No one would argue that attending a sleep-away summer camp develops character in a child. The simple fact that a child is courageous enough to be dropped off in a new place for weeks at a time without their parents is character developing enough in that first year. Each camp also has organizational values that are reinforced, modeled and encouraged by camp staff. Counselors lead by example and in turn teach those organizational values to the campers. Character development is one of the greatest gifts summer camp gives to campers and counselors.
At Camp Arcadia, our Mission and The Spirit of Arcadia are our guideposts in our character development curriculum that is deliberately woven throughout our program. Campers participate in community service that provides leadership opportunities across all age groups and the Spirit becomes part of each camper as it is infused into cabin life through Cabin Commitments and Community Circle. The outcomes of this deliberate approach to character development are girls who are empowered to be confident, to contribute to their communities, to take healthy risks, to respect and care for the environment, and to develop interpersonal skills that result in lasting friendships.
"Make the world a better and more beautiful because you have been in it" is the mission at Camp Arcadia. Arcadians learn that, through acts of service, we are able to make our community better and more beautiful each summer because we have been in it. This mission is internalized over time with many Arcadians citing it as a reason for chosen career paths later in life.
Campers are provided opportunities to live out our mission regularly through acts of community service. Each age group supports our Camp community - Juniors (1st-3rd graders) serve as the greeters to Sunday Meeting, our weekly all Camp family meeting, Plebes (4th-5th graders) pass out and collect the songbooks at our daily Morning Assembly, Seniors (6th-7th graders) facilitate lost and found, Point (8th graders) and Club (9th graders) set the tables daily and participate as Helping Hands in the kitchen once a week. The Club also serves as leaders raising and lowering the flag each day. Through these acts of service, we learn that we can make a positive impact on our community. Arcadians go into their larger communities with this understanding and purpose in mind.
We are also guided by the Spirit of Arcadia, a poem recited at Campfire each week. The tenets of the Spirit - loyal, wise, busy, honest, thrilling, strong, brave, contented, dreaming, happy and reverent - are the cornerstones of our character development goals at Arcadia. At the beginning of the summer, our Opening Candlelight ceremony (picture right) introduces the concept of the Spirit to the campers.
The Club, campers in their last year as a camper, are the guardians of the Spirit. They are charged with being leaders at Camp who embody the Spirit in their day to day actions. Campers of all ages are encouraged by The Club to memorize The Spirit and recite it to a member of the Club. Once learned, campers receive a pin at Campfire in front of the whole Camp. This pin proudly is affixed to a camper's banner as it is a cherished honor to earn.
The mission and Spirit guide our daily life in each cabin as well. At the outset of each session campers create Cabin Commitments with their cabin mates. After reading the Spirit together as a group, they are asked "What do we want this space to be like? How can we each contribute to make this cabin better and more beautiful because we have been in it? What commitments can we make to one another to create that feeling?"
Each evening closes with a Community Circle during which campers reflect on their day and look forward to what is to come tomorrow. The goals of this time are to foster a sense of unity and trust with the cabin community and to practice daily gratitude and reflection. Individually campers share something positive that happened to them today. They also share about someone or something they are grateful for from the day. This becomes a cherished part of each day and serves to close the day as a cabin family with a positive mindset.
With our Mission and The Spirit of Arcadia as our guideposts, Camp Arcadia girls gain confidence and are ready to make a difference in the world.
The 2025 season will be the 109th summer our Camp family has gathered together for an unparalleled experience for girls aged 7-17.
Comentários