An Unforgettable Summer

A Reflection by Camp Director on Summer Camp During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Campers were introduced to daily values and weekly themes. The activities and projects were created with the values intertwined throughout them, from start to finish. This provided campers with opportunities to actualize the various values they were taught throughout the summer such as unity, resourcefulness, and creativity.

Numerous hand washing stations, streams of sanitizer, daily health screens, protective face masks, and physical distancing are not things usually associated with a summer camp unless the camp is happening during a global pandemic. This summer, that was our reality. We were faced with conducting a camp for children that emphasized safety while giving kids what they needed -- a sense of normalcy, sociability, physicality, and fun! For any camp director and staff, creating a safe environment while keeping all the elements that kids come to expect with summer camp takes a lot of hard work, creativity, and prayer. Our team came together, engaged in lots of preparation, and in the end, we gauged our success by the response of the campers. “The best camp ever!” said one youth after another. When asked why it was the best, most campers couldn’t give specifics, but they knew one thing--they had fun!

Our agenda for this summer was derived from our mission statement, to “provide a fun environment where kids acquire new skills, make friends, and feel valued for who they are.” As adults we often focus on what needs to be accomplished, and the best and most expedient way to reach our goal. We may forget the value of fun. But for kids, the element of fun cannot be forgotten or neglected. Fun, the sheer enjoyment of something is what inspires us to be creative, innovative, active, and adventurous! So we emphasize kids having fun at Camp Skillz!

At the end of each week, the camp was transformed into a water themed campus. Whether sliding down an inflated water slide, twisting through a tunnelled slip and slide or enjoying the age-old game of tossing water balloons, campers looked forward every week to this day of sheer fun with friends.

Each week at camp we created activities that allowed the kids to enter into a new environment that would engage their sense of wonder and awe, ultimately inspiring more creativity and imagination. This was especially notable when our kids were tasked with making, building, or creating something from the resources around them. Those activites produced the most excitement for the kids as they combined creativity and resourcefulness. The result: a functioning rocket stove, a town built out of papier mache with cranes, trains, and pulleys that actually worked, kites they made and flew, pottery molded by hand, an escape room and enormous box maze designed and built by campers, and so much more. All of this was happening while the kids were further deepening their preexisting friendships and making new ones. Kids from various and diverse backgrounds attended camp this summer, and they were encouraged to work together. We witnessed all of our campers enjoy the development of their friendships, new and familiar, each session this summer.

Counselor, Alison Jobe, assists campers as they create their own papier mache township. Each age group worked together to build their own unique town equipped with simple machines. This project was the highlight of the campers’ week as they learned the value of collaboration.

Lastly, our counselors surveyed the campers on things they like to do to ensure the activities planned aligned with their interests. Each camper was seen for who they are by considering their interests . If a camper didn’t like to dance, rather than force them to do it, we offered them another way to participate in the activity like being the DJ for the dance performance. This is just one example of how counselors encouraged and examined ways for each camper to feel valued for who they are, and contribute to the greater goals of the group. This didn’t go unnoticed by camper Nanozi who reflects, “I love how every week has a different theme! All the kids are recognized for the things they learned, not just for getting ‘camper of the week.’

Camp Skillz is not your ordinary summer camp. We took on a challenge this summer in having a camp in a very challenging time. The ability for everyone to be flexible and adjust to the different day to day camp requirements led to a wonderful summer for all involved. As the Camp Director, I can testify to the grace and favor of God during camp and according to the campers, it was one of the best summers ever, and I agree. It truly was an unforgettable summer.

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What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

-Romans 8:31