It's The Relationships Stupid! A Reminder to Myself
The “stupid party” referenced above is me- to set things straight from the start.
Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I forget why kids return to Camp Mishawaka. All it takes for me to remember is tolisten to what the kids themselves are saying. It’s not the food, the ski-boat, the ropes course, or a canoe trip, though all of those things make up a huge, important part of the sticky-ness of the camp experience. They return for the relationships, the friendships - and the version of themselves they find waiting for them when they step off the bus.
This summer we asked a few CIT’s (16 year-old Counselors-in-Training) what it is that has kept them coming back. Their responses had a familiar, recurring theme: the people! These young adults have likely foregone many opportunities by coming to Camp. They’ve given up their phone for 4 to 8 weeks, maybe left a “special” friend behind at home, and missed out on any number of rights and rituals of a rising High School Junior. (The latter may be part of why parents facilitate time at Camp!) This video reminds me of that and more. It reminds me why we do what we do.
We’ve spent a fair amount of time this winter planning for new facilities including a new covered archery shed, 4 new pickleball courts, and designing new day-trip opportunities. All of this is exciting, and these investments for delivery of our program are important. They support us and make Mishawaka “attractive” in every sense of the word. However, the day-long meeting our administrative team had yesterday focused little on facilities but more on how to facilitate secure connection for our campers. From the moment they arrive until the final campfire, campers find support, age-appropriate challenges, opportunities to learn, and friendship. Along the way, many tell us they find their best selves.
What is it about Mishawaka that allows this to happen?
As Camp Directors, our task is to set the stage, train the staff, support our campers, and make sure that the facilities and programs are as safe as they can possibly be. We can’t, I believe, make kids be friends. They have to do that themselves. The keepers of the culture are the campers themselves. Having come to Mishawaka, and finding something so rare, the campers are the first to protect it, and protect it they do. They safeguard it not in a way that preserves it just for them, but in a way that assures others will find what they have found. A home away from home.
The ingredients that make up a Mishawaka experience are many. Most of them are quite simple and available at Amazon: balls, nets, bows and arrows. The main one though can’t be found anywhere else - it’s a starter, a perpetual stock, that’s been tended for years. It only comes to life when our campers activate it. What rises is remarkable. It’s good to be reminded of this, even as we know it in our bones.
