By Adam Kaplan
Those of you that have been around camp since we became the stewards of this wonderful place have likely heard me describe camp as “The Radical Utopian Experiment.” By this I mean, that at camp, we try to do everything as well as we possibly can. We try to create a community that is kinder, more thoughtful, more caring, and more cooperative than the outside world. It is our hope that as we attempt, every summer, to build this community for ourselves at camp, that we will take these ideas with us into the “real world” when we leave camp.
I am often asked to write reference letters for counselors and staff. Truth is, I really enjoy writing them; it gives me the opportunity to spend some time thinking about each person. With that said, I have found that there is one phrase that I consistently use when describing our better staffers. I refer to them in the letter as a Camp Person, and then explain what I mean by that. In short, I mean someone who is willing to do ANYTHING that needs to be done regardless of whether or not it falls within their job description. It means that, in addition to providing kids with positive growth experiences and rollicking fun, our counselors are sometimes vomit cleaners, our office staff are sometimes plumbers, our infirmary staff are sometimes art teachers, and our trip staff are sometimes baggage handlers. It just does not matter to a Camp Person. A Camp Person just sees what has to be done and does it…period…for the good of the community.
The truth is we need more Camp People in the outside world. Anyone that has had a job can remember situations in which someone notices something that needs to be done and says, “Hey…not my job.” (I am not sure that they use the ellipses in their sentences…but they really should…such a great writing tool…perhaps my only writing tool!) I would argue that the lack of Camp People in the outside world is one of the very real factors that leads to unhappy and dysfunctional workplaces. Truth is, when we are only focused on whatever specific tasks we have been assigned, we lose sight of the big picture and become isolated. On the other hand, when we are looking at the big picture and how we can help, we feel much more connected to each other and the work we are doing. We take greater pride in that work, and become a team.
The summer of 2021 at Camp Nebagamon will succeed for exactly this reason. Camp Nebagamon is simply chock-full of Camp People. This summer we will be asking a great deal of our entire camp community and I have no doubt we will all rise to the challenge.
[To be clear, we are feeling really good about the likelihood that this summer will feel largely normal for all of us that will be up there. After a year of relative isolation and restriction, kids will be able to roam freely, make choices about how to spend their days, participate in Paul Bunyan Day, Council Fires, GTCs, and every major event that a summer at Nebagamon offers. ALL OF THEM. Sure, some things may need to be tweaked in order to ensure safety for the community, but it will still be a classic summer at Nebagamon. To make this happen, we will need the cooperation though of the entire camp family.]Already, our full-time staff has stepped into roles they have never had before. This past summer, our program director, trip director and office manager became part of the maintenance team building a flow track and improving the lower diamond field. This winter, they are becoming experts on researching and implementing safest practices to ensure a successful upcoming summer in a pandemic. These were not responsibilities delineated in their job descriptions, and yet, they are doing it without hesitation. Whether it be reworking our first week schedule, or determining best practices for janitorial work in the era of COVID, or researching the best thermometers for large-scale, regular temperature taking, or the building of 35 brand new picnic tables so that we can convert the Lower Diamond into an outdoor Rec Hall…they are all on it. And happily so.
But the teamwork doesn’t end with our full-timers. We are counting on everyone to be a part of making sure our summer will be a success. We need parents to do their part to ensure that, prior to camp, kids are properly tested and quarantined. We need staff to be willing to not only do the typical things that we ask of them, but likely other tasks…including living within our camp bubble for the summer. And we need campers to be mindful about the protocols we put in place in order to protect the camp experience for all. (As already mentioned, at this point we do expect that after the first week, camp will be able to return to a fairly normal routine.) Indeed, summer 2021 will require that we all pitch in to make it work.
But I am not worried…
The Camp Nebagamon family is absolutely full of Camp People…and that is all we need.
