The Art of Connection

I am slightly baffled… Yesterday we were waving the first session buses through the camp gates, and now I’m already dizzy from the whirlwind of programming and fun that will carry us right through visiting weekend and into second session. At risk of slamming into that camp director “word wall” filled with cliches, I’ll throw in a couple must mentionables. You know… talk of weather, time flying, endless fun, etc…

This session HAS really flown by and we had such a great four weeks! The girls had a fantastic time and overall the weather cooperated with our fussy programming demands. The weather and I do in fact have a nice working relationship. Necessity has forced us to enjoy an amicable coexistence here at Chippewa, so I stalk it on this constantly looping radar screen that I have in my office. Though I often proclaim that “it never rains at Chippewa,” we have certainly seen our share of wet this summer. Good for the crops I suppose!

This particular weekend is always fascinating because we see a beginning, a middle and an end, and it all happens in a two day period. There is closure, but not TOO much closure as our 8-week campers are only half way through their adventure. And second session new campers are in the throes of that ever so recognizable emotion mashup that comes standard with the fully loaded camp experience. For those girls camp has been going on for weeks already. They are no doubt fully living camp in their minds, and daydreaming what’s to come in a direction that goes somewhere like this:

I wonder what the first day will be like. Will my bags be there? What if I have to go to the bathroom on the bus? When do we find out what cabin we are in? Will I be liked? Will the counselors be cool? Will horseback riding be fun? When do we sign up for activities? I wonder if I will be able to sign up with a friend. What if she doesn’t like what I like? I’m doing what I want to do and not what everyone else wants. Is it hard to do activity sign ups? Who is going to take care of me when I need help or am scared that something seems out of place? I can’t wait to ski! Is there a snack each day? What if I’m homesick? Can I write letters every day? When do they call for mail time? What if I scratch open my mosquito bites? What if I get a stomachache?

Camp does indeed start well before the actual experience begins. All of that anticipation, and all of those burning mysteries will be satisfied by this Sunday evening. You see, Chippewa campers will feel a safe level of comfort right off the bat. Why? Because of Connection. The beautiful and simply complex art of connection is something that we talk about constantly with our staff each summer. We teach them that there is an inherent need for all children to feel safe in their surroundings, and through the bond of connection and love, this cloak of safety is formed.

Connection=Safety=Confidence=participation= Independence

Many people like a buffet when they go out to eat. Some will stack their plates with everything they see, while others may take things a bit slower by separating each course out. In any event, a buffet provides the best way to build a perfect salad, and it also happens to be the best way to build the perfect camper to counselor connection. I know… a bit weird, but this analogy is going somewhere I promise. At Chippewa we put four or even five counselors in each cabin, and aside from the obvious supervision benefits, I see this arrangement as an “enhanced connection development technique.” With four or five nurturing counselors standing by to be loving, supportive and encouraging caretakers, a camper is sure to find her way down a straight path from comfort to confidence. No camper is left behind at Chippewa, and no camper slips between the cracks here. We talk about this mission with our staff constantly, because this commitment to our campers is also the purpose for why we exist as camp directors. We secure that outcome by providing this irreplaceable bond of connection and love.

Every camp session will come along with a plethora of unexplainable traditions, a handful of memory triggering songs, and a few silly sayings that should perhaps go unrepeated, but the bonds that are formed between camper and counselor will undoubtedly carry the most weight. There is nothing more important when it comes to creating emotional safety in a new environment, and we see that with 20/20 vision . Even the vast sea of technological advancement that we seem to be sinking in will never replace that beautiful and simply complex value of connection.

Onward to second session!
All best,
Cliff