The 8 Hallmarks of "Great" Camps |
Posted by Ron Bartlow, 5/5/15
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According to YMCA and camping guru Gary Forster, there are 8 aspects common to the best camps in our country. We share these with you as in the hopes they might inspire you in your planning and leading of one of our DSC Camps!
(1) A beautiful outdoor setting.
Did you know camping started as part of the back-to-nature movement? Encouraged by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, in the last 1860s people were encouraged to take their children out to the wilderness. By 1910 there were more than 100 YMCA camps, in part because it was easier to help people make a decision for Christ in such settings! For a recent look at the importance of outdoor settings, check out Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
(2) Traditions and rituals that build membership in a small group
Children and youth have an innate need to belong. Traditions and rituals can help build membership in a “tribe” at camp, helping to create and nurture a sense of belonging. Perhaps the most valuable part of this is the tribe/club leader (e.g. the counselor!).
(3) A great vision and a culture of continuous improvement
The best camps are those that have a clear, large vision for why they do what they do and are constantly working at doing it better!
(4) Well-chosen, well-supported leadership
One of our DSC colleagues summed this up for me well when he shared that attitude is often more important than aptitude. You can teach skills and aptitudes, but you rarely can change a person’s attitude.
(5) A Partnership with parents
Ultimately, the customer for our summer camps is “mom,” and based on research, mom wants of camp for her child (in order):
(6) A focus on the building of friendships
Note that based on mom’s perspective, fun is not enough; the family can always choose “something else fun.” One word, shared over and over, shares why campers return to a camp: “friends.” Great camps deliberately build places where kids can face each other; the most important part of a ropes course is the debriefing that occurs among campers afterwards. For more, if you can find it, Gary recommends Cathi Cohen’s curriculum Stepping Stones to Building Friendships: A Guide for Camp Counselors (2007).
(7) Well-maintained facilities that facilitate program and sustain high performance
Interestingly, from a marketing only standpoint, bathrooms are perhaps the most important facility at our campsites, because they are the only ones mom uses! But beyond the perception mom gets of the site, great camps develop their facilities focused on mission.
(8) An open acknowledgement of the importance of God in our lives
Yes, at the great camps faith is made visible. The presence of a cross or chapel in marketing materials, the clarity for moms/parents dropping kids off that this is a Christian camp – these are important parts of truly successful camp! As best you can, make it very clear that there is and will be a strong spiritual component at camp.
(Visit Gary Forster's website for more resources.)
(1) A beautiful outdoor setting.
Did you know camping started as part of the back-to-nature movement? Encouraged by Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, in the last 1860s people were encouraged to take their children out to the wilderness. By 1910 there were more than 100 YMCA camps, in part because it was easier to help people make a decision for Christ in such settings! For a recent look at the importance of outdoor settings, check out Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
(2) Traditions and rituals that build membership in a small group
Children and youth have an innate need to belong. Traditions and rituals can help build membership in a “tribe” at camp, helping to create and nurture a sense of belonging. Perhaps the most valuable part of this is the tribe/club leader (e.g. the counselor!).
(3) A great vision and a culture of continuous improvement
The best camps are those that have a clear, large vision for why they do what they do and are constantly working at doing it better!
(4) Well-chosen, well-supported leadership
One of our DSC colleagues summed this up for me well when he shared that attitude is often more important than aptitude. You can teach skills and aptitudes, but you rarely can change a person’s attitude.
(5) A Partnership with parents
Ultimately, the customer for our summer camps is “mom,” and based on research, mom wants of camp for her child (in order):
- Safety
- High-quality, well-trained staff as role-models
- Increased self respect through skill development
- New, and better, friends
- Fun
(6) A focus on the building of friendships
Note that based on mom’s perspective, fun is not enough; the family can always choose “something else fun.” One word, shared over and over, shares why campers return to a camp: “friends.” Great camps deliberately build places where kids can face each other; the most important part of a ropes course is the debriefing that occurs among campers afterwards. For more, if you can find it, Gary recommends Cathi Cohen’s curriculum Stepping Stones to Building Friendships: A Guide for Camp Counselors (2007).
(7) Well-maintained facilities that facilitate program and sustain high performance
Interestingly, from a marketing only standpoint, bathrooms are perhaps the most important facility at our campsites, because they are the only ones mom uses! But beyond the perception mom gets of the site, great camps develop their facilities focused on mission.
(8) An open acknowledgement of the importance of God in our lives
Yes, at the great camps faith is made visible. The presence of a cross or chapel in marketing materials, the clarity for moms/parents dropping kids off that this is a Christian camp – these are important parts of truly successful camp! As best you can, make it very clear that there is and will be a strong spiritual component at camp.
(Visit Gary Forster's website for more resources.)
