How did you hear about Friends Camp?

I grew up Quaker, going to Quaker meetings, yearly meeting, and retreats, and I heard about Friends Camp through those. I think I started going to camp when I was like 7 or 8 or 9…I don’t really remember!

When did you know you wanted to be a counselor?

I knew camp was a really special place growing up, and I didn’t want it to disappear from my life when I got older. I actually was a counselor at another camp when I was still a camper at Friends Camp, so I had experience, and I just love camp!

What was your favorite part of being a counselor?

I think my favorite part was the things you don’t plan for, you know, interactions that happen in the pine grove or during electives or in the Meetinghouse making art. All those small moments.

Do you remember an activity that you ran that you really liked?

Another counselor, Alex F., and I ran a wereporky-related scavenger hunt during Jones. It was awesome but also a total mess. We said the mac and cheese pancake recipe had been stolen and we took the campers on a scavenger hunt to get it back.

Do you have memories of particular days or moments at camp that were really special?

One from when I was a camper was “Box Day.” It was special day and the theme was boxes. It started pouring when we were at waterfront and there was wet cardboard everywhere so we just started playing with the cardboard and doing yoga in the water as it rained. So much fun! Then one thing that comes to mind from when I was a counselor is when kids would come up to me and tell me they wanted to use they/them pronouns. I liked having serious conversations with campers, or as serious as they can be at that age, you know, things that are serious for a kid. That was really special.

What do you feel like you learned from working at camp and how do you feel like you carry it into other aspects of your life?

Working at camp is definitely draining, it stretches you thin in a really beautiful way, and is a reminder that child care is absolutely a full time job. I think that from this I learned leadership skills, how to take initiative to make projects happen and how to lead groups of people. Friends Camp definitely helped me with being comfortable with all of that. I also think that I learned that it is ok to show humility, and that it’s ok to ask questions when you don’t know the answers. In showing that it is ok to make mistakes, kids learn that it’s ok for them to make mistakes too. I definitely carry that with me from Friends Camp.