YMCA Camp Ockanickon

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Camp OckanickonMedford, NJ

January 9, 2013

http://www.ycamp.org/home.php

Located outside of Philadelphia, this YMCA camp serves boys on one side of camp and girls on the other. The camps have different names and are pretty much separate except for the sanctioned pranks that spice up the summer. We met with Brent the director of boys camp. He has been working as the director here for 7 years and obviously has a really good handle on the culture here. He is decisive about what makes his camp stand out against others, and that is his staff. In his mind staff must respect the place and the community that make the summer camp experience a memorable one for the campers. These camps are both steeped in tradition, and we got to hear in depth the opening and closing ceremonies that welcome campers to the magic of camp as well as release them with hope and memories into the real world again.  Huge fires, Native America  costumes, the lighting of torches and lots of singing, what fun traditions for counselors to take part in and campers to marvel at. 

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Mason

 YMCA Camp Mason

January 8, 2013

Hardwick , NJ

http://campmason.org

While home for Holiday break in Rochester, Jack and I became stir crazy and contacted some of the camps that we had in our own North Eastern backyard. Dave Deluca at Camp Mason was excited about having us come down for the day and learn about his camp in South Jersey. Camp Mason is now 113 years old! Camp Mason has all of the classic accoutrements to provide a perfect summer experience. Rock wall, pool, garden, athletic fields and even a skateboard park! They have an awesome location that allows them to access the Appalachian trail and take trips to the Delaware river and they take full advantage of it. Dave the CEO and Executive director has been at Mason for 5 years. He comes from being the director of Beckett in Western Massachusetts and Camp Abnaki in Vermont. Dave knows Camp. He has an attitude of continuous improvement and shared with us some of his future dreams for Camp Mason. We were also lucky enough to meet Dave's wife, Lori and go out to dinner with them at an awesome Thai Food restaurant. The food was amazing and we got to learn so much about the Y and about Dave’s camping philosophy. He helped us understand that a director can often learn the most about camp while playing basketball with a group of campers and staff, something Dave tries to do everyday at camp.-Laura

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YMCA Camp Arroyo

 YMCA Camp Arroyo

Livermore, California

14 December, 2012

http://arroyo.ymcaeastbay.org/

Located in beautiful Livermore California, Arroyo is an awesome testament to how green technology can be incorporated in to every aspect of camp life. Camp Arroyo is owned by the local Parks department and operated by the YMCA of the East Bay. The Y runs outdoor education 9 months of the year and rent the facility to other organizations like the Taylor Fundation to run summer camp.  Like most outdoor education programs Arroyo stresses the idea of environmental friendly living by letting campers fall in love with nature as well as educating them on the effects of food waste ect, but at Arroyo that is only the beginning. Each camper is also exposed to science fiction like green construction. From the incredible straw bale construction of the dining hall to the solar heated radiant floors in each cabin and so much more walking around Camp Arroyo is a science lesson in an of it self complete with diagrams an descriptions of each feature. Truly an incredible learning environment for kids to get excited about keeping our planet healthy and happy while also having a great time.

-Jack

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YMCA Camp Ravencliff

YMCA Camp Ravencliff Redway California

13, December 2012

http://ravencliff.ymcaeastbay.org/

Camp Ravencliff is under the YMCA of The East Bay. We arrived at camp and were greeted by Kim the Care taker of camp. After recently having surgery on her knee she was unable to join us on our trek around camp but graciously gave us the keys so that we could do our own exploring. This camp is located between a river and a forest. The cabins were a barn red and the camp was covered in a mossy green blanket. We walked around the whole camp enjoying the peacefulness. Their chapel and campfire pit are nestled amongst giant redwoods. We particularly enjoyed the waterfront, a stony beach on the camp side and a steep and tall rock wall cliff on the other side of the river. We stopped back at Kim’s place to drop off the keys and say goodbye. She was surrounded by all sorts of birds, quails, songbirds, and a few wild turkeys! Jack and I stopped dead in our tracks and watched for a good ten minutes as the birds pecked at the cracked corn that Kim had laid out. Kim told us a bit of the history of camp and how it was first a native american settlement. The camps most striking feature is a massive rock that curves over the hillside from the cabins to the dinning hall. The rock is made of soft sandstone and has hundreds of campers and counselors names carved into it.(Before the rock was a native american archeological site of course.) Yet the names and the birds that were intermingled on the rock gave us with a sense of the peace and the memories that are treasured at this place.

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Silver Creek - YMCA Camp Greider

YMCA Camp Silver Creek - YMCA Camp Greider - Adventure Camp

Salem, Oregon

December 10, 2012

http://youry.org/camp/ymca-camp-silver-creek/

http://youry.org/camp/ymca-camp-greider/

We went to meet Nick at the Salem Family Y. He has a huge Santa beard and a huge Christmas heart. He sat with us in the office for a while as we swapped camp stories and career experiences. After he shared his career path with us we drove in the big YMCA van to the Greider Day Camp. It has everything a Day Camp in the woods could want including horses a pond and a garden. The coolest thing we learned about the program was how the counselors only have a skeletal outline of a schedule for the day and are encouraged to get excited about adventure trailblazing and to unite their kids on these self proclaimed missions. Basically fostering “ free range kids” a term that Nick shared with us. We then drove to Camp Silver Creek. Both of the camps are rented facilities and Camp Silver Creek especially has an old majestic feel to it. Part of a state park the cabins, dining hall and offices are all very old and rustic. In the middle of camp there is the famous Huckleberry bush. A meeting place for activities, this bush shelters many memories. From the midpoint boundary line during capture the flag games to a night time camp out spot under the stars, yet the best story we hear was how Nick married his wife in front of all of camp at the Huckleberry bush. A surprise to campers and counselors, the event was planned only with the trusty program director. After the event the campers joined in a chant for the newly weds in the lake!

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Collins

YMCA Camp CollinsGresham, Oregon December 7, 2012 http://ymcacw.org/locations/ymca-camp-collins/campcollins.html

We had heard a lot about Camp Collins. I think all the way back in Charleston, South Carolina at the South Eastern ACA conference was the first time we heard about the hobbit village and tree house cabins that they have. So obviously we were excited when we pulled into camp, even though it was pouring rain out. It is true they have some of the most unique cabins! Beautifully finished inside, the Rotary village has round doors moss and grass on the roof, it sets a tone of imagination and magic right off the bat. They also have a tree house village with porches that all connect off the back of the cabins. We walked around with Mel who is the leadership director at collins and Haelynne who is the summer program director. They both were excited about camp and it was fun to share stories. Haelynne has been at camp Collins for 5 years and has an overflowing amount of enthusiasum and passion for camp and the importance of free play. Jack and I were transfixed and excited by the vision she has for camp collins. I was excited to find another young woman at the top of camp. They have an awesome climbing tower with inside climbing surfaces as well as a zero entry ropes course. Camp Collins was an energizing stop with some memorable people.

-Laura

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