Six Lessons Lifeguards Must Learn
Directors at camps and other youth programs work hard to staff pools and waterfronts with certified lifeguards. That’s a good start, but to prevent accidents and to run a top-notch
Be Sure To Eat Your Greens
Sometimes, when I ask people, “How are you?” they answer, “It’s Monday!” I interpret that to mean the week is beginning and the weekend is far away, so they can only be so happy. At mid-week, there is a lilt of
Spirituality At Camp
The first camp directors were iconoclasts, a description that seems rather unspiritual. But nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of shying away from the spiritual aspects of camp,
Mother-Daughter Hay-Days
Bonding mothers and daughters through horses--that’s the motto of the Sugar and Spice Ranch in Bandera, Texas. Established in 2005 by Leigh McCourt, the self-proclaimed horse
The Spirit of Sportsmanship
Situated on 425 acres in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, the International Sports Training Camp (ISTC) offers a unique experience that combines traditional camping
Sidestepping Stereotypes
Alongside the pop-culture image of summer camps as frivolous playgrounds for food fights and panty raids lie insidious and maladaptive gender-role stereotypes. Boys’ camps are thought to be full of ma
Urgent Life
I wrote and rewrote the first few paragraphs of this story three or four times because I kept worrying about being politically correct. I worried over leaving someone out of the matrix that went along with the story.
Environmental Stewards
Located on Bainbridge Island near Seattle in Washington, IslandWood is a 255-acre outdoor learning center that offers campers the opportunity to develop a love for the outdoors.
Integrating The Relaxation Response
Millennia before Harvard University’s Dr. Herbert Benson documented the health benefits of the relaxation response in humans, Eastern and Western religions quietly espoused mindful
The Beauties Of Camp Duties
Promotional materials for most day- and resident camps tout a sense of community and increased self-reliance as outcomes. Naturally, the materials highlight the camp’s facilities and activities, but f
Decisions, Decisions
When I did one of my first college internships, I worked with a man who had a poster over his desk that showed a person sitting on a rock looking into the ocean, with a quotation in the lower corner: “No one can
Operation Purple Camp
This fall, millions of American children returned to school after a carefree summer break with family. Each year, the National Military Family Association sends children separated from their deployed
Skimming The Surface
Campers gather on the beach. Odyssey Expeditions isn’t the traditional overnight camp for children. This summer camp puts its students out on the sea to learn first-hand what it means to be a seaman.
Leadership After Failure
onference workshops, camp publications, and staff training manuals are replete with inspirational advice on exactly how to get it right. This is how to lead a group. This is how to discipline children. This is how to run stellar activity periods.
Lifelong Leaders
I had a surreal experience in February at the National Association of Independent Schools conference in Washington, D.C. I’d been invited to present a workshop called Cracking Kids’ Secret Code, one o
Future Leaders
At Camp Eagle Ridge, children learn to be leaders from an exclusive team, beginning with its camp counselors.
Prepare Staff For The Worst
Is your camp staff prepared for what it will really encounter during a major incident? Do the members know how long it actually takes emergency crews to arrive on the scene? Have you prepared the
A Mixed Bag
Located in the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., The Station has as its goal to change lives through action sports. But the activities provided -- snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, rock
Staying Relevant
Among the most difficult leadership transitions is that from camper to staff member. Indeed, challenges facing new leaders include: