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YMCA Camp Flaming ArrowHunt, Texas
Febuary 5, 2013
http://www.ymcasatx.org/campflamingarrow
Bif, Annaliese, Bill, Becky, Stephanie, and Mary Ashley, we got a chance to meet and hang out with the whole crew at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow. Bif is an incredibly insightful and passionate Camp Director, this past summer was his first summer at Camp Flaming Arrow. We could tell his philosophy on how to change culture came from someone who has been to many camps and seen culture shifts from many angles. He had an awesome quote, “ Old Camps are like old girlfriends, your current camp doesn’t want to hear about them.” Jack and I cracked up and nodded along with the obvious truth of that statement. Bif has a refreshing way of managing staff as well, we enjoyed walking around, viewing the cabins and the places where the magic takes place, but talking to Bif gave us so much more insight into where the real magic lies during the summer. The relationships that are formed at camp are the real magic. Relationships that are necessary all the way up the chain of command. Both Bif and Bill (the Executive Director) have offices filled with couches and chairs in an effort to make the space a place for gathering, talking and sharing. We felt so loved and apart of the family at Camp Flaming Arrow. We helped pull apart and move some bunks, went out to lunch and dinner with the whole crew and got to go on a trail ride with their horses! As if that wasn’t enough Bif invited us over for a porch talk. Porch talks he says are an integral part of camp culture, an open opportunity for counselors to make the most out of camp. We took the opportunity to practice our talk for national in front of our new friends. Bif and Annaliese’s feedback and confidence in us will surely help to hold us up next week at the National ACA conference in Dallas!
-Laura