It hasn’t yet been a month since Runoia waved “see you later” to its last camper of the summer, and we already are dreaming of ” take me back to canoes and paddles.” I know this because I myself am drifting toward daydreams of Great Pond, and because we’ve had dozens of campers already sign up for camp 2023!

But rather than back to canoes and paddles, our campers and so many of our staff are back to their books. With Labor Day now past, the last of our campers will be making their way back to school in the next few days while others are already in the groove.

Luckily, so many of our campers and staff also read their way through countless books this summer, and kept their brains active by problem-solving, building social and hard skills, and working up a strong work ethic that will carry them through the next ten months. You might be surprised to realize just how often school skills show up at camp – memorizing lines, measuring for cuts, learning songs. Camp skills are life skills are school skills!

With so many of our campers and staff college-bound, their camp skills will be handy from first search to graduation day. From college essays, choosing a school, or preparing for your first year, camp prepares us for it all. Olivia said it perfectly in 2018: “My experiences at Runoia have come to life so often during my past three years at Colby. I make every effort to engage in outdoor activities, to form deep friendships, and to have confidence in my classes the same way I grew confidence solo skippering for the first time.”

Even for our friends who are not returning to school but may be going back to work or job hunting, camp skills translate uniquely on a resume and in interviews. Campers who move up through our leadership structure to complete our CIT program, a junior-counselor year, and eventually become a counselor will emerge with resume-worthy skills, connections, and countless examples of experiences of hard-work, communication, and collaboration.

Wherever post-camp life takes you this year and beyond, we are confident that your camp skills will help you make it where you want to go!