By Adam Kaplan
In a previous year’s June Arrowhead, I shared one of my favorite arrival-at-camp rituals, the annual solitary walk around camp. The purpose of this walk is at least four-fold. First, I need to make sure that I still remember how to get around the place! Second, I like to make sure that I can still physically walk around the place! It is a time to relax a bit, collect myself and my thoughts, and transition from life in a city to my entire world being 77 acres of cabins, trees, four square courts, and cookout sites. This walk is exclusively a solo excursion. It is a time for me to be truly alone, for perhaps the last time, for the next three and a half months. It is a chance for me to leave behind the hustle and bustle of that life in a city and connect with the land that I will be so intimately tied to all summer long. (In fact, so connected to it that I will basically never leave it for the entire time I am up here!) Others have offered to accompany me on the walk, but that just would not do. This is alone time…it is a time of welcome for none!
Now before you get too alarmed about the camp director not living up to perhaps the most well-known mantra that we profess, please know that prior to this self-indulgent “me time,” I take care of the single most symbolically significant task of my year. Immediately upon arrival at camp, I march on over to Swamper 3 to retrieve the This Shall Be A Place Of Welcome For Allsign from the counselors’ quarters and hang it in its rightful place just outside the Big House. (Thus the answer to an interesting trivia question is divulged for the Arrowhead readership. But, do not fret, given how many of you appear to read these articles, I suspect the sign will be safe for many winters to come!)
For those of you that are new to the camp family (or have failing memories), there is a sign that hangs outside of the Big House porch that states This Shall Be A Place Of Welcome For All. The concept is so central to who we are as an institution that it is stated not just once on the iconic sign, but it is stated thirty-four times in the same place. It is stated first in English, and then again in the language of every person that has come to camp that speaks a different native tongue. Yes, you read that correctly, thirty-four different languages! You’ll find Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, French, Ojibwa, Danish, Chinese, Japanese, and, our newest addition, Greek. The fact that so many people from so many places have found this place to be that “Place of Welcome” speaks volumes about what we are all about here at Nebagamon.
The principle is simple enough. Any summer camp worth its salt attempts to create an environment where folks will feel welcomed. But at Nebagamon, I really believe it is part and parcel of who we are. The fact that the sign sits prominently at the entrance to camp is evidence of this. It was a deliberate choice to make this sign, this message, the first thing that people encounter upon arriving at camp. The fact that so many people have come here knowing not a soul and left at the end of the summer with a brand-new group of people to call their family, means that the philosophy is actually working.
Some may think this philosophy is directed solely at the international members of our community, but I disagree. I believe that this is a message intended for every member of our community. Certainly, we work very hard to make our international visitors feel comfortable and welcomed. But, really, any person coming into camp for the very first time likely feels a bit of anxiety melt away upon seeing those words displayed so prominently. That sign say to them that the time spent worrying about whether or not one will be comfortable at Nebagamon in their very first summer would have been better spent finishing off the last few puzzles in that Tomb Raider game that will be denied to you while at camp. Because the worry was misplaced…of course you will be made to feel comfortable…to feel welcomed.
Just as that beautiful sign is a message to all newcomers to Nebagamon. The sign is also an important reminder to the many of us that have been around here for a few years that it is our responsibility to work hard to ensure that all of those that walk through these gates for the very first time, and even those that are returning, are made to feel like a part of the family….are made to feel welcomed. Our first sight upon returning to camp is a reminder to all of us that it is all of our jobs to make sure that each of us is a part of ensuring that we live up to our ideals here at Nebagamon.
And it all starts with that sign. That sign sends a clear message to all that walk through our gates that they are welcome here. We want to get to know you. We want to share this place with you. We want to learn from you. You are invited…join us.
And so it is, that every May when I make my pilgrimage to my favorite 77 acres on the planet, I take an hour or so to selfishly enjoy it…but before that, I make sure that indeed, This Shall Be A Place Of Welcome For All.
Looking forward to another great summer up here…
