Indian Princesses

It's that time of year again, when every weekend at camp involves dads and their kids coming out to Kanata for their Fall Outing with the Y-Guides and Princesses program. As we were discussing some of the details of these weekends in the office today, I started thinking back to when I was in Indian Princesses (the name has been changed from Indian Princesses to Y-Princesses since I was a kid).

I have a picture of my tribe (the Sunshine tribe) in all of our vests, headbands, and necklaces standing in front of the office at camp--the girls and our dads. I must have been 6 or 7 in the picture, and sometimes I look at it, and think about how crazy it is that 15 or so years later, my full time job is in that very office. I didn't come to Kanata as a camper until 5 or 6 years after my first experiences here with Indian Princesses, but I have so many great memories of my time here with my dad and the rest of our tribe. Of course getting to do all the camp activities--shooting a gun, bows and arrows, arts and crafts were all high on my priority list as a child, but when I think back to those weekends now, I think the campfires were my favorite times.

Walking down to the lake through a line of torches, sitting at the campfire and hearing stories, participating in all the traditions--it really was a magical experience, and one that has stayed with me for many years. Even now, when I meet campers in the summer who say they've come to camp with Y-Princesses, I love to exchange a "How How" and find out their Indian name. (My Indian name was Butterfly, my dad Red Cloud).

My very first camping experiences came through the Indian Princesses program, and I could not be more grateful. I'm so glad that as a little girl, I got the opportunity to participate in that program with my dad, and to start a life of loving camp!

Legends

As I sit here, staring out the window at the gray sky and the rain falling around camp, I've been thinking about the legends of camp and the rite of passage storytelling can be. Earlier today, several of us were sitting around talking about various aspects of camp, as we so often do, and we started thinking about our legends and stories, and the way they are passed down. Often camp lore changes a bit from summer to summer, as someone different tells the stories and adds a little bit of their personality to each story or legend. But regardless of the small changes that happen over time, camp legends remain an important part of the culture of camp. We have one particular story, "Old Man Tyson" that is more a rite of passage for our older campers than just another legend. The details of the story aren't what is important... it is the experience of going to Tyson's chimney, hearing the story with your fellow campers, and knowing you have gone through that rite of passage. I think that in some ways, the entire camp experience is very similar to that. It doesn't necessarily matter what the details of your activites are or which cabin you are in; it is about getting that camp experience, alongside your fellow campers, and feeling like you belong here. From summer to summer, the details might change, and different people might add a bit of a different personality, but it all adds up to be a part of that life-changing camp experience.

Loss

I've been working on writing a letter to everyone I was on staff with in 2003--my first summer as a counselor. In a month and a half or so, we have a 5k coming up at camp, and the 5k is done through a foundation set up by the parents of a counselor that was killed in a car wreck during the summer of 2003, which is why I've been working on a letter to that summer's staff. As I've been thinking about what to say in this letter, I've been thinking about that first summer I was on staff.

In some respects, it seems so long ago. When I think back to that time in my life, nothing else stands out with the clarity of that summer. High school is kind of a distant blur of a lot of similar memories--classes, football games, off-campus lunch, and the thrill of finally being able to drive, but the clarity of my memories from that summer of camp still surprises me.

That morning, the staff being instructed to send the campers on to breakfast, while we stayed at chapel. Hearing that there had been an accident. Nights sitting around wondering what would happen. The weekend the hospital was packed with camp staff. The staff meeting where we learned that he was gone. Old counselors and other YMCA staff coming to watch our campers for an afternoon so we could go to the funeral. Riding to the funeral on a YMCA bus in our staff uniforms. The campers who kept asking where he'd gone. Spreading his ashes into the lake.

It was a tough end to summer, and it was tough to keep being a cheerful camp counselor when you've suddenly lost one of your fellow staff members. But when I think back to that summer, I can't think of a place I'd rather be in a tough situation like that. Because we all went through it together, and we all supported each other. We dealt with it in different ways, but I think it was an incredible example of the community that camp is.

A few months later, a similar situation happened at my school. In this case, I didn't really know the guy, but my best friend did, and watching her go through the process of dealing with it, I realized what a blessing that camp community was. Being in a tight-knit community where we were all dealing with the same thing made such a difference. Knowing that we were all hurting, understanding what everyone else was going through, and being able to see each other in those most vulnerable first stages of grief tightened that community and inspired us to do our best at our jobs, because one of us no longer could.

Scholarships

This past week, we had our kickoff for our scholarship campaign to raise money for kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend camp. As I was driving home after the event, I started thinking about how unique it was to be in a room of people that have experienced camp from so many different perspectives, but are all passionate about providing that camp experience to todays campers.

Of course our current full-time staff were there, but there were also summer staff, current campers, parents of staff and campers, parents of former staff, former staff members, board members, other Y employees, and people in the community that have interacted with camp in some way, and have become excited about our mission and vision.

I spent some time listening to the dad of a counselor I remember from my days as a camper telling stories, a few former staff members tossing around the names of other former staff they'd love to reconnect with, and parents of campers talking about how camp has changed their child's life.

Everyone who was there, regardless of their connection to camp, understood the power of camp and what it offers to kids. The energy of being in a group that is willing to invest both their time and money in order to offer an experience that valuable to children not their own is incredible.

School vs. Summer

After Obama's idea of extending the school year (and school day, and school week) was announced, conversation has begun about the possible effects of that plan. Clearly there is a lot to consider when discussing this possibility--this change would cost money in addition to potentially hurting the economy, and there is no guarantee that it would change much of anything in regards to learning.

As I've read blog posts and articles about this, I've been thinking about it from two different perspectives. The first is as someone who works in the camp industry. The school year changing would have a very direct effect on my life, as it would affect my job.

The second perspective I've been thinking about it from is as someone who was a student not too long ago. Being only a year out of college, my school days are still pretty fresh on my mind and I definitely have an opinion on the education system.

From both perspectives--I am completely opposed to the idea of the school year being extended. I believe in learning, and think it is an incredibly important thing, but I don't think that the possible contributions of the school year being extended are worth the things that it would take away.

Summer camp is an 150 year old tradition in America, and generations of kids have grown up with summer camp as an important and valuable part of their education. Camp teaches so much more than just the activities that kids participate in. Camp allows kids to learn by doing, to experience the world in a very different capacity than in a classroom. Campers learn valuable social and life skills, in addition to broadening their horizons by doing all kinds of things they wouldn't otherwise be able to experience.

I was lucky enough to attend a liberal arts university that highly valued experiential education, and the two experiences I learned the most from during my college years were my internship--done at summer camp, and a month long study abroad program where we traveled through Europe and studied cathedrals. But not many schools, especially before the college level, have the resources to offer those kinds of experiences to their students, and the extension of the school year could take away the opportunity for children to participate in all kind of experiential learning opportunities outside of school--whether it be summer camp, traveling, summer enrichment programs, or just playing outside.

As I think back to my childhood, summers filled with days at the pool, weeks at camp, playing in the creek, and exploring the woods by my neighborhood are what fill my memory. Those experiences shaped me and taught me just as much, if not more, than the countless hours I spent sitting in a classroom, and I hate to think that today's kids might think back to summer and it be just more of the same... sitting in a classroom, staring at a clock, waiting for the bell to ring.