A good summer camp is more than a place for fun in the sun. Much, much more. It’s a community. A place to grow as a person, among others who share your interests and invest time in helping you become the best you can be. It’s a place to make friends you may stay connected to your entire life. The very best summer camps stay in your thoughts the whole year long as you yearn for a return to the magic through the long Winter months. Your summer camp needs to be somewhere you feel safe to be the person you hope to become, and to celebrate your uniqueness and your skills. In fact, what a great summer camp should be, more than anything else, is a second home.
One of our younger campers sent us this poem, which she wrote recently for a school project. With her permission, I’m sharing it now with you:
Camp-My Second Home
By: Kohava M.
As you arrive, you hear voices:
“Hi!” “I’m here!” “Welcome back!” “Oh, I forgot this place!”
“Camp is awesome!” “Nice to see you again!” “You too!”
The first day of camp is a family reunion where everyone is best friends
It’s always so great to be back
Home- Where you dance and sing and act and
Play
Home- Where you film and write and paint and
Make friends
Home- Where you play and talk and love everything
Around you
Home- Where you can say what you want and do what you want and
Nobody cares; they’ll even help you out
At home, everything is fun
At home, you’re all friends
At home, you make bonds you can keep for life and friends you can keep forever
When you go away, camp stays in your heart and you know time will fly by and you’ll be back home soon