Camp Longhorn

As the week progressed and friendships formed between everyone, I realized the importance of the camp to all that were involved. To the counselors it was a learning experience, as well as a time to appreciate all that we would usually take for granted; to the campers it was a time to learn and make new friends, and for most of them, it would also serve as their only form of a summer vacation. So although we were all exhausted by the end of the week, we had a great time.

Thus starting the best summer of my life, I grew closer to God then ever before, made life long friendships, and saw God work in amazing ways in the hearts of kids. This summer was the most productive summer, spiritually, I’ve ever had all because I followed the call. Following the call was not an easy thing to do, I had to quit my current job which was a great Job with a nice big paycheck every week, and leave home for two months, all to take up a job that didn’t pay well and that didn’t have the most comfortable sleeping quarters, but it was well worth it and I am planning to return to the camp next

Last summer I volunteered to be a camp counselor at a camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina called Camp Sonshine. This camp is different from others in that they bring children ages 5 to 18 from inner city Memphis, Tennessee to the Appalachian Mountains. This

For over 60 years, Camp Young Judaea Texas (CYJ) continues to flourish and expand our reach in local Texas communities. We receive over 600 campers each summer and administer programming to over 5,000 individuals during the year. CYJ is committed to providing individuals of all financial backgrounds with opportunities to be a part of our camp programs. Through dynamic camp activities and superior retreats, our organization supplies both children and adults with a fun, educational space that fosters spiritual growth, social activism, philanthropy, and a passion for preserving the environment.

Camp Tahquitz has observed the passage of traditions from generation to generation. Traditions involve what can be physically seen, but also the unspoken. Eventually, the group involved will follow the traditions out of cooperation and respect. When the term “tradition” is involved in organizations we immediately assume that what characterizes tradition in an organization is ideals and beliefs from past generations which are sometimes presumed outdated (Finnegan, 1991, p.105). Nonetheless, traditions are the main component in youth summer camps, such as Camp Tahquitz. Hence, Camp Tahquitz will regain its reputation as the best when the offerings go beyond “playing Indian” and there is an incorporation of

Emma Chester, my camp counselor, is a hero. I was going to Portage Lake Bible Camp for the first time with my new church. I’d heard about this camp. It sounded fun. What could go wrong? Lots of things. I grabbed my bags, hugged my parents goodbye, and left. About four hours later, we arrived. I was told my cabin and counselor after entering. I had Cabin 6AB, and Emma, a bright, smiling young woman. I found my group, and they told me about her. She appeared while we made our beds, smiling brightly, and they ran to give her a hug. We had a lot of time to decompress, and later we sang around the fire pit. Our group became a family. Over the next few days, I loved Emma. Whether she was chasing us around in an intense game of Gorilla Warfare, trying

During the last two weeks of my summer employment with the Salvation Army Pine Lake Camp, a team including myself was sent to The Salvation Army Berkshire Citadel to run a series of camps, but there was a few unforeseen complications. Our team lead had to be suddenly transferred to another team, leaving the Calgary team in a predicament. Before the issue had even been raised to the group, I was approached by the camp program director, she pulled me aside and asked if I would be willing to colead the team. I was shocked, and honored she acknowledged me, as the youngest person on the team, to be given so much responsibility. The role I had been given required myself and a college student to work together to coordinate, promote, budget, and

In their letters, they described all the fun they were having and I, naturally envious, asked my mom if I could go next year. Camp Merrie Woode, peacefully tucked off in the North Carolina Mountains, truly changed me as a person. It is an all-girls summer camp that I attended for 5 weeks at a time for 6 years. Hikes filled with both silence and laughter, trees full of wisdom and peace, and people filled with kindness is what makes Merrie Woode such an empowering place. I enjoyed hiking with my family before camp, but at camp, it became one of my favorite activities. The mountaineering counselors, naturally making me feel at ease, led me, Abby, and my fellow campers through many hiking trails and climbing

A car pulled up to the cabin. All of us counselors were anxiously waiting for campers to arrive. A mom got out and was waiting for her daughter to do the same. Creeping open, the door widened and the girl got out. I didn’t know the girl which most likely meant this was her first time at camp. I had gone to camp myself for eight years, but aged out and was now a Counselor in Training. The girl and her mom were both well dressed and put together with long acrylic nails and slighty snobby attitudes. She also had a brother who would be going to Rio Vista for boys while she was here at Sierra Vista for girls. Her dad helped her move in by bringing in her trunk and they put the sheets on the bed that would be hers for the next two weeks. Then her

When I made a suggestion to go tubing, her mother responded with disbelief that she would enjoy it but would not be possible. At that exact moment I knew that my job for the week was solely to make my camper and any camper see how much they were capable of doing. When we went tubing, the smile on her face was enough to leave me breathless. She enjoyed it so much she even took two turns. The surprise and shock that her mother had when we watched the videos of her daughter riding a tube gave me such a satisfying feeling, one that I will always cherish and remember. I had a realization of why this camp became so special to me, knowing that I pushed my camper’s capabilities and added a boost of confidence to her makes me extremely proud to have been a camp counselor at Camp Able.

Going into 7th grade, my parents decided to send me to an all girls overnight camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin that didn’t have any religious affiliation. To me, this was a big transition, since I had attended Jewish day schools and camps my whole life. I felt very uneasy the first Friday of camp when the director announced that that night’s activity would be capture the flag. Where was Shabbat services, dinner,

On March 25, I attended a Camp Lock-In at my temple. This summer, I will be a camp counselor at a week long camp at my temple and for our first time spend time together, we had a camp lock in. The camp lock-in was when we went to the temple on that Friday night and did various activities throughout the night to bond with other counselors and stayed overnight and left on Saturday after our final meeting. This lock-in gave new counselors, like me, a chance to meet the other counselors and learn about how the camp will run and what we will have to do.

The warm greetings of “Hey, it’s Cereal” or “Look, he’s here” lit up my mood. My motivations for doing the job had changed, for I focused more on giving them a great experience at the program. Although I had a pleasant time overall, there were problems I dealt with. When assemblies occurred, a camper by the name of Lauren would sometimes sit on my lap and play a game of chopsticks. A few times, I obliged to her and even accommodated to call her elf, a nickname she insisted me to call her by. Counselors were encouraged to connect to the campers, but had to keep a distance at the same time. As she became more attached to me, she invaded my personal space more often and became more of a handful. In an attempt to display myself as the person in charge, I tell elf in a stern voice, “I need you to ask me for permission more often. You can’t just sit on my lap and horseplay whenever you want to. We can still play When a camper fell off the monkey bars, the impact dislocated his elbow. I was unsure of what to do because I’ve never seen a dislocation happen and hesitated to help. The campers nearby all looked disgusted and kept staring as he cried, until I stepped up and escorted him to the

Everything must come to an end at some

On the last week of camp, we all started to miss each other. Many people were starting to leave and never come back. Some people were feeling sad, and started to cry and be sad. After that day, it was a camp finale party!On the FINAL day, we all said,”Bye”. In a sad way while we were having fun. On the last week, we played spud, and basketball along with soccer. Without Matt and the others, everything has been changed. Things became worse, and some counselors quit working, and some