Community is the MOST Important Part of Summer Camp

Community is INTENTIONAL.  You should think about it in every aspect of every programme that you offer during the camping season and in all contact you have with your campers and staff.

This is a difficult task. We hope we can make it easier for you.

Throughout the fall, we'd like to share activities, big and small, that will help to build your camp community.  We've divided them into categories and will label them accordingly in each posting. Our hope is that you will collect them as a permanent resource AND share your ideas with us too!

Group It UP 

Explain to your teens (campers or staff) that you will call out categories and they will get into groups with people who have the same answers (ex. ‘siblings’ – all those of you with 1 sibling in one group, those with 2 in another group, and so on).  Once they are in a group, they will introduce themselves and chat about the category.  Your teens likely won’t finish the conversations but encourage them to do so over your next meal, etc.  Explain that ‘none’ and ‘I don’t know’ can be a group.  Here are some to get you started but feel free to use your own:

• Same colour of socks

• Same hair length

• Same hair colour

• Same kind of pet(s)

• Same number of bedrooms in home

• Same number of bathrooms

• Same favourite food

• Same favourite beverage

• Same jewelry (currently wearing)

• Add your own (be sure to stop before it stops being fun!)

Pairing Up  

Ask them to circle up and to get into a pair with the person to their right.  Hand out sheets of paper and pen to each group.  Explain that they will have 5 minutes to make a list of everything they can think of that comes in pairs (ex. shoes). At the end of 5 minutes, see which pairing has the longest list by having one pair share with the group one item on their list.  All other groups must cross off this item if they also have it written down.  Continue with the next group and so on until only one group has an item or items remaining that no other group has listed.

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