Probably the last thing you want to hear from your camp director, huh? And I get it – you most likely hear ‘learning’ and think about sitting in class, working through some of the (very important) basics like reading, writing, and ‘rhymatic.

For most of us, that doesn’t fill us with rainbows and sunshine. Important? Absolutely! Fun… not often.

You rarely think about ‘learning’ when you think of camp. And I get it – laughing with your friends, goofing around in the Fort, enjoying a crazy Evening Activity before having a snack and going to bed alongside your great friends…. That doesn’t sound like learning.

But, it is.

Continuos Learning

I had the opportunity to enjoy the ACA New York/New Jersey Tri-State conference this week. It’s the largest collection of camp professionals in the world. It’s a ton of fun that included a lot of ‘sit down and take notes’ learning along with ‘get up and play’ and ‘walk around and talk’ learning, too.

One of the speakers was author David Brooks. Turns out, one of the most successful and visible pundits in the US spent 15 glorious summers as a camper and then staff member. In fact, he still serves on the board at his camp to this day.

He mentioned something I really loved: Camp is all about ‘moral formation’, becoming cognitively flexible, and enjoying (literally) a ‘whole body & emotional education.’

I couldn’t agree more. And, in fact, the employers (and future life partners) agree. These two different groups are looking for people who can function well in a team, who are curious and engaged, who can connect with a number of people outside of their own little bubble and who can solve problems creatively.

That, my young friends, is all what you learn at camp. Doesn’t matter if you are a camper or a staff member. Living (and laughing) in the Camp Weequahic community leads to these results, this learning. More to the point, you only learn best when you are in a good relationship.

And that is what we do best – bringing out the best in each of us and build a community around a whole lot of awesome.

Last Idea

I’ll leave you with this quote from one of the greatest business men of all time, Charlie Munger:

“The people who rise in life are not those who are the smartest, but they who are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than when they woke up.”

Go out there and keep learning. Get back to camp so we can learn the really important stuff… while laughing and playing a lot!!

July 4th at Camp Weequahic is fantastic. We’ve got the carnival, great food, a super-fun parade, contests, MTV Night… and then—BOOM!—the fireworks show! The colorful explosions light up the sky, and you can hear everyone gasping, “Ooh!” and “Aah!” as they watch with their friends.

It’s a night we all love, but fireworks only happen once (maybe twice) a year. They burst into the sky, shine bright for a moment, and then—poof!—they’re gone.

Bonfires

Bonfires, though? They’re a whole different experience. Building a bonfire takes a little time. Some of us rush in with tons of excitement but forget to plan and it takes a while to get going. Others build it just right, and it roars to life fast. Either way, once it’s burning, it lasts a long time.

How long? Well, a few years ago, we cleaned up our “Burn the Rope” bonfires and found the ashes still smoldering 12 hours later. Those sneaky little ashes even tried to start a mini-fire until we dumped a bunch of water on them. Lesson learned!

Are bonfires as flashy as fireworks? Maybe not. But they give us something fireworks cannot: warmth to cozy up to, light to see by, a spot to cook marshmallows, and the perfect place to hang out with friends and family, share stories, and laugh together.

A the Little Bonfires

We like to think of Camp Weequahic as a collection of bonfires, not fireworks. We’re all about building friendships and memories that last way beyond the summer. Picture those small groups of kids who’ve been coming for 3, 4, or more summers together—cool kids on their own, but when they team up? Whoosh! It’s like a bonfire that keeps everyone warm and happy.

How do we keep the bonfire burning? By feeding it with care and effort! Have you been missing your camp buddies from last summer? No worries—the ashes are still warm! With a little nudge (like a text or a call), you can get that fire blazing again in no time.

This summer, we can’t wait to welcome back our awesome returning campers and staff. They’ll help us kick off the fun and bring in all our new friends. Let’s make this year’s bonfire the brightest yet!

A t-shirt (or three) covered in nostalgia. A little stuffed raccoon that recognized something remarkable. A small pillow covered in barely legible, incredible vibrant signatures. A picture of summer/lifelong friends doing something totally goofy, out of the ordinary, wonderful.

These are the simple gifts our kids collect and keep from a summer at Weequahic. And the memories that endure through their lives that are forever young. These are moments they will look back upon and smile when the river of life has moved them a long way from their summers by the shore of Sly Lake.

Parents, what are some of the wonderful young memories of your past summers? Do you keep any of the simple gifts from that time? I’ve got a piece of driftwood found and given by a close friend in 1984 still on my closet shelf. Next to it is a perfect ‘skipping rock’ given by my younger brother that has yet to get damp.

We accumulate a lot of ‘things’ in this day and age. Most of the time, these ‘things’ just take up space in our physical world but have little hold or purchase in our internal lives. Marie Kondo instructs us to ask the question ‘does this spark joy?’ If the answer is not ‘yes’, then it’s time to part with it. That which remain can be simple gifts.

But those young memories? They can be as fresh as the daffodils that are blooming now at our winter office for many, many years. They can bring warmth to the cold days of winter and smiles to wind-chapped lips.

The key is to think on them often and use them in a way that propels you forward rather than having you stuck in the past. We humans are a pessimistic species. That trait – enlarging danger – kept us alive to get this historically easy way of life. That trait now holds us back from trying new things, expanding our worlds, and giving ourselves opportunities to really enjoy life and connections.

So, let’s make the decision to look back on those simple gifts, those young memories with a spark of joy. Let’s learn from didn’t work and focus more on the joy. Have a good weekend.

(PS – this was inspired a good bit from a new book that I enjoyed thoroughly – Theo of Golden. It’s a heart-warming, thought-provoking and recommended read.)