For those who have never worked at a summer camp before, there are many questions to ask and ideas to consider about life at a summer camp, but at Camp Weequahic, returning staff can put all worries to rest about what it is like to work at the most special summer camp this world has to offer.
For starters, working at a summer camp is all about helping kids grow and become better individuals and one of the most rewarding aspects of working at camp is the ability to watch all sorts of talented kids grow and master what they love. More often than not, the staff returns to see the campers they have helped, anticipating all the potential within them for another summer at camp.
Along with the campers, all the staff members look forward to spending another summer with friends they have met from all over the world. Camp Weequahic nurtures friendships not just for campers, but for staff as well, and Camp Weequahic is a place that allows people to strengthen friendships with people from Australia, South Africa, England and any place imaginable.
Because of all the people staff members are able to work with, Camp Weequahic is the most positive working environment, everyone is happy to spend another day of the summer with their co-counselors and campers. It never really feels like work because you always have that much fun wherever and whatever you’re doing at Camp Weequahic. With all these positive elements of working at Camp Weequahic, it’s no wonder so many staff members return each summer to once again feel the magic of Camp Weequahic, a place that is truly worth the ten for two.
So, how do you finish that phrase? There are lots of options.
‘We lose’ is the most often used word for that line of thinking. It’s all about the result: it’s either ‘win’ or ‘lose’; there is no in-between.
As a camp director, I get to help some young people manage the ‘wecry’ reaction. And, yes, they get a lot better about it over the years. You would think it’s all boys but it’s not.
We even hear some people finish the sentence with ‘welaugh’. As a competitive person myself, I’m not a fan of that mentality. I certainly want laughter involved with competition – it is supposed to be joyful to play. But, if I don’t win, I’m not always going to laugh.
Weequahic’s Answer
You may have other ideas on what should finish the sentence. To us at Weequahic, the best way to finish ‘We either win or…’ phrase is this: we learn.
Thomas Edison famously said ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work.’ We all see a great deal better for his persistence in learning. Failure to learn from the situation is the truest failure because it dooms us to repeat the same mistakes over and over.
Now, just because we decide (and, yes, it is a decision) to approach winning or learning in this manner doesn’t mean the lessons won’t be uncomfortable or, at times, painful.
We’ve learned a lot over the past decade of running Weequahic and have changed everything from the menu to the snacks to how we do our programming and more. Some of that learning has been joyful but a lot of it challenging. But, I believe we are a better camp for those lessons. And, I know our campers are better off for this mentality, too.
As we approach a new school year, our campers will have many opportunities to either win or learn. (Hopefully, they will learn in both situations!) Our hope is that they’ll work hard to either win or learn in every opportunity they find.
Good luck to everyone at school this year. We can’t wait to see you back at Weequahic for Summer ’18!
As a parent, I find myself falling into the trap of wanting my kids to “grow up” too quickly. In my more impatient moments, I find myself thinking, “Why can’t they make/do/think/etc. like I can?” Why can’t they grow up?
And then I see one of the greatest coaches of all time talk about the importance of attitude and joy and the consequences of college kids acting like 12 year olds.
Which reminds me – my boys are young! And, while I’ve taught them what it means to make good decisions, treat others kind, be thoughtful of others feelings, know and how to stand up for what’s important, they are still kids and they are supposed to make mistakes.
They aren’t grown ups and that’s a good thing. A very sweet story from Fredrik Backman illustrates this point beautifully:
“Tell me about school, Noahnoah,” Grandpa asks.
He always wants to know everything about school, but not like other adults who want to know if Noah is behaving. Grandpa wants to know if the school is behaving. It hardly ever is.
“Our teacher made us write a story about what we want to be when we’re big,” Noah tells him.
“What did you write?”
“I wrote that I wanted to concentrate on being little first.”
I like that. And, it helps me explain the gift of camp. We want our kids to concentrate on being kids before anything else. They’ll grow up soon enough and we’ll have done our part in equipping them for that growth.
But what does that mean? At Weequahic, we think it means:
Play
Our campers get to play. They turn off, unplug, and engage with other kids who want to do the same. The get to explore with no expectations other than their safety, adventure without knowing the end result, and laugh without a care.
This leads to….
Experiential Learning
These big words really just means ‘figuring things out.’ You get your hands dirty. You sweat. You get confused and then break it apart and try again. Then, you figure it out and that knowledge is yours… forever. And, it not just about doing things – its about emotions and handling missing home and everything else. (This is where independence starts to blossom.)
This is helps and is helped by….
Making new friends
The more our campers get excited about something, the more likely they are to get connected with kids doing the same thing – they want to learn together. They want to build community. They want to reach out and trust and explore with others who feel the same. PLUS, they are surrounded by mentors excited to guide, prod, and team along the way.
This leads to….
Building Courage
Here’s the thing we don’t realize all the time: Courage is a muscle that is built with use. It’s not about being ‘unafraid.’ Being uncomfortable is the only time we can practice courage. And, the more friends/support we have around us, the easier it is to build those courage muscles.
Higher levels of personal courage allows us to be a peace with ourselves, more comfortable in our own skin.
This leads to…
Practicing Gratitude
It’s pretty simple: grateful people are happier people. And, it actually takes some courage to express gratitude since it might make you feel awkward the first time or two you do it. It takes even more courage to live by those grateful words. But the more we do, the more we get to experience….
Wonder and Joy
This is the final step in that ‘what do we campers out of camp’ chain. If they’ve played, learned without knowing it, made some friends, built their courage, and started practicing a grateful outlook, the are MUCH more likely to live with wonder and joy.
So, are these 21st Century Skills? Well, I think they are. We’ll still need to be able to cook our meals, change a tire, etc. But, with the rise of automation and technology, we’ll need to prepare our kids to become adults with these important skills. And, to me, camp is a great place to get them rolling.
Can’t wait to get everyone to camp! With GAC, Cole
