I am curious how many of you attended summer camp as a child or teenager! Did it have any impact on your current love of the outdoors? What was your summer camp experience like? Did it empower you to get out and explore? Did you conquer any fears? Learn new skills! Dish it all out!
YES TO ALL OF THAT. I went to summer camp for roughly 15 years. It was a YMCA sleep-away camp in Big Bear, CA, called Camp Whittle. I started as a camper, and by the end, I was one of the Directors. It directly impacted my life/career. After I phased out of camp (moved away from CA), I got more jobs with the YMCA in other states and kept working in outdoor education. I am a firm believer in the summer camp model and think it can be a fantastic learning experience.
Photo Gallery of Camp Whittle here
If you're on IG, you can check out Camp Whittle here
All the photos are bringing back such fond memories!
Great topic starter, @sararuth333
I never did, but I think it would have helped me a lot when it came to that "18-year-old kid having to make adult decisions" phase of my life. I originally went to college for Journalism because I didn't realize something like Outdoor Leadership was even an option. So, my path down the Outdoor Leadership road was set back a few years while I tested out college the first time around, left, traveled, etc. before finding a path that was better suited to me and my interests.
I wouldn't change a thing, but I can say that if I had had summer camp experiences as a kid, I may have shaved a few of those exploratory years off and gotten right into the thick of outdoor professionalism earlier in life.