MTC Blog
Heavy Heart
Earlier today the phone rang at the camp office. An old staff, from the earlier years of MTC, Colby Hall, was calling to pass along some tough news. Dan Forman, MTC Staff Alum, Ropes Course Director, Trips Leader, Story Teller extraordinaire, had died. Dan was a very young and super healthy 46.
For those of us whose history with MTC dates back any time before the 2000’s, Dan was a good friend. For those of us (like me) who started working at camp in the mid 90’s Dan was a role model and guide to working with kids. His sense of humor, work ethic, and absolute commitment to always put campers first was obvious upon first meeting. Campers climbing Dan’s ropes course for the first time were made to feel comfortable and safe, yet capable of besting new challenges. Returning climbers arrived early and often, as ready for a bad joke or tall tale as they were to meet a new challenge. All left more confident, with possibly a mistaken understanding about the possibility of toe transplants…. For those who were lucky enough to accompany Dan on a hike to the most magnificent hill of all, Blueberry Hill, or a service trip to Acadia National Park, they would return to camp tired and with a new appreciation for the beauty of nature, and the value of a day in the sun.
Luckily for all of us, Dan’s MTC career was just one stop on the way to his most important work. Dan used his love of camp and his philosophy of outdoor learning to found a program in his beloved New Orleans called LOOP (Louisiana Outdoor Outreach Program – http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iLOOP-NewOrleans.aspx). Dan was aware of the multiple benefits for academic and social achievement that outdoor programming could provide. Indeed, his own life had been improved by summers spent at camps in Maine. He was also aware of the acute need for beneficial and unique programming for under-served youth in New Orleans. So he did what few of us do. He did something about it. Dan fought, for well over a decade, with his heart and soul, for something that he knew mattered. He knew theLOOP program could make a difference, and could reach kids who seemed out of reach, or who some may have seen as not worth reaching. Dan was different. He knew that every kid could be reached, and was worthy of his time and attention. To Dan, every kid mattered. It wasn’t easy for him, funding was always an issue. But the kids his program served didn’t know that. They just knew a guy who inspired them, who inspired his colleagues around him, to love nature, and to cherish the time we spend out in it, with each other. Since 2004, Dan and the program he started have served thousands of kids, and you better believe he made a difference in their lives. The ripple effect from this one mans life is too big to imagine.
Dan Forman leaves behind a big hole. He had big arms, and a bigger heart. I would say he wore his heart on his sleeves, but those were usually cut off. Regardless, you knew where Dan stood, and what he stood for. He was an advocate for kids, and for our environment. I’ll think of Dan when I hear that summer breeze sigh through the pine trees, when marveling at the perfect Maine night sky, or perhaps most importantly, laughing while watching (and quoting) old Simpsons episodes
No one should spend too much time thinking about their own end. Regardless, think about this. What do you want people to say about you when you’re gone? Dan lived his life to serve others, with humor, intelligence and authenticity (keepin’ it real!). The example he set has, and will continue, to inspire others. As it should.
Thanks Dan, for everything.
For more info on Dan’s legacy, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eEYGwOeKZw&feature=share http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/02/dan_forman_creator_of_outdoor.html
My first blog post in a long time. I have so much respect for all of you who write regular blog posts, it’s not always easy to find time. Regardless, Happy 2012 everybody. Lets hope for a happy, prosperous and healthy year for all concerned.
I wanted to write something today that was spurred by a conversation I had with a parent earlier this week. We were talking about her daughter, a former camper from several years back. She graduated from college two years ago and has since been working at her dream job. Without getting into the details, she travels, meets and knows fascinating people, and does important work for a global non-profit. I am sure she uses skills she learned at college frequently. I know she uses skills honed at summer camp every day.
The young lady in question attended MTC among other camps and summer programs. She was what we would call a “camper”. “Campers” – kids and teens who get camp, are identifiable on sight. They are confident, considerate, self-aware, and sociable, to name just a few traits. And here’s the thing. Campers are not born that way. They are the end result of endless hours of good parenting, of caring teaching and coaching, and optimally, a few summers at camp.
It has been noted elsewhere, and by far better writers, that camp has always filled a gaping hole in traditional school based education. Camp specializes in the “soft skills” that are hard to reach, impossible to test, and vital for a happy, successful life. Many camp staff, camp parents, and campers have noted the beneficial impact camp can have on such varied skills as resilience, leadership, team work and independence. Any former camper could relate endless stories pertaining to the boosts in confidence and formation of a real sense of self that camp engineers. But I think there has been something overlooked.
Transitions are, by definition, the most trying times in our lives. Leaving middle school for high school, leaving home for college, moving across country for work, selling a home – just reading this list turns my stomach a little. It can be argued that adolescence is the defining transition of ones life. Transitioning from childhood to adulthood is an adventure in every sense of the word. There is likely to be scares and thrills, painful defeats and joyful triumphs. The outcome is not guaranteed. And the outcome goes a long way to defining the adult that the child becomes.
I think that camp, and especially a camp like MTC, serves a unique and crucial role in this transition. A camp like MTC, a safe and welcoming haven from the tumult of the real world, can teach a “kid” how to handle transitions with grace and wit. The simple act of choosing and attending a camp where most people are strangers is a transition of epic proportions, and to succeed is to open a young mind to the possibilities of the world that await those willing to take a risk. The transition to a happy summer at MTC, at a critical time in a teens development, helps develop the skill of transitioning. And here’s the thing. Transition is just another name for opportunity (or, as Homer Simpson might say, crisatunity). Taking maximum advantage of every transition is a really smart thing to do.
The mother I spoke to shone with pride at the work her daughter was doing, work that involves constant movement, learning and problem solving. A rich life of transitions. No one would credit her success to her summers at camp/s – the hard work she and her parents have put in over twenty years get that credit. But part of that hard work involved camp. Disguised as a happy, relaxed summer amongst friends, its amazing the lessons that are being learned.
Back to School? Try not to forget too much….
As a camp director, you fall onto an odd part of the occupational spectrum. Sometimes you are a counselor coaxing a homesick camper back into the community, sometimes you are a plumber coaxing a reluctantly flushing toilet back into action. For all the hats you wear…human resource manager, cook, cheerleader, lawn guy…the one you wear always and most proudly is that of educator. Every camp director I know, myself included, consider themselves educators, and most of us have backgrounds in traditional education.
So, the start of the school year always brings a slight sense of ambivalence. On the one hand, it is great to see all the kids in the local community, and the wider camp community, getting back to it. On the other hand, the lessons they will learn over the next year are so vastly different from those being taught in camp – those lessons of the summer we fear will be forgotten. Indeed, how many of our campers and staff wistfully daydream in the closing days of the session for a year round camp experience? A wish probably best left unrealized, but the sentiment is very real nonetheless, and it recognizes that camp provides something that school cannot.
It’s not just my bias as a camping professional speaking either. A New York Times Wellness Blog last week hit home a fundamental piece of the camp experience. Tara Parker-Pope wrote about the larger lessons that schools no longer have the time to teach (link to her excellent piece here)
I found the whole article fascinating, but there are a couple of points that jump out. One is that the very skill set the author feels schools struggle to teach is the same skill set that camps excel at teaching. Resilience, focus (in the absence of digital distraction, camp has an unfair advantage here) and self-control/reliance among others. The very act of coming to a new camp environment and becoming part of a safe community teach these skills intrinsically. The rewarding of effort as well as results, and the ability to try something new without fear of failure have a value that is impossible to quantify. (Failure is a wonderful learning opportunity, but a horrifying grading event – sometimes it is best to try new things in a place that isn’t keeping score). Empathy and critical thinking skills, leadership and teamwork are all what organized camping has always been about. I am not so sure that the accusation that schools cannot address the skill sets is necessarily a new one either. The very fact that camping has been around for over 100 years certainly speaks to a need that came about long before No Child Left Behind.
In the end, it is not really a fair fight. School is imposed, and camp is a choice. School is standardized and mandated, and camp is an intentional community where we are free to focus on those skills we value, and disregard the rest. The author does not advocate camping as a remedy for these shortcomings – that is our job. She does point to the portion of the educational spectrum that is often overlooked by the wider world. Luckily, we are free to focus only on that portion, and thank our lucky stars every day that we don’t have an algebra test this week……
Bells and Friends
They say time flies when you’re having fun… but here at camp there is no time, there are only bells, bells that ring within a blink of an eye. How has it been already an entire session? How has an entire community of strangers become one of the single most treasured memories in my heart? I don’t know, and it seems as though I never will.
I was a camper here for five years and have finally returned to be apart of the staff… to be apart of the great group of people who make this place a bubble. Now, I have lived both sides to the story and I am still in awe at how different life functions within the perimeter of Maine Teen Camp. It takes years, back at home, to make a best friend: to trust, to care, to love. Here at camp it’s been only one session and I have yet again, met people I can’t imagine my life without. One month here is like a decade out in the real world and I believe it’s partially do to with the fact that we are all “unplugged.”
Without laptops, cellphones and electronics for our minds and thumbs to dance upon, we have no choice but to be present in camp. It’s a vacation away from more than just home; it’s a chance to be away from ourselves…
I have spent one month here, a month away from my daily routine, and I can already see a change in myself. I wake up to the sound of a bell, not the screeching beep of an alarm clock and by the time I’ve rubbed the sleep out of my eyes I’m laying down again for bed.
It seems like yesterday I was waking up to get ready and meet my campers, but today marks the last activity day of the session. How has it been already an entire session? How has an entire community of strangers become one of the single most treasured memories in my heart? I don’t know, and it seems as though I never will…
But There is No Place I’d Rather Be…
–Joe Mankowski (’05,’06,’07,’08,’09 & ’11)
Camper Arrival Day pt 1
The excitement in the air today is electric! Everyone is holding their breath waiting to hear the first cabin to be called. Will it be Bowdoin? Penthouse? All the counselors are waiting for their new campers. While waiting, we reflect on the experiences we had in the past week.
From the first introductions, we knew that we would have a good summer. However, over the course of the week we learned to love one each other and regard everyone as a family. Through the tests and trials of the ropes course and lifeguard training, to the grueling hours of work projects; our single goal was to get ready for every camper.
As Monique says every morning, “Good Morning Maine Teen Camp!” welcome, and get ready for an awesome summer in the Beautiful State of Maine.
–LO
How lucky we are!
Two weeks ago, Monique and my world changed fairly drastically. Our son, Tanner Rhodes, was born in the early morning of May 4th. A healthy, wiggly, happy little boy, we had been waiting to meet this little guy for a very long time. Now he is here, and we are feeling incredibly lucky, tired and very happy.
One aspect of the whole experience has added a wonderful depth to our happiness. That aspect is the outpouring of congratulations, expressions of joy and welcome, from the massive extended family that is the camp community. While we are always aware of the connections made at MTC, and how strong those connections are, it is not so often that these connections are mapped out. In the days and weeks since Tanner was born we have been simply inundated with well wishes from near and far. It is a clear lesson in what could easily be taken for granted – namely that our little corner of Maine, busy with the sounds of laughter for only a few months each year, is much greater than the sum of its parts. The friendships that are forged within the bubble of camp defy explanation – surely it should not be possible to form such strong and lasting bonds over a few short weeks, separated by years and oceans? Yet there it is, and for Monique and I this unique ability of camp has been brought into sharp focus over the last two weeks.
So we want to thank all of you who have contributed yourself, and your friendship, to this community over the years. We know how lucky our little boy is to have this community as his nursery, the village that will help shape him. Every camper, every staff has an impact on this community, which in turn will have a profound impact on Tanner. We know he will grow up a better and happier person as a result, and as such, we owe you all a big debt of thanks.
We can’t wait for this summer, and many more to come.
Peace, love, and sleeping babies.
Matt & Monique
The more things change…..
It is time for another installment in our occasional series of guest written entries to the MTC Blog.
Today we hear from Marilynn Cashmore – Maine Teen Camp summer Office Manager. Marilynn has been involved with camp for over 20 years, is a keen observer of human nature, is beloved by campers and staff alike, and among her many camp duties, wakes us all up every morning….
What’s more satisfying than ringing a bell that wakes up 200 plus teenagers every morning? As a mother of four adults who were once teenagers, I reflect on how useful the MTC camp bell would have been back in the years of my own sleep saturated teens.
Summertime bell ringing is but one of the diverse camp office tasks I’ve had the pleasure of engaging in at MTC for twenty-two summers.
My perspective of camp life is a broad and deep one. Age has its recompenses, not the least of which is the lengthening image in life’s rear view mirror. The question I’m asked most often about camp is about differences I’ve observed in MTC over the years. Technological changes are obvious (my first years, we had no computers); however, the question really being asked is, “How have teens changed over the decades?” My answer is, “Not much.”
I say this despite the changing findings of studies by adolescent behaviorists and the intriguing ongoing reports from neuroscientists. Here’s how I see seven key similarities of MTC teens over the years. (I post the following directly to the teens who will be reading this blog. All other readers are also welcome!)
You are a lovable and capable human. Some of you don’t know this yet, or find it hard to believe, but trust me, its true.
Your social contacts are important. True friends are hard won, so work hard to keep them! Be loyal, be honest, be there for your friends, and they will be there for you.
You have a sense of humor. This may be one of your greatest assets. Retain it!
You have a sense of right and wrong. Perhaps it’s based on a narrow range of experiences, but you know when something is right, and when it is not. Keep expanding your knowledge base.
You emulate role models. These models are apt to change as you change. Some of their influences will last your lifetime. Choose role models carefully, and evaluate them honestly. Hopefully, those will be the really positive ones.
You may want to follow a different drummer. Figuring out your “real self” is a lifelong, changing process. (Keeping your sense of humor helps!)
You are the future. This old mot runs counter to your “here and now” nature, but no matter how old we are, we are part of the future. That includes me. Long may MTC be in mine!
MC
In defense of Winter
Last Friday in Maine was a glorious thing. 70 degree weather in the middle of March. T-shirts and flip-flops were put on notice, and the winter jackets cast aside with hardly a glance or so much as a thank you. Then this morning appeared 3 inches of fresh snow. This week’s forecast: snow showers, cold, and windy. What to make of these mixed signals? Simply this – like every year, spring is taking its time. When it finally does arrive, well…there is nothing like it. The long, cold winter months will have given way to the bright, fresh air; the quiet solitude of the woods pushed aside by the rush of new life. It is an amazing time of year and it wouldn’t be possible without those cold winter months. In fact, for all the bad press it gets, we who love the summer in Maine owe winter a big debt of thanks. Let me explain…
Winter in Maine (like all northern states) is harsh. It can be unpleasant. It lasts a fairly long time. Snow clearing is a constant, as is the need for heat. The days are short, and the sunlight weak. These reasons drive a lot of people away from Maine, as they just prefer not to deal. What does this mean for the rest of us? Well, Maine is a massive state with a tiny population. Maine’s biggest city would be a suburb of most larger American or European cities. The upshot is that we get to keep massive amounts of land in pretty much the same condition as we found them. Natural. Undeveloped. Unpolluted. The clean air and water here are so good that they have near magical properties attributed to them (just ask the bottled water companies who ship millions of gallons of Maine water to the rest of the world each year). In other words, Maine offers perfect conditions for summer camping in harmony with the environment. Summer camp has always been a minimally impacting activity, and in turn, requires lots of space that has been minimally impacted. Unlike most every other place in well-populated North America, Maine has such undeveloped spaces in abundance, and the world’s best selection of summer camps to match.
Maine is lucky then, to have largely escaped the changes that we humans inevitably bring to every landscape we admire. That does not mean it is unchanged though. The geography and climate of Maine have shaped, without parallel, the perfect place to spend summers. Far enough north to avoid the oppressive heat and humidity of the Atlantic states (air-conditioned summer camp cabins? I don’t think so!), but not so far north as to lack a summer, Maine is temperate in the summer, after being very cold in the winter. The annual snow pack recharges the water supply, and fills the countless lakes to brimming with clean, fresh water. Lakes and hills created by retreating glaciers that are a constant visual reminder of the power of ice, and every dip into Stanley Lake’s spring waters is another thank you that we don’t need a chlorine filled pool to enjoy a swim. Our forests are shaped by the cycle of long, dark cold, and sudden, glorious warmth and sun to be tall, healthy, and abundant. So even before development pressures encroached on camp properties in more southerly states, Maine has always been the best choice for a summer camp location, again, thanks to the side effects of winter.
So why bother writing all this? Because we need to remind ourselves, after cleaning the snow from the car again, after finding and apologizing to the winter jacket, after watching another snowplow tear up a garden bed, that we who get to experience the sublime beauty of a summer in Maine are lucky to have a winter like this. If we didn’t have these winters, well, summer in Maine would become like summer anywhere else. And who would want to be anywhere else than in Maine this, or any, summer? Thanks Old Man Winter….now get outta here.
Why camp matters.
As part of our attempt to keep the entries on the teencamp.com blog a little more diverse and interesting, we will be posting some thoughts on camp from guest writers, mostly camp alumni – campers and staff alike.
Today’s guest, Max Jahn – MTC Camper ’96 – ’98, MTC Staff ’02, MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2011. As staff Max taught soccer, running, and Viennese Charm (the seed from which grew MIT Sloan’s Joie de Vivre club)…..
“When I was 14 years old, my parents sent me off to summer camp. I left my family in Austria and knew I would only see them eight weeks later, after a full summer at the Maine Teen Camp. I was not scared or afraid stepping on the plane but curious to venture into the unknown. I had followed the ascent of the Chicago Bulls and enjoyed the occasional chicken McNuggets at McD’s and now would finally get a chance to explore the New World.
Eight weeks later when I returned my parents picked me up from the airport, happy to see me. I was in tears. What happened? Tears of joy, triggered by overwhelming happiness to see my parents again? Well, while I get along very well with my parents and love them exuberantly, those were no tears of joy. They were tears of sadness. I had left “paradise” and was now back in the real world.
My time at camp had been the best time of my life. I am an athlete and started my days with a lakeswim across the lake before the breakfast bell officially announced the day. Between breakfast and dinner I took lessons in tennis, soccer, basketball, was instructed in photography and martial arts. Heavenly! The skills I learned in the classes were great but not what made camp special. What took it to a new level and turned camp into an important life lesson was that I came to a new continent, without knowing anyone, barely speaking the language. I had to start from scratch. It didn’t take long however for me to make new friends from around the world and to discover that my personality and style allowed me to quickly adapt to new environments. To see and experience the shared values of children from around the world was uplifting and special. The dances, treasure hunts, casino nights, open air movie nights, concerts…were all exuberant and 15 years later are still very much alive in my memory. I also learned to speak English and picked up enough Italian and French to give my mother a headache from singing Italian football songs back home.
Camp is also about the appreciation of diversity and inclusion. Diversity of nationalities, personalities and interests. What unites the athletes, musicians, artists and those that just want to have a chill summer, is a deep love for life, laughs and exploring different interests and passions.
I returned to camp for 2 more summers and later as a counselor. Camp has given me a confidence to deal with new situations that I would not have had otherwise, in all aspects of life. When I face a challenge or am down, I think of my magical childhood summers, which – in large part thanks to the Maine Teen Camp and the people that make it special – have been a source of endless energy, inspiration and happiness.”
MTC unplugged
As many of you already know, MTC operates on the site of the former girls camp, “Camp Hiawatha”, which was founded shortly after the First World War, during the first flourishing of summer camp culture in the US. At that time, it was recognized that children and adolescents needed a place apart from the rest of the world where they could be kids for a while – working on friendships, independence, identity and resilience in a safe place away from home. The world today is vastly different than it was back then, and if anything the need for a safe place for campers is greater today than it was then.
I think we will end up talking about the reasons why over and over again in this blog, but today I want to draw attention to a couple of recent articles that make this point in ways that resonate very honestly.
The first was this article in the NY Times a few weeks ago — read here. If you want the quick rundown, the article outlines the growing understanding that the very nature of play has changed drastically in the last few decades, and that unguided, child directed play time has almost disappeared. Little kids get scheduled and coached, older kids and teens have so much school-work and screen time that the idea of unguided “play” seems quaint and a relic of a lost age.
The second article, more of a press release, describes a study showing more kids under can operate a cell phone than swim or ride a bike — read here. Now, this is a little more sensational, not too many 4 year olds are going to challenge Michael Phelps or Lance Armstrong any time soon, but the point is loud and clear. Little kids spend too much time in front of a screen, not enough outside.
At this point, we need to ask the question – so? Of course kids spend more time in front of a screen now than they did 20 years ago, there was not as many screens there then. Your cell phone is far more computer than the massive main-frames that featured so prominently in wonderful 1980’s movies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/), access is approaching universal. As a society, we are more productive, and in many ways, wealthier. Information is free, communication is cheap or free etc, and etc.
These are all good things. But that doesn’t mean all the effects are good, as pointed out in the two articles quoted. There is increasing recognition that technology is now taking us places we are not ready for. The effects on the body are well documented (an obesity epidemic and chronic sleep deprivation, two very prominent and related symptoms), the effects on the mind not as well documented, but widely accepted and increasingly concerning (the most profoundly disturbing being the inability to concentrate). This is the short term impact, who knows what the 20, 30, 40 year effects will be.
Which, of course, leads us back around to camp. Camp has always served a special role in getting young people (staff count too) closer to nature, more in touch with themselves, their skills and areas of weakness, and their place within a community. As the opportunities for these experiences in wider society diminish, camp became more important than ever. Now we have the added responsibilities of reintroducing an offline lifestyle, (or in some cases, introducing an offline lifestyle for the first time), as well as allowing a space for fun, for play. That is, who is up for a game of roof-ball, or foursquare?
I’ll keep coming back to this idea in future blog posts, as it is now very apparent that these issues will shape the future of camping, directly or reactively.
For now, do yourself a favor. Go listen to the wind in the trees for a few minutes…..
