The Camp Community

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Going to a sleepaway camp not only transforms who you are as an individual but also has a profound impact on your life. Summer camp has the power to turn a few weeks of summer into an experience you will never forget. From the friendships and memories made, to the life lessons learned, true members of the camp community will tell you that it has changed their lives in ways that they could not have imagined.

The Friendships

Friendships made at camp are unlike any other relationship you have ever had. The authenticity of camp allows you to truly be who you are, which in turn fosters connections between individuals. You become part of a summer family that loves and supports one another. Your bunkmates become your sisters and brothers and your counselors are the role models you never knew you needed.

The camp community extends not only to the campers, but also to counselors who come from the UK, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. The bonds made at camp carry over and continue to solidify throughout the year as counselors travel around the world to visit one another. Because of the friendships formed at camp, counselors know that no matter where their travels take them, there will always be a friendly face to welcome them into their home.

The Memories

The camp community is so widespread that no matter what camp you attend, there is a commonality that bonds individuals together. Whether it be the cheers, the campfires, or competition, the stories of past summers allow for memories to be shared and cherished.

Because of camp networking, finding a roommate in college becomes less stressful and allows for a broader circle of friends to be established. Talk of summer camp is the perfect conversation starter as stories about camp are never-ending. Each member of the camp community always has a favorite story to tell or lesson learned from their experience at sleepaway camp.

The Lessons Learned

The strongest connection throughout the camp community is the impact it had on all of our lives. Over the course of a few weeks, summer camp is able to teach you more about yourself than you would think possible. On one hand, camp reveals your strengths as you build both your athletic and creative skills, while on the other hand, camp shows you how to be a friend, a good listener, and a confident leader. Camp has the power to teach you how to be yourself and accept everyone around you with open arms.

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Learning to Look on the Bright Side at Summer Camp

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A silver lining can be defined as finding the hopeful side to any situation, no matter how gloomy. Silver linings are small blessings that can lift the spirits of individuals as well as put an instant smile on your face. As someone who went to sleepaway camp, I have an unlimited amount of silver linings that I can recall at any moment of the day to make it better. For twelve summers that I spent at camp, I have had the opportunity to make memories, both big and small, that are impossible to forget. With each summer comes new bonds and irreplaceable friendships. After these twelve summers, I have the ability to remain positive and look on the bright side of just about any situation I am faced with. This skill is one that I have incorporated into my daily life in countless environments, both inside and outside of camp.

At camp, small blessings radiate wherever you look. The support network is unprecedented in the fact that everyone in the camp community looks on the bright side. Whether it be helping to sweep the bunk before inspection, campers cheering a bunkmate on as she climbs the rock wall, or counselors reading a story before bed, the positive feeling of love and support ruminates throughout the camp environment.

While camp presents campers and counselors with this magical feeling of happiness, there are obstacles that are faced over the course of the summer. Changes in weather, homesickness, arguments, and disappointment is inevitable. However, camp provides its community with an opportunity to learn how to overcome these challenges by looking on the brightside. For every moment that appears to be gloomy, there is someone there to lend a supportive hug or helping hand to cheer you up. At camp, the love between individuals is genuine and powerful. Being able to have real conversations and talk through difficult situations with friends and counselors alike is the silver lining that makes camp so unique.

These small blessings and ability to overcome obstacles at camp helps to prepare us for the daily routines we face during the other ten months of the year. Instead of needing help cleaning the bunk or feeling down after losing a sports game, campers and counselors are faced with the challenges of school work and the professional world.

Philosophies learned at camp are ingrained in both campers and counselors as we remember the importance of remaining positive and supportive to those around us. These same campers that once needed help making their beds over the summer, now have the skill set and ability to support those friends in the classroom. This includes helping others with homework assignments, raising money for a school event, or even cheering on the school’s sports teams. For counselors in college and in the workforce, the attitudes and lessons learned at camp are easily transferable to all tasks. These can include pulling an all-nighter before an exam or meeting important deadlines set by your boss. It is the inner drive to look on the bright side that motivates campers and counselors to find a silver lining in all that they do.

Mindfulness at Camp

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Children and teenagers are constantly surrounded by stimuli. They are easily overwhelmed with the sights and sounds that surround them, and often don’t have the skills to be fully present and limit distractions. This is why more and more teachers and professionals are incorporating mindfulness into their curriculum. And why America’s Finest Summer Camps have been doing it since the beginning.

Mindfulness is “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”  Campers all have the ability to be mindful, but there are proven techniques to help them perfect their skill. At camp, we incorporate these techniques into every day living to help campers improve their focus and concentration. It helps them be present in the moment and hyper-aware of their body, their space, and their surroundings.

Camp is a busy, noisy, active place. The energy on the campus is undeniable and can be felt from the moment you arrive. However, camp counselors and staff highly encourage campers to take periods of time throughout the day to relax, stay quiet, and unwind. Some campers choose to journal, write letters home, meditate, or even sleep during this time. This critical “down” time allows campers to stay in tune with their thoughts and feelings, and reflect on the activities of the day.

Meditation is a big part of the mindfulness initiative, but there are other ways campers can learn to be mindful. Campers may find themselves waiting to take their turn for different things throughout the day. Waiting is an excellent opportunity to tune in to their inner thoughts and feelings. A quick breathing exercise or an intentional appreciation for the space around them is a great way to practice mindfulness. For many people, listening intently and carefully is a challenge. Sometimes we are thinking more about our response than actually listening to what someone has to tell us. By focusing on being better listeners, campers can improve their communication skills and be mindful at the same time.

One of the things campers learn quickly is the power of connecting with nature. It’s always incredible what a quiet walk by the lake can do to clear your mind of negativity, anger, frustration, or fear. America’s Finest Summer Camps gives campers the unique opportunity to connect with nature. Observing the natural beauty that surrounds them can help campers feel calm and connected when things seem to be getting out of control. Learning the calming power of a nature hike at camp is a coping strategy campers take with them for the rest of their lives.

Camp may be a busy place with lots to see and do, but it also provides plenty of opportunities for campers and staff to get in tune with their thoughts and feelings. Teaching mindfulness is just another way America’s Finest Summer Camps fosters future leaders, builds character and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Activities to Get You Ready for Camp

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Laurel South

Activities to Get You Ready for Camp

Summer is right around the corner and the countdown is officially on! Here are some activities to get you prepped for the season ahead.

Backyard Camping

Camping is super fun, but sometimes you’re too busy to go hiking into the wilderness to do it. Backyard camping to the rescue! The best part about backyard camping is that the house is close by if anybody needs something they forgot; and you can bring plenty of books to read in the tent.

Send Mail to Camp Friends

One of the best parts of summer camp is the friends you make. Keeping in touch by snail mail is the perfect way to let your friends from all over know how excited you are to see them. Everyone loves to receive a hand-written letter!

Let your friends know how everything’s been going at home and school, and add some drawings and glitter paint if you’re feeling artistic!

…And, of course, there’s always email and chat for those of us who just can’t wait for the old-fashioned post office.

Enjoy a Hike

Another part of camp that many of us miss during the year is the rejuvenating feeling of being in the great outdoors. The wind in the trees, the quiet of the woods — it’s part of what makes camp so special.

The best part is: you don’t have to wait until camp starts to enjoy it. Get your family together for a trip out to the nearest park. All you need is a Sunday afternoon and a sense of adventure. It’s the perfect way to reconnect with nature before camp.

Learn a New Skill

Last but not least, always remember to challenge yourself. One thing camp teaches you is that variety is the spice of life, so when you have the chance to try something new, go for it! Chances are you can make time learning to dance, writing a book, becoming a rock star, or whatever else it is you might be putting off. All you have to do is step up to the challenge and believe in yourself — just like camp.

Ready for Camp!

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Camp Laurel

Ready for Camp!

Something changes in schools once everyone returns from spring break. Our minds switch to “summer is right around the corner!” In most states, the temperatures are rising, and we’re counting down the days until the summer truly begins.

Children coming to Camp Laurel for the first time have a different kind of excitement. They’re ready to try new things, gain independence and have the first best summer of their lives.

Campers returning to Laurel for a second, third or seventh summer already know the best summer of their lives is around the corner. They know that’s true no matter how many summers they’ve been at Laurel. Returners have already reached out to friends to rave about what’s to come, and make plans to meet as soon as they step off the bus.

We know the first day at camp will come, and once it does, time will be on overdrive for the summer. Days fly by in the blink of an eye, and before we know it, we’ve put on plays, competed in sports, laughed with friends and learned to sail and wakeboard and swim. It’s what keeps us coming back year after year.

While we’re still focused on ending the school year on a high note, half of our brains are already swimming, singing campfire songs, scoring homeruns and playing gaga. Summer is almost here, and for campers who get to spend it at Camp Laurel, it can’t get here soon enough.

Working at Camp as a Resume Builder

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After working a summer at sleepaway camp, it is hard to summarize the vast amount of experience gained in just a few weeks. Over the course of one summer, you are presented with challenges, lessons, an increased set of skills, and numerous other benefits. When you think of a summer spent working at sleepaway camp, the first thing that comes to mind are the times spent on the field helping kids learn how to kick a soccer ball, in the bunk playing jacks with your campers, or at the evening campfires roasting S’mores. Because each of these moments are filled with lifelong memories, it can be challenging to recognize that these moments are extremely applicable in the professional world.

A summer working at camp teaches you how to be responsible, a valued leader, confident, a team player, and a problem solver. The ability to work with people from all different backgrounds and age levels is an opportunity that many people cannot say they have had. Fortunately, in your role as a counselor at sleepaway camp, you have attained skills that are attractive to employers and that are immensely useful in the professional sphere.

Recognizing Strengths and Weaknesses

At camp, you are exposed to a wide range of individuals from around the world. In the bunk, you can live with children from ages seven to sixteen from all parts of the United States. Counselors come from the U.S., the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. This unique environment presents the opportunity to understand, connect with, and appreciate all individuals around you. With each relationship established, the ability to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your peers increases tenfold.

In the professional world, it is of extreme importance to be able to work with people of all different backgrounds and cultures. With each background and culture comes different expectations that must be met if you want to be successful. Working at sleepaway camp gives you the experience necessary to meet these challenges and expectations. Having the ability to recognize what will both facilitate and hinder success is a skill that is invaluable in any profession.

Leadership

As a counselor, each day presents you with the opportunity to develop who you are as an individual and further increase your confidence. Higher confidence enables individuals to make decisions more effectively, have stronger performance capabilities, and deliver a higher quality of work. Both on the fields and in the bunk, you are a coach and a role model to all of the children at camp. Having this opportunity at all hours of the day at camp transforms counselors into empowered leaders with an unprecedented drive for success.

Confidence and leadership both go a long way in the professional world. From applying for a job and mastering the interview to giving a presentation to your boss, having a feeling of empowerment ensures a high success rate in the workplace. 

Communication

Camp is a fast-paced environment where anything could happen. Over the course of the summer, there could be inclement weather, changing preferences of campers, or changes to the daily/nightly schedule. These changes emphasize the importance of being a flexible employee and communicating effectively with those around you. This also leads to high innovative abilities that encourage counselors to excel at camp.

Along with the fast-paced nature of camp, conflicts between campers in the bunk and amongst counselors do arise. The ability to communicate powerfully during times of conflict allow for problem-solving and conflict resolution. Communication helps individuals to find a commonality that will end conflict and bring people together as a unified front.

In every workforce, no matter the department or field of profession, communication is the key to the success of a company. Without communication, deadlines cannot be met and progress will not be made. Learning how to communicate effectively at camp will allow you to enter into the working force with both ease and success.

Teaching 21st Century Principles in a Camp Setting

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America’s Finest Summer Camps knows that the weeks we get to spend with campers each summer is precious. It is an opportunity to do character building and confidence boosting. We have the opportunity to be the backdrop for millions of memories and connect people who can grow to be lifelong friends. The work we do here, although disguised as fun, is serious. We use the limited time we have with our campers and use it to instill 21st-century principles that promote strong character, morals, and ideals in every camper.

 

When campers are guided on how to solve their differences through careful and respectful mediation, they are learning how to disagree with others without being mean or hurtful. When they can identify their feelings and communicate it with others, they are learning conflict management skills and maturing in their emotional development. These tools are vital in navigating the “real world” whether it’s their school campus, their first job or their first relationship. At camp, kids learn to respect each other, listen without interrupting, compromise, communicate, and be patient and considerate and honest. These principles will make it easier for them to maintain healthy relationships as they grow.

 

Each camper has a responsibility to keep the campus as beautiful as it was when he or she arrived. Our zero tolerance policy for littering and our emphasis on taking care of the environment helps campers realize how they impact the environment and how important it is to keep the world around them clean. Campers spend most of their days outside, connecting with nature and learning to appreciate the beauty around them. Exploring and enjoying Mother Nature doesn’t come naturally to all campers, and spending time at camp helps develop an appreciation for the environment.

 

At camp, each camper has a story to tell. Each child arrives at camp with a history, a background, baggage (no pun intended) fears, strengths, and perceptions. As campers begin to integrate with each other, they quickly see how different they are all, but how those differences don’t need to divide them. They learn to help each other; to recognize a need in other campers and address it. There is no “us” and “them” at camp. America’s Finest Summer Camps is intentional about fostering a generation of helpers, includers, and givers. We know that if we want a world full of people who care about each other, who don’t judge each other and who seek out opportunities to make others feel good, we have to start with the kids.

 

Campers go home with more friends, better skills and a lot to talk about. But our goal is that each camper leaves a bit better than they came. And that we can instill basic morals and ideals into them that will help them become better students, siblings, friends, and eventually, adults. Camp is safe, camp is fun, and camp is designed to better the lives of campers and their families every year.

Forever Changing, Exactly the Same

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Camp Laurel

Forever Changing, Exactly the Same

 

Camp meets campers exactly where they are. It has a unique way of providing campers with exactly what they need, sometimes before the campers even know they need it. Camp Laurel has a way of being the perfect combination of excitement and relaxation and has been that way for over 60 years.

Over time, a lot has changed at camp, but more has stayed the same. Camp always transforms to meet the needs of the campers who come each year. The style of bathing suits may have changed, but the memories created in the lakes stay the same. The cabins may have been without porches then, but the stories and late night conversations inside of them were as special then as they are now. The feeling that Laurel gives campers throughout the summer never changes.

If campers from last summer were to sit down with campers from 20 years ago, they would have a lot in common. They could trade stories about competing in College Days and bust out lyrics to some of Laurel’s most popular songs. Campers from both eras would be able to reminisce about the delicious camp food, the campfires and all of the different sports and activities that filled their days. Even though a lot of time has passed, campers from 20 years ago would recognize camp as a place where they felt cared about, understood and accepted. Campers from last summer would be able to talk about new activities, updated cabins and facilities, but would be familiar with the feeling of acceptance and encouragement that is the foundation of Camp Laurel.

Camp must have a sense of flexibility and growth to cater to new campers while holding on to its foundational values and traditions.  Camp Laurel is constantly changing and improving, but will always be committed to being a place of friendships, fun and life-long learning.

Summer Camp Improves Self-Confidence

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Laurel South

Summer Camp Improves Self-Confidence

Nothing’s better than walking into your first day of school with confidence and a positive attitude.  Knowing you look good, feel good and have everything to make this an awesome year is a great way to start school.

Spending the summer at camp can really improve a camper’s self-confidence. Every day, they are surrounded by people who support and encourage them. Kids who come to school from a summer at Laurel South have something different about them. They’re eager, self-confident and ready to be the best they can be.

Camp teaches campers they are funny, worth listening to, and that they make good friends.  They learn that they have something to offer others around them.

It happens slowly, and most of the time kids don’t even realize it, but at camp they are constantly being exposed to new things, encouraged and supported.  They take the experiences and lessons they learned at camp and apply it to their everyday life back at school.  They feel capable, empowered and self-confident. With this attitude, they can conquer the school year and any other obstacle that is in their way.

Spending a summer at Laurel South is a great way to instill self-confidence in every camper, and provides them with a great foundation to start school every year.

The Unique Camp Perspective

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One thing parents love so much about camp is that it takes campers out of their comfort zones in many ways. Not only are campers eating and sleeping in a new place, but they’re also trying games and activities that are new to them, and working with people they’ve never met. This shake-up of their routine does wonders for their social, physical, and emotional health. Camp also has a unique way of shifting the mindset of campers. A summer at camp is a summer away from social media and texting and a time focused on nature, real relationships, character building, and good ‘ol fashioned fun.

America’s Finest Summer Camps immerse campers in a world unlike anything they are used to. It takes away a few modern comforts and conveniences and replaces them with things that are more low maintenance. Campers quickly learn the value of a one-on-one conversation with a trusted friend over having 50+ comments on their Instagram picture. They learn to appreciate the breezes, the vastness of the lakes, the sunsets and all of the natural beauty that surrounds them. They begin to see things differently, and this perspective stays with them even after they leave camp. Campers who used to find their joy in material things now look internally to find happiness, and this is a skill that will change their character and build their confidence.

Camp is a big place, full of big adventures and big fun. But in the midst of all of that, there are a million little things to be discovered, admired and appreciated. From quiet time on the lake before the camp gets crazy, to the beauty of a bonfire or the thrill of climbing the rock wall, campers learn to look for the little things that add up to make a big difference in their camp experience.

With social media playing such a huge role in the lives of kids and teens, many parents wonder if their child could survive without checking their Facebook or taking 20+ selfies on the way to school. Rest assured, parents, that without technology and social media to worry about, kids can focus on what they do best: being kids. They have the entire summer to focus on making friends and having fun and they learn that being in the moment is far more important than finding the perfect filter to capture the moment. Social media has its advantages of course, but at camp, camper’s learn a valuable lesson: their worth is not defined by how many followers they have or how many likes their pictures get.

Camp changes the way campers see the world. By spending their summers here, campers learn a little bit more about the world around them and how to appreciate the little things that make every day beautiful.