Sitting at a very quiet MTC, 2 days post-staff departure, still picking up the mountains of lost and found from summer 2024, it is a little hard to think ahead to 2025. After all, the summer of 2024 was profoundly special - a much needed oasis of connection, humor, love and calm apart from a world that is sorely lacking in those qualities. The tendency is to engage in reflection and nostalgia, to tell the stories of what has just been. And we will do that, no doubt.
However, we also have the exciting challenge of preparing for 2025, that starts the day 2024 campers leave. We've already started much of this work, engaging with staff members helping them figure out their "real world" plans to ensure those plans include another summer at camp.
We're laying out the work that needs to happen this Fall to make sure next Spring is productive and camp is ready to shine on arrival day 2025.
We're following up with parents and campers, learning what worked and what didn't in summer 2024, to constantly improve and optimize what we do.
Three of the most important decisions we've made about 2025 have been the result of much discussion.
First, and most importantly, is a change in the fundamental structure of camp that has been an ongoing question since the founding of MTC. What is the correct starting age for a teen camp? When MTC was started, 40 summers ago, the easiest answer was 13. It's right there in the name. But it's kind of an arbitrary number. There isn't a switch that gets flicked the day of your 13th birthday.
So even back in the mid-80's, it was widely recognized that adolescence (aka the teenage years) began earlier than 13. And adolescence is what MTC is fundamentally about. We are a camp for adolescents, designed around adolescent developmental needs, social patterns, circadian rhythms, need for independence AND support, desire to find meaning, and establish an identity.
So with that in mind, we are finally moving our starting age to 12 or entering 7th grade. We've heard from parents, from campers, from mental health professionals and educators, and from other camp professionals. A camp that invites adolescents to try camp for the first time, or move to a new camp without fear of cliques or social exclusion is unique, and should be available to all adolescents. So spread the word - MTC is now for 12 - 17 year old's.
The second big decision we've made for 2025 is to push back the calendar. Obviously this is something that needs to happen once every several years. This summer we opened on June 22/23. Next year the "equivalent" date would have been June 21/22, which would have been the earliest opening date in MTC history. This also would have been a week earlier than a majority of school districts in NY, MA, VT, and CT end their academic year, as well as many other districts on the East Coast. It would have been almost 10 days earlier than many schools in Western Europe release for the summer. Given the number of campers who come to MTC from these areas, it made the decision for us. So for summer 2025, MTC will begin on the weekend of June 28/29. This does a couple of things for us. It helps us avoid late arrivals to the First Session. It also gives us more time in the best part of the summer. Maine in June has tended to be hot, humid, wet and buggy over the last several years. August has been much milder, drier, less humid, and almost bug free.
We recognize that this date is hard for some of our families for southern states, and essentially denies them the opportunity to attend the full Second Session, given that many schools in southern states are returning to class by August 10th. We hope those families can attend our First Session. If dates present a challenge to you for summer 2025, please contact us. We'd love to chat about it.
Finally, a quick word on pricing for summer 2025. If you are a returning camp family, you will note we have tried to keep our prices closely in line with 2024 prices. We did increase prices between 2022-24 to keep pace with inflation, but recognize that camp is now a pricey proposition. We try to offset the price increase for returning families with early enrollment discounts, and we endeavor to keep camp affordable for as wide an array of families as possible with sibling and alumni discounts, Public School Teacher/EMS/RN/Active Military discounts, and need based camperships.
All that said, it's time to go for a swim....
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