The end of this session really crept up on me. I found myself surprised to realize we are in our last full day. The girls got an early start hanging team banners across main camp, and team games are fully underway. Banquet and Final Campfire are ahead.
I am often asked how children have changed over the years of my career. I am not sure I would describe what I have seen as belonging solely to our children. I am more interested in how our children navigate the external influences in their lives. I believe the past four years of the pandemic highlighted the influence of living on-line in the varied worlds of electronic communication and social media. I wrote earlier about social media providing passive entertainment instead of us actively participating in events with others.The filters of social media have constructed unrealistic echo chambers. We are able to stay in a single lane that may leave us feeling inferior or superior to others. We need to help our girls realize the importance of their own decisions and choices. We need to stay close as they navigate their way through what they see and hear. Daily acts of kindness and consideration are harder to find as we are exposed to more divisiveness, criticism, and judgment.
Coming to camp is the complete opposite to those experiences. As travel journalist Jeff Jenkins said, “Life begins where your comfort zone ends.” I often tell people that if I wanted to be comfortable, I would have never been a camp director. Instead, I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished at Keystone in our 107 seasons and the many girls who have been positively impacted by their time here. We are not immune to the influences of the outside world, but we work to mitigate the strife and struggles.
We work to form one community of girls for the time they are with us. In order to accomplish this, we expect each person at camp to treat each other with respect, trust, consideration, and thoughtfulness. Life in the cabin requires sharing space, negotiating schedules, respecting differences, and working together to achieve goals. This can be a big ask for some, but with effort and support, we can get there. I so remember the difference in my freshman year college roommates. One had been to camp, one had never shared a room with another person. Needless to say, the other camp alum and I were able to navigate one half of the room with our bunk bed and one closet, while our other roommate struggled in her half (with her own closet).
I do worry that we have spent so much time alone in recent years, we have forgotten to consider the impact of our actions and decisions on others. Group living always has its challenges, but those are eased by courtesy and consideration. “Please” and “Thank you” go a very long way. If we are not thoughtful in our communications, words can become weapons. When they are fired off online, you avoid dealing with the immediate impact your words are having on another person. At camp, the impact is immediate and in real time. We remind our girls of the simple courtesies. We want them to think of the next person. We work to teach our girls how to confront the hurt feelings and work through the impact. We also challenge them to find a more positive way of interacting and resolving conflict.
It is so important that our girls understand they are part of something larger than themselves. This is true in every aspect of their lives. Here we count on them to show up and participate. There are things they are asked to do that contribute to the success of their cabin, their team, their age group, and Keystone as a whole. At home, I hope they have chores that you count on them to do so they can realize the role they play in supporting their family; they are an essential and necessary contributor. At school, they may be a member of a club or team where they have an important role to play. In their faith community, perhaps they serve others learning responsibility and empathy.
As we know, no girl is an island. We need each other. We need the social and emotional relationships of camp, home, school, and our community. These are active relationships requiring participation on both sides. We cannot passively receive a relationship. Tremendous growth occurs at camp. It is important to stretch ourselves, to challenge ourselves, to expose ourselves to new experiences, and to new people. We must remain open to opportunities as they present themselves to us. We are always a work in progress, and I, for one, am grateful for that. I continue to learn about myself and others every year.
Our experiences in life shape us. However, our destiny is not solely up to chance. We have choices along the way. We want our Keystone Girls to choose twice; once for themselves and once for their community of others.
Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become character. Watch your character; It becomes your destiny.
