Back to Camp... Camp is a Launchpad for Future Changemakers
Tues, December 9, 2025
Here's what I've been thinking about over the past couple of days:
Camp isn't just fun. It's a launchpad for future changemakers.
How do I know this? Before last summer I interviewed more than 30 former campers to join our staff team as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT).
Here's what I learned:
Mabel wants to work in Public Policy to make positive change. She saw the CIT program as being the first step in how to work with people from many different backgrounds. She also tutors elementary aged kids in a math homework Club.
Noam used camp as a tool to redefine himself. He told me that he is working on making himself more rounded, not just a stereotypical soccer player. He volunteers at a Hebrew School in his neighborhood and has started playing the piano.
Alicia wants to be a doctor and volunteers at a hospital where she gets to shadow healthcare professionals. She told me that she doesn't always see the good things about herself, and that her time here as a camper has really helped her to grow and see her best qualities.
I can tell you something incredible about all of the kids that we hire as CIT's (I'm old enough to be able to call them kids). Not just incredible, but like, full body goosebumps incredible.
Here's why - I've watched them grow up here. I've seen them turn from awkward tweens to inspiring role models. I've seen them be a voice for the friend that they just made and I've seen them take the hand of a 5 year old day camper and help them into a canoe.
Time at camp is the Best Investment a parent can make in their child.
For many, summer camp is a place of discovery, growth and unforgettable memories. But for those who return year after year, camp becomes something even deeper.
Deep Growth takes time
Just like learning a language, or mastering an instrument, developing the social-emotional skills that lead to lasting impact requires repetition and reinforcement.
Child psychologist and author of Homesick and Happy, Michael Thompson sees camp as a long term resource.
"Resilience, independence, and leadership aren't learned in a week. They are built over time, through repeated opportunities to take risks, fail safely, and try again"
When campers return summer after summer, they revisit familiar challenges - but with new tools and a stronger sense of self.
We see younger campers look up to returning campers. Then we watch those returners grow into mentors, and eventually, leaders.
Relationships Get Stronger - And More Meaningful
With each summer, relationships deepen - not just with bunkmates, but with mentors, nature and purpose.
"Camp gave me friends, but coming back gave me a second family. I didn't just grow - I became someone my younger self would look up to" - Amanda, 5th-year camper
Long-term campers often describe camp as a safe haven - one of the few places they feel fully seen and accepted. That emotional safety fuels their willingness to step up, speak out, and take ownership of their values.
Long-Term Campers Become Leaders
By their third or fourth summers, many campers naturally transition from participants to role modes. They become theme day team captains, LEADs, guides to first year campers, and they bring bold ideas to life.
"Leadership is not something you teach once - it's something you cultivate. Summer after summer, camp provides that space." - American Camp Association
At Camp Sloane, returning campers are taking home more than fun and friendships in their backpacks. The leadership that they develop here ripples outward, influencing their schools, families, and communities.
One of the most powerful things we witness is how-long-term campers begin to see themselves not just as individuals, but as changemakers.
That mindset doesn't happen overnight. It's the result of years of trust, courage, and purpose - values that deepen with each return.
Investing in the Long Haul
If your camper loved their first summer, imagine who they might become after their second, third, or fifth. Returning to camp each summer isn't just about nostalgia - it's about deepening growth, nurturing leadership, and solidifying a lifelong commitment to impact.
Want to learn more about how kids can grow over time with us - we'll see you in Summer 2026
Rhino
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Next Blog Post
Back to Camp... It’s in the Quiet Moments
A parent recently said to me that when she asked her teenage camper what the best part of camp was, he always answered, ‘the times I get to just talk and hang out with my friends, mostly when we’re walking between activities’.
Maybe that surprises you. To me though, it makes perfect sense.