Newlyweds basking in the glow of love together experiencing all the newness of being first married, by yourselves, having your own place, thinking about the future, dreaming about the adventures you may have together... reminiscing about how you started dating, the first introduction by your sister, the spark and then the conversation goes…
Did you go to camp?
Yeah, I went to some Bible camp over in Wisconsin, called Wapo when I was about 13.
How about you?
WOW, so did I.
How old were you when you were there?
I think the same age, 13.
Was it in the middle of the summer, through your church?
Yes.
Do you remember the swimming test, having to swim out to the rope in the deep, or some swimming across the lake, I can’t remember what they won?
I sure do…
Do you have any pictures?
Not really, I am not sure where they would be. Maybe mom and dad would have them? How about you?
Just a couple, showing me hugging my youth group friends.
Do you think we were at camp together?
We, at LakeshoreDreams.com, recently spoke to Greg Anderson, Chairman of the National organization of Christian camps and conference centers, who is also a director of a camp near Battle Lake, Minnesota. Greg says in a typical summer he has over 350 churches represented at this camp. The gathering of our youth at a summer camp is the most comprehensive gathering of any formation or organization. It crosses genders, social status, race, church denominations, state lines, and countries.
I also had the honor of speaking with Sam Cote, of the well known Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake in Northern Minnesota on the subject of camps. Their family operation includes two camps, Camp Lincoln, a boys camp and Camp Lake Hubert, a girls camp. With the celebration of over 100 years of camping in their history, Cote is excited to continue impacting his 5th generation of campers. In fact he noted a recent study done in the State of Maine showed that the camps were the number one tourism resource in the entire state, indicating the impact of camps on the economy and the influence they have on our youth.
Pressures on Today’s camps
I asked Cote about the trends that he sees impacting camps. Immediately he mentioned that the next generation is “struggling with no camping experience”. Kids are not getting outdoors and parents are busy and preoccupied with schedules. They need to see camps as an alternative to fill the niche.
This trend is well documented in an international book titled, “Last Child in the Woods” by Dr. Richard Loew. It deals with the perceived syndrome of the Nature Deficient Child. You could tell Cote was well in tune with what he called the “depth of the experience of camp”, something he is striving to maintain with his over 30,000 alumni from across the world.
We had a YMCA camp that was for sale in Northern Wisconsin on the cover of the LakeshoreDreams.com magazine in August. It is a historical spot on the map that generated dreams that will impact generations. Due to funding and use of the camp it was now being put up for sale. Years ago, I had the opportunity to be involved in a lakeshore development which was previously used for a large Boy Scout camp in northern Minnesota. The property is now home to 13 lake home sites and a number of large acreage parcels, one with its own private lake. There have been other noticeably unique camps I have come across because of their history and the quality of the land being chosen for such beneficial use.
Today’s financial pressures require camps to be more efficient. Sometimes, having to make difficult decisions on cutting back programs, or more drastic measures, selling the camp. I applaud the Cote family for their belief in family to operate and maintain two camps for over 100 years that nurture the uniqueness of each gender.
Importance of a Temporary Community
What makes camps unique? I heard the word from Mr. Cote, a couple times, Intentionalism, creating a safe and sound environment with solid staff and executing great programs.
They are usually started by a single source, generally a club, a donation from a family or individual, a church, an organization interested in specializing in a certain discipline for sport, for training, or special interest. Different than a resort they are usually a non-profit entity with the purpose to advance the special interest they were founded on. There are also single gender camps, such as the Cote family operates.
The importance of the camps to the family’s make up is crucial. It is the ultimate training ground for the family. Individual to individual or family to family, the camp experience goes beyond the interest of a certain discipline needed for the individual, or child. A camp is a mind set as to how you operate your family, your home, your park experience.
There are many types of camps that people visit and experience. There are Sports camps, Language camps, Church camps, Environmental camps, Leadership camps, Wilderness camps, Boy and Girl Scout camps, boys and girls camps, and many more. In some way, they can be associated with retreats or special events such as quilting, beading, collecting, or again, family camps.
Camps are generally located in more rural areas. In the Midwest they are most often associated with lakes. Whether it’s a large lake or a private one, the up-north camp experience initiates personal growth in many aspects and it’s also fun!
Cote expanded the market for their family camps, Camp Lincoln and Camp Lake Hubert, which is impressive. More than 65% of their campers are from outside of the state and even from outside the country. Yes, only 35% of the campers are from Minnesota.
Ultimately, you want an environment that is comfortable, not associated with work and is away from your normal routine. Whether it’s your first time at a camp, or your tenth, you will have the freedom to enjoy yourself. Some have different yet familiar amenities so the experience may vary. Similar to the family cabin, resorts and campsites that you visit year after year, you know the atmosphere remains the same but it’s the adventure and personal fulfillment that keeps you coming back.
The Core
Anderson mentioned a Newsweek article written in July 2006, about camps. When a child goes to camp it “creates a significant statistical increase in a child’s spirituality”. The core of the camp experience is more unique than the experience of the amenities. Because most camps that have a youth interest have generational interests tied to it, you naturally go back to focus on the discipline, not the business model. People understand these interests, however, they do not readily communicate them. People want freedom, not discipline. Resorts have more inherent freedoms than camps. It sounds more relaxing, it sounds less controlling. But would parents be comfortable sending their kids to a resort? In essence, parents want the experience but understand that discipline needs to be the focus in order to further the development of their son or daughter. So the successful camp is not solely the experience; it is the discipline in the experience.
Benefit of Community
Anderson stated, “having the lakeside setting, the value of the camp experience and sharing the experience with others, is what creates the benefit of community.” Talking about kids and even families, “you are removed from the pressures of everyday to reshape and rethink values”
The camp concept is the base to the next generation, the next level in helping you and your family understand how to operate together in the world. As individuals we are impacted and influenced by separate camps throughout our whole lives: schools, relationships, jobs, hobbies, sports, church, etc. The family is a unique experience because it is a camp we are born into not influenced by. So, our interest is in how e use it and benefit from the members, not from a financial interest but from a relational interest. It’s an interest in understanding the talents and disciplines of who is in our camp.
In theory, camp is more about the vision of where you are going instead of the destination. If you like to go to Lake Superior in the fall and have an interest in the changing colors, you can choose to stay at a resort, a park, a campground, a hotel, a private home, etc. You have the opportunity to make your experience a disciplined one for the educational interests, the environmental interests, the relaxing comforts. You have that choice.
You need to be disciplined enough in the first place to go to Lake Superior. You may be missing out on warm water and sandy beaches elsewhere, but it’s the impact of the results that matter.
I have a dream
It is a dream to take the lakeshore experience to the next level. It is a dream to make sure individuals who have the passion and talents to effectively bring a legacy vision are provided the resources to make that happen. Lastly, it is a dream that starts with your own family camp, a cabin, a family gathering at the local beach, an organized volleyball game at your local school, the base to the next Generation.
We are constantly looking for more ways to effectively communicate within our families, from our own children to our brothers and sisters, to our parents, grandparents and extended relatives. I would recommend a camp experience. Try a camp or make “camp” within your own family.
