SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Our programs encourage youth and young adults to build self-confidence by practicing their faith as they serve others and take on physical and leadership challenges. The result is a deeply authentic experience of spiritual life grounded in communities of faith to address real life issues.

EACH AND EVERY PROGRAM IS FOUNDED ON THREE PRINCIPLES:

• Grounding our youth and young adults in Christian Faith

• Developing practical leadership skills through adventure and challenge

• Challenging every person who enters our gates to become heart- and faith-based leaders innovating positive change

We work through a love of the outdoors, through the physical and emotional inspiration of adventure and challenge courses, and through simple table fellowship under the cathedral of trees. All of our programs are led by trained lay and clergy leaders who model servant leadership and hospitality.

PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:  

• Provide opportunities for teaching and learning through age/skill progressive programming (examples: archery, hiking, outdoor cooking, high ropes course)

• Provide opportunities to learn new songs, skits, and games (examples: participation at campfire, chapel, free time, all-camp programs).

• Develop self-esteem and allow campers to discover their independence (examples: choosing their schedules, free-time activities, making new friends, group initiatives).

• Community life participation (examples: living in a cabin group, cabin service projects, cabin cleaning duties, kitchen)

• Interdependence with creation/Focus on outdoor ministry (examples: morning/evening chapels, outdoor prayer stations)

• Respect for nature/animals, ecology games, interactive hiking groups).

• Expanding faith in God (examples: practicing different ways to pray, learning about core Christian values, grace before meals)

• Sense of Christian life as journey (examples: affirm questions, encourage exploration in discussions, use your own stories, use of Biblical stories, use of stories from other people in faith tradition, use skits to actively involve campers in interpreting the tradition.

• Campers do not need to be Episcopalian to attend our camps and programs, but we do ask that they are open to the practices of our camps and programs and respect these practices as rituals and values of other campers.