My Dude Tony!

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I had the luck of interacting with a few of “those” kids this summer, they turned out to be highlights in my summer experience. “Those” kids are the kids that can’t sit through meals, that can’t keep their hands to themselves, and when you ask them to do anything it takes a little longer than you thought it could, and man are you in trouble if you TELL them to do anything. I think I look for, and in the end tend to like these guys better because they are often a little harder to get to join your team but once they are committed they are some of the most loyal and become the most attached when it comes time to say goodbye at the end of the week. Jack is great at winning these tough guys over, but often does it in strange ways.

My dude Tony stretched the limits of camp this summer and he and Jack became the best of friends. Tony was struggling to fit in to his cabin and was targeted by his counselors at the beginning of the week as being an instigator, a trouble maker. Maybe even a “bad kid” if no one was around to hear. One of the biggest mistakes that I made this summer was not bothering to interact and get to know Tony and his motives before I gave his mother/ grandmother a call to try and front load to her as well as gain some tactics for working with Tony. Turns out Tony was looking to belong just like every other kid in the cabin, but was but he had a louder and more scattered way of seeking that attention. At one point Jack and I were both up at the Arts and Crafts Pavillion. I was walking Tony up to rejoin his morning activity and Jack met us outside, he knew a bit about Tony at this point and knew that he really didn’t want to go sit quietly and make nature crafts, which to be honest is boring even if you have the rare focus gene. Jack called Tony over and picked up a rock; he then proceeded to throw it in to the woods. Tony’s jaw dropped. Not only had a rule just been broken but it had been broken by the headmaster of rules himself. Jack smirked and then gave the go ahead nod to Tony who picked up his own rock and threw it gingerly, still a little confused, into the woods. This simple gesture gave Tony a reason to stay at camp and Jack quickly became his favorite. It was the fact that Jack was willing to let Tony in on a secret, an inside joke. I’m not sure if Jack actually thought out his brilliant move or if like Tony he just struggles to follow rules himself.

After, we realized that the double standards and the rules to stay with in the lines had been suffocating Tony but now that he knew that he had someone on his side he went right along with his cabin and participated in the activities, sat through skits and listened to his counselors instructions.   That day during nature crafts Tony made Jack a warm fuzzy, it said “You Rock” and had a small rock glued to the piece of construction paper.

-Laura

Camp Augusta

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Camp Augusta

September 6, 2013

Nevada City, CA

http://www.campaugusta.org

Today we visited camp Augusta. It is a camp in Northern California but it feels like it is a 60’s commune. When we first arrived staff was milling around in home made (far from y branded) t- shirts, like a bunch of worker ants. We milled around as well taking pictures of some of the tree house/ imaginative playground of stuff that littered and piled itself around some of the camp buildings. Randy the camp director met up with us just as the 5:00 dinner bell rang. Dinner was served outside at a series of crooked picnic tables. Meat ( free range, grass fed beef of course) or veggie chili, gluten free cornbread, swiss chard, leafy green salad, fresh sour cream, cheese, onions, and a delicious pineapple avocado salad. After dinner every one rinsed off their own plate. During the meal we sat with Randy and the staff that is here for the last family weekend of the season. They were more than friendly and talkative. They were all trying to give us a correct display of the shenanigans and the culture that is unique to camp Augusta. Randy talked to us a little bit about how he got started at camp. and how camp runs on a flat hierarchy, meaning that everyone is involved in making all of the decisions at camp and that no one is above anyone else. There is no way to get fired at Camp Augusta unless you are voted off the Island by the community, you would be apart of that discussion of course.  There is so much that is unique about Camp Augusta that it is not only hard for me to find a way to write it all down but as we walked around with Randy on a tour after dinner he had trouble knowing where to start to squeeze in all of the fascinating schedule, management, philosophy and traditions that are unique here. You can read all about Randy’s camp philosophy at http://www.visionrealization.com and all about a flat hierachary, Randy’s “management” style at http://www.functionalconsensus.org both are in many ways crazy and brilliant. We can not imagine a more creative or well functioning camp.

There are three more simple camp ideas that stick out to Jack and I after having a chance to process it all, special wake ups, auction prizes and the cool stuff that is attached to all of the cabins. We had the luck of experiencing our very own special wake up, 2 staff members busted into our platform tent at 7:20 in the morning talking jibberish and looking for our shoes, the tore the covers off our feet and tried to take them as well, then 2 other staff with fun noodle clubs and nets came in trying to catch the “Gnomes” that were now hiding under our bunks. It was hysterical! Some crazy, never repeated version of a special wake up happens every morning for every camper during the summer. They range from an irate and sassy tooth fairy looking under pillows for teeth to Darth Claus delivering presents to the whole village. Waking up like that reminds you that you are at a magical place where anything can happen. Auction prizes are thought up by the non-cabin staff off that week, they are crazy out of this world prizes that cabins can bid on and then receive some time during their week at camp. To read more about Auction prizes here is an article that Randy wrote about them. http://www.northstarpubs.com/articles/cb/sold . Lastly maybe the more stark visual difference between this camp and others we have visited is the variety of entrances and exits, the add ons and the forts that are dreamed up and executed by kids in each cabin and for each village. I mean fireman poles, all kinds of decks and porches, hammocks, slides and flower boxes. All of that cool stuff that you wanted to add to your room but didn't know how to or have the permission to do, kids can add that stuff to their cabin with the support of the maintenance team and their counselors, who always respond YES AND... . All of the decisions to add things must be reviewed by the community at large. Talk about group decision making and a sense of ownership. As a result the place has harnessed the idea of the lost boys tree house, and it is so cool.

-Laura

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On The Road Again

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Jack and I woke up this morning right outside of Mount Shasta in Northern California. It was our second night being officially back on the road. I’ll be honest, I was feeling a little more than apprehensive about going back on the road. Jack was all revved up at the end of our summer at YMCA Camp Seymour and ready to cram ourselves back in to the tiny old Honda Civic and go bother more camp directors. I had trouble understanding what made this trip different from the last one, why camp directors were going to be as welcoming and generous with two mooches when the mooches are not so innocent and as easily amazed as we were last time around. After spending a whole day packing and un packing the Honda trying to consolidate and down size our stuff I was feeling even more discouraged and disheartened. Then right as I dramatically collapsed on the ground amongst all of the stuff that Jack wanted to throw out, little 15 year old Katie Jackson bounded down the hill towards us. Katie is the Scotty, our Camp Director’s daughter and might be the most capable and nosiest 15 year old in the world. Jack and I both grew very fond of Katie this summer, she has an incredible way of relating both to campers and counselors and bridging that hard to navigate gap  She also has a talent for roping those tough campers in and making them a success at camp. Making us feel comfortable and needed at camp this summer came easy to her and we owe a lot of our friends and connections to her. She came down the hill with a hugs and smiles and presents from the teens that I had the chance to work with this past spring. She also told us we were going out to dinner with her and Scotty (her dad and the Camp Director) and Diane (her mom, and the real boss). Can’t say no to that.

We ended up going to El Sombrero, the only place to eat on the Key Peninsula but also very fitting since it was also where we came to eat and drink margaritas with some Seymour staff back in November when we were convinced to work at Seymour. Scotty, Diane, Jack and I all ordered a beer that came in a giant mug with a lime on the lip. Between my parents leaving the day before after having visited for a week, my apprehension about the trip, and little sleep I was not feeling very talkative, rather mopey and a wee bit weepy. But here is where my mindset takes a turn, hearing the faith and praise from Scotty and Diane woke me right up. They seemed more on board with the trip and had more of a vision and image of where we were headed and why than I did. I mentioned that I was nervous that our “charm” of being clueless and therefore in awe, was less because of our new understanding of camps across the country. Diane disagreed, her thought was now people had more of an understanding of what we are looking for and they have more respect for the idea behind the project, the value in sharing and collecting information, stories and connections across the country. Scotty’s though was the same but said in Scotty fashion, now we can demand the VIP treatment from camps. They kicked us out of El Sombrero, I had so much fun talking, reliving the summer and getting stoked about this fall. As they tearfully dropped us back of at the top of camp I don’t think that they realized the complete turn around I had made or how much they had rekindled the fire to learn more and reach out to more fun camp people. Today we are headed to Camp Augusta, and the excitement of meeting Randy, a camp director we admire and have read a lot about has fully set in.

-Laura

Camp Four Winds

Camp Four Winds Western Ho

May 14, 2013

Orcas Island, WA

http://www.fourwindscamp.org/

Jack and I have been working at Camp Seymour and in one place for about 2 months now.  Although it is nice to be making some money and consistently knowing where we are going to sleep, we were getting the itch to visit some more camps and get back on the road. We contacted Paul Sheridan from Camp Four Winds on Orcas Island, a camp that is about 4 hours away from where we are in Washington.  Camp Four Winds is an Independent non-profit camp; Jack had watched Paul talk on the Camp Hacker Podcast about Camp Culture and was intrigued by Paul’s views and passion. The Camp is stunning, it is surrounded by the teal blue of the Puget Sound and as we walked along the shore I couldn’t stop snapping pictures of the iconic Madrona trees as they bend and flex over the shoreline.  My favorite part of the visit was when Paul sat with us on a beautiful hand carved bench over-looking the boats and the distant islands to share with us what it takes to create a culture at camp that can withstand anything that the summer throws at it. The pride and trust in his staff and the program he runs was invigorating to listen to. Paul also readily gave us some advice about where we are in our camping carriers. He advised us to stay in the seasonal job scene for as long as we can survive without healthcare, to take the good job while we are looking for the great one, and if we want to coach in the NFL and a job to coach the Chiefs opens in Kansas to take it even if Kansas even if you grew up in Seattle a Seahawks fan, just to get in the game.  Leaving the bench we felt rejuvenated and ready to play.  Walking through the rest of camp we noticed the subtle flowers intricately placed in the corners and under the roofs of the buildings. Now working for the Y, we are pruned to notice the brand standards and are the first to say that having a crispy brand can make a big difference.  The flowers and the cottage like buildings give a gypsy, free, fun loving feel to camp. It was refreshing after being bombarded by the monotony of Cachet bold.-Laura

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YMCA Camp Tecumseh

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Camp TecumsehBrookston, IN

March 5, 2013

http://www.camptecumseh.org

Camp Tecumseh was the last camp that we visited on this trip, number 61! We feel so lucky to have made it there and grateful to end our journey on such a high. The CEO Scott Brosman gave us a tour. Scott is a life long camp person with many years experience at Camp Tecumseh, yet new in the top position at camp. He spoke so passionately about the mission, success and vision of camp. Jack and I were inspired by his stories and his breath of knowledge. There are so many unique things about Tecumseh. Their waterfront is overflowing with exciting and imaginative activities, all that can be viewed from the largest suspension bridge in Indiana. We loved the suspension bridge and the stories that Scott told us about how often cabins of the oldest kids come out for a camp out on the bridge hundreds of feet over the water. Another unique piece of Camp Tecumseh is the attention to detail and love that was put into transforming some of the spaces at camp back in time, to old western- looking towns. On the older side of camp they took their pole barn, a central and important building during drop off and re-imagined the front of the building with a jail and a general store etc. On the newer half of camp the inside of a building has even more convincing store fronts and creative facades. The whole thing seems magical and ignites imagination. In terms of imagination Tecumseh is overflowing. With infinite ways to engage and re-engage kids with the possibilities of make-believe. Project American Life seems like an incredible project invented at a Y camp in Alabama that tecumseh shares with 5th and 6th graders. We also got a glimpse into the Outdoor Ed program, the Staff were dressed up like pioneers and hiking through the woods and we were there on the training day! What an incredible journey, the single most important and most incredible thing we found was the kindness and the love of the people who shared with us their homes and their camps. Thank You. We are off to Camp Seymour for the summer. Good bye.... for now!

-Laura

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YMCA Camp Kitaki

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YMCA Camp KitakiLouisville, NE

March 1, 2013

www.ymcalincoln.org/kitaki/

Masterpiece Teenage Arts Weekend was such a blast. Jack and I showed up at camp Friday evening and were greeted like old friends. The weekend was full of smiling inspired campers and energizing passionate staff. The 39 campers were divided up into clubs that they were interested in and then throughout the weekend spent time mastering a skill either in painting, culinary arts, custom clothing design, jam band- ing, theatre or zine making! Upon arrival Jason the executive director walked us around camp and shared with us the long awaited Fort Pawnee or Natural Play Area. We had heard rumors of this legendary destination spot during our travels and it more than surpassed our expectations. The area is surrounded in stockade fencing and complete with 2 look out towers which immediately set off everyone’s imagination. The area is divided into areas like “Messy Materials Area” or “Action Area” and labeled as such. The goal is to inspire kids to create and play utilizing loose parts and natural materials and settings. Jason says that the campers teach the counselors how to play once inside the fort, the point is for it to be camper driven. There is specific time set aside for play time in the fort for the younger kids. The fort is also growing every summer, next summer they are hoping to install a Rotary Music playground to activate even more senses. After getting to spend part of a weekend camp out with Kitaki it is clear that while they have some awesome facilities like Fort Pawnee and Ranch Camp (Imagine an old west town, or see the photos) camp is all about the people, from the talented, silly and driven staff to the even sillier happy campers. We feel very lucky to have gotten to see camp in action.

-Laura

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