counselors are NOT to Have Fun, Make Friends, and Grow – even if that does happen!)

We hope you enjoy this look behind the curtain and are looking forward to our format shift for the summer, when the POG-Cast becomes Whadda Week (and recaps the week at camp). We’ll be right back here, in your feed as soon as camp is in full swing again!

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Episode 70

In this episode, we’re joined from across the pond by Hilly, who is entering his third year on our staff. Hilly and Soy had a great chat about the benefits of camp (other than the weather) as well as a classic geometry-based Joke of the Cast. If you’d like to see Hilly, you can check out our Meet The Staff page and you can listen to his previous appearance on the POG here.

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Episode 69

On this episode of the podcast, we reunite two camp friends live on the POG-Cast! Spotlight and Penguin are two great friends who didn’t know each other (even though they are both long-time campers and Junior Counselors) before training week of 2021 when they became fast friends. We chat about making friends, GACting, Arts & Crafts, and their favorite Big Campfire memories. There’s also a great Dad Joke of the Cast!

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Episode 68.

Chai is a long-time GAC staff member. She’s met innumerable campers in her time leading backpacking trips and working in the wellness center. Now she’s getting to see camp through the eyes of her nieces who came to camp for the first time this summer. In honor of the Grammys there’s a musically themed joke of the cast from a very pleased Soy.

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Episode 67.

Our guest this time on the POG-Cast is a fan favorite: Mariachi. He started as an international camper, then was a Junior Counselor, and spent 2021 as a counselor at Rocks & Ropes. He and Soy have a wide-ranging conversation, discussing what it’s like to come to camp for the first time in another country to which Bear Trap counselor makes the best popcorn. If you are curious about coming to GAC from outside the US, this is a great episode. There’s also a Joke of the Day that Soy enjoyed more than he should have.

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Episode 66.

This time on the POG-Cast we have one of our long-time staffers. A former camper, a lover of baseball and fishing, a leader of the OLC, and a boat driver extraordinaire, Taz was a really fun chat and a great way for Soy to slide back into the POG-Cast for Season 5! Joke of the Cast is here to help brighten any day too!

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Episode 65

In the triumphant return of the interview-based POG-Cast, Sunshine sits down with sister and brother Squid and Foxtrot to discuss what it’s like to come to camp and also to work with your sibling. Squid and Foxtrot were just one of the 18 sets of siblings we had on our camp staff this summer.  You can see the other siblings at https://goldarrowcamp.com/gac-staff-siblings-2021/

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