Category: Current News

The Value of Unplugging

Posted on by Alex

More and more the catalyst for unplugging from screens and technology comes from adults who see the tendency, or even the addiction, in their children to turn on screens during out of school time.  Even children are realizing that their draw to screens is an unhealthy habit.

Life is simpler without technology.

Camp  is a great opportunity to unplug, let go of the technological ties and hone 21st century skills. Not only is the actual unplugging valuable but knowing that you can survive when you put down your phone, tablet or gaming device is valuable to children gaining confidence in unplugging.  There is little conflict with detaching as everyone in the community is unplugged. Can you imagine going for weeks without even seeing a smart phone?

Face to Face contact and communication is a wonderful by-product of the unplugged experience, whether it’s working out differences on the gaga court or celebrating achievements on the tennis court or getting to know a new friend through friendly interaction around the cabin.  At camp adults and children of all ages have meaningful interactions throughout the day.

There is a plethora of research and scientific studies showing the detriment of too much screen time. School movie screenings of Screenagers is touring the country to help parents help students to navigating the digital world. Additional information in the film about screen habits of escape, anonymous behavior, attention-seeking is also mind bending. Film director Dr. Ruston’s blog helps parents with ongoing education and support in their families  including but not limited to addiction, pornography, self-control, ideas for after school activities, conversations on health and mental health, discussion about college and more.

What we know is that Camp Runoia is an organic screen-free zone. After a couple of days of adjustments to not having smart phones campers feel relieved to be unplugged, it is a relief to not have to keep up with social media or group texts and feel present and connected to other people at camp.

Sharing achievements with friends at Camp Runoia.

Join us today for a summer experience that allows your daughter to drop the phone and find a friend.

Why I work in Maine when I live in Oregon

Posted on by Pam Cobb

“Why do you work in Maine when you live in Oregon?” is a question I get fairly often. Between coworkers asking if I’m from somewhere on the East Coast, or if I have family there, or if my mom thinks I’m going to end up moving there, Maine comes up a lot.

If you had asked me a few years ago where Maine was, or the capital, or even if it snows there, I probably would not have been able to tell you. (Yes, I do know these things now.)

I found Runoia when I was looking for a “traditional” camp. The year before I had spent my summer at a day camp with British military kiddos in Germany, and the year before that I had worked at another day camp with kids from the American military in South Korea. After spending a few years in unorthodox camps, I was looking to stay in the US in 2017 (granted Maine is the farthest away from Oregon I could have been).

I had a few ideas of what I was looking for. I wanted a sleepaway camp, I wanted something that worked with my summer break dates since I was still in college, and I wanted a camp that had been open more than 50 years.

Not a very extensive list. I wanted traditions, things that people maybe couldn’t even remember why they started (Pigtail Friday or Hawaiian shirt Monday anybody?)

but were still very present at camp. This was the most important factor to me, since other camps I’ve worked at were relatively new or were still figuring out their own identities. I essentially became a first-time camper myself as I combed through the internet, squirreling out all the information about a camp that I could find.

After the longest weekend ever, I was down from 280 camps across the eastern United States to three that all seemed like good fits. I applied to all three, Runoia being the first one to respond back. I was on the phone with Alex in under 12 hours of applying, and that is not an exaggeration. The second camp and I had a Skype interview, but when I told them I didn’t have a driver’s license they told me I didn’t have a job with them. The third camp and I played phone tag for three days until I gave up on them. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, Runoia sounded great from the phone interview and everything I found online, so the fates had made the decision for me.

And Runoia was great! Driving up to the camp for the first time was just wonderful, and the amount of information and history that I got on day one was more than enough to make sure that I chose the right camp. There were similar elements from other camps that I’ve loved in the past, too, like family style dining, field trips offsite, singing songs, and Runoia seemed like a place I could really invest in. I can’t tell you what specifically got me “hooked” on Runoia. If it was the towering trees or the time by Great Pond, or the expectation that if this is what I could do in my first year, what could I do next year? I was sad, to say the least, when we started to pack camp up. How could it be over already?

After camp I got to spend time back in Oregon with my mom, experiencing what many campers probably feel after camp: being camp-sick. I was trying to decide

Ruby enjoying our Sunday Morning Pajama Breakfast

if I was going back to Runoia in 2018 and my mom basically laughed at me and said, in my sad state, that I had already made my decision.

 

In addition to building my own life long skills in basket weaving at Runoia, I continue to work with girls who, I think, really just need their own space and time to find themselves! I know I needed that when I was younger, and I’m glad that I can be someone that kiddos can look up to.

Oh no, now I’m campsick again.

Ruby

Girls only!

Posted on by Alex

Single gender or co-ed? how do you choose the right option?

Many prospective families are curious as to what makes an all-girls, overnight experience special or at least different to a co-ed camp.  Single gender camps have long been a tradition in youth camping.  The majority of the earliest programs were established just for boys or for girls only.  We imagine that back in 1907 when Ms. Weiser and Ms. Pond were establishing Camp Runoia for Girls it was likely highly frowned upon for boys and girls to be camping out in the Maine woods together!  We relish our long and strong tradition of girls attending sleep away camp in Maine and primarily being led by women.

A history of female leadership.

So why do girls enjoy a single gender experience? Many Runoia campers welcome a change in dynamic from their co-ed schools.  Often girls will say that they can be themselves at camp.  They enjoy not feeling any pressure to look or dress a certain way.  At camp the playing field is even and all opportunities are available to everyone.  There are no gender specific activities and the prevailing sense is that girls can do anything.  With the majority of the staff also being female there are many different types of role models and the opportunity to learn from slightly older young women who are in college.

Once you pass the Camp Runoia gate you’ve made a little date with fate.

There is a perfect camp fit for every child and a myriad of options to choose from. Focusing on your child’s strengths and personality traits rather than the perception of what a ‘perfect’ camp may be will help to narrow down those choices.   Your old summer camp that you attended 30 years ago may be perfect for the next generation or they may be better suited to a different opportunity.  Knowing where your child will thrive best and then asking questions to see if the camps you are choosing will be a good match is crucial to everyone’s happiness.

We are always happy to chat about what makes Runoia a special place for girls to grow and you can check out our philosophy on our website.

Rules and regulations

Posted on by Alex

Once you have narrowed down your camp search it is great to delve a little deeper into the operations management of the organization.  Be prepared to ask some specific questions about how the management ensures the safety of it’s campers and the reliability of it’s programs. How are the camps that you are interested in sticking to the rules and regulations that are in place to effectively ensure that the camp is safe and credible?

Operating a seasonal summer camp isn’t just all swimming in the lake and s’mores around the campfire there are a number of agencies that govern how camps are managed particularly focusing on the health and safety of the children and staff. In Maine camps must be licensed through the State  and there are a series of State laws that govern basic operations along with minimum standards required to get a license and operate as a youth camp.

Safety should always come first. Camp Runoia girls are well prepared for their adventures.

A camp may meet the basic State standards but then there are also best practices in the camping profession.  The American Camping Association is the national governing body for youth camping and it has it’s own established set of guidelines for ensuring consistent quality in the programs that it oversees.  This ACA Accreditation has been a long tradition at Camp Runoia.  Not only have we maintained our compliance since the 1960’s we also have many years of being visitors and experiencing the opportunity to check out other camp programs.  This reciprocal peer process is a great learning opportunity for both parties and allows sharing of ideas and best practices from a wide variety of programs.  Our programs are designed around the ACA standards of best practice and we strive to operate above and beyond any minimal standards.

Once you’ve narrowed down your camp search and checked out some great websites talking with the Camp Director initially by phone then ideally in person at a home visit or camp tour is next for getting your questions answered.  This great Newsweek article helps define a little more why asking the right questions is important and the value of choosing a camp that has been accredited by the ACA.

If you are still wondering if overnight camp is the right choice for your child check out this short video about the impact of camp in a child’s development ‘the impact of camp lasts forever’

As always give us a call or shoot us an email if you want to chat more about camp for your child, we love helping families to find the best fit.

New years resolutions – realistic attainable goals!

Posted on by Alex

Did you make resolutions for 2019?

At this time of year conversation often turns to what resolutions people are making for the New Year.  A fresh start as the year changes fills us with a new sense of purpose and commitment.  Gym membership’s increase as health, fitness and weight loss goals usually top people’s lists.  Sadly as we often know too well once February rolls around the best laid plans have often fallen by the wayside as the reality of life sets in and our commitment was really just on paper with little passion for it in our hearts.

Try something new or improve on something that you already find engaging.

While having a bucket list of things you want to accomplish in the next year can be exciting, setting realistic attainable goals may be far more rewarding and lead to more gratification. Check out this article for creating your own SMART goals. Perhaps we don’t need to do something completely new in 2019 because honestly even suggesting that I’m going to go to the gym 3 times a week is just laughable!  A re-commitment to an activity that makes us happy or continued participation in a class or group that we enjoy or even just agreeing to meet a friend once a month for coffee may be enough.

There are so many great activities to try at Camp Runoia.

Why start something new when repeating experiences has great value?  As we know from repeated overnight camp experiences at Camp Runoia , solidifying skills and building on relationships, embracing the familiar and allowing ourselves to be in a comfortable place allows us all to grow.  We work with campers each summer to set new goals and focuses for their camp experiences.  Even though the location may be the same each season is always different  and has it’s own unique challenges and successes.

 

 

 

Maybe we don’t need a fancy list of resolutions just a focus on what engages us in the present makes us happy and helps us to continue growing as a person.  We hope that a Camp Runoia summer is on your daughter’s bucket list and look forward to helping her to achieve her goals.

We are excited for our 2019 Camp Runoia season and wish you all a very Happy New Year.

res·o·lu·tion
noun
a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Love, Happy, Peace

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Merry, joy, love, happy, peace. Words oft used around the holidays, be it on holiday cards, signs, or said aloud to others within greetings and expressions. My blind guess would be that December comes in at the top of the list if there were some obscure ranking in which certain months of the year are then most tied to these lovely words. That top-ten list is not one to be found on the Travel Channel or the Weather Channel anytime soon, but you can picture the idea.

However, there is a place I know where these words are truly befitting, and the setting is smack dab in the middle of summer. As Jai Cobb Kells’ husband and Pam Cobb’s son-in-law, I get a front row seat to the magic of Camp Runoia. As a father of three daughters, two of which attend Camp Runoia during the summer months, I get a veritable look behind the curtain.

I’m at Runoia on weekends during the summer, and my duties usually entail hanging out with our youngest daughter Frannie, who is a spirited two-year old.

Frannie!

She has a yearning to explore and a propensity to run off in glee as fast as her little legs will carry her, typically with me chasing behind. We are frequent visitors all over the camp grounds, constantly seeing the beauty of children who are in the present moment, full of life. Is there a better place to be? Frannie and I find ourselves at the waterfront, where campers are laughing, swimming, singing, making bracelets, braiding hair, hugging, and learning water activities. Words like merry and happy are easy descriptions to any observer. We find ourselves in the dining hall, where the waves of joy and energy come over and through the tables again and again like infinite waves on a shoreline. We find ourselves in the communal Lodge reading books, playing piano, and soaking in the rich Runoia history with other campers. We find ourselves adventuring to the archery pavilion, or hanging out in the graceful presence of the horses in the fields, watching girls learn to harmonize their energy. We’re often found trying to hit a badminton birdie around with laughing campers, or climbing the tree house, or trying to find the biggest tree in sight, or holding the bunnies.

Camping at camp

Behind it all, the omnipresent feelings of peace and love are often what I notice most. Of course, as a parent, I notice different things now than I did when I was camper age, but these are the big ones nowadays. Peace, love, joy, genuine happiness – this is the good stuff. These are the emotions that bring vibrant color to a child’s life, last indefinitely, and ensure hopeful futures. Like Camp Runoia, these qualities instill a belonging in the universe…so it makes perfect sense that they are found there and exist together. And where / when everything and everybody belongs, no matter what, then everything is to be loved.

To be part of a setting that organically provides that very concept, I am truly grateful…and merry!

Jesse Kells

The Value of the Camp Experience

Posted on by Pam Cobb

My nine year old daughter is starting to have more sleepovers this year, and I realized her courage about sleepovers and skills about respecting other peoples’ space or room, came from living in a group setting at Runoia.

At Runoia one of the many life skills campers learn is how to live with a group of people and how to work with a bunk mate. Learning how live in a communal living environment isn’t something you learn without living it out in real life. You have to actually do it to get good at it! Learning the skills needed to be patient with your roommate, or respect someone’s space before their first day of boarding school or college is a gift camp provides.

Some children who go to camp have never had to share a room with others. Camp provides the lessons through counselors’ gentle reminders of “respect others” or “think of others”. On the first night of camp individuals of each cabin group sign a community contract, making sure the ideas and goals on how to respect people’s personal space, our camp, the environment and each other are shared.  Cabin groups, with their counselors’ guidance, refer to the contract when they need a boost about living together.

The night owls learn to keep things quiet after the lights go out, and girls who are up before the “wake up bell” learn to respect people still sleeping. Campers learn to do their chores and feel a sense of accomplishment leaving their clean cabin for the day.

Some peoples’ perception of summer camp is that it’s just about learning how to horseback ride or pass a swim level (and of course these things are an amazing part of summer camp). However, there are life lessons learned from the moment they wake up in the morning and throughout the day about sharing space, respecting others and learning how to live in harmony with others. Camp Runoia provides life skills at their best.

Jai Cobb Kells – Assistant Director Camp Runoia

 

The Camp Decision – Is it Time? And Which Camp?!

Posted on by Pam Cobb

After a lot of thought… discussions… reading every parent blog online … multiple calls to friends who had gone away to sleep-away camp, we finally decided to send Mati to camp.   She had never slept away from home at anyone’s house, so it was quite a decision-making process.

Researching and Deciding Was Intense!

Once we made up our mind, all the fun began.  Matilde was turning 9 and was leaving for three weeks to Maine.   She was so excited!   Not once during her 3-week stay, nor any time before, did she ever feel sad.  Quite the opposite!  Matilde absolutely loved her camp experience and hasn’t stopped talking about it since!  She discovered the carefree joy of friendship, crafts, sports, playing, singing, all within the most beautiful setting possible. She also learned responsibility with her daily chores and appreciated the comforts of home (air conditioning).

By far a great gift for any girl :).  So much was new; so much was fun!

Today we are happy to be able to send our youngest daughter along this summer as well.

Julián & Andrea Gómez

Thinking about Camp in 2019?

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Natalie Dresdow, Camp Runoia CIT and returning for her 10th summer, shares insights and her thinking about the conscious decision of returning to camp:

Natalie as Willie Wonka with Izzy and Sofia in the camp play

As we’re into the holiday season, soon to be the new year, all of us are spending quality time with our family and friends to celebrate. Personally, I’ve been spending time with my new friends, my family, and my horse.

Some of us haven’t stopped thinking about camp since August or maybe just started to think about next summer. CIT’s have applied, and staff and campers are starting to ask themselves “do I want to go back to camp?” And you might think you don’t want to go back. You’ll be thinking to yourself, you have your family and friends at home that you’re gonna miss, and you’ll miss opportunities at home. Perhaps you think about camp and remember those first few days that were tough, a small disagreement with a shackmate, or something that was hard to do the first time, like getting up on the windsurfing board or making a bowl on the pottery wheel.

    On Top of the World

But as the time gets closer to camp, you’ll probably change your mind. You’ll remember how the lake feels every day when you get in for swim lessons, your first bullseye in archery, the exhilarating feeling you get when you’re riding for your blue or white team in the horse show. You’ll remember your shack trip, whether you canoed to Oak Island or climbed Mount Katahdin. Most of all, you’ll remember all of your friends at camp. You’ll remember the first day you met them and the last night when you’re sitting together, listening to the staff sing.

2019 will be my 10th summer at camp and I can’t imagine spending it anywhere else. There have certainly been ups and downs each summer. I’ve had bumps and bee stings on trips, missed the target more times than I can count, and experienced hurt feelings when my friends and I disagree. But those are all temporary and far eclipsed by the memories and friendships I’ll have for a lifetime. Camp has taught me perseverance, self-reliance, and that the journey is just as important as the goal.

Giving Tuesday – be the change

Posted on by Alex

I’m sure that on this Giving Tuesday you have been bombarded with emails and Facebook requests from your favorite nonprofits and charities asking for your donation to make a difference to their organization.  Our alumnae organization the CRAO is always thrilled to receive donations at any time of year.  The money they raise supports our camper scholarship program.

Mass giving produces amazing results as we know that many people giving just a little can add up to a lot which has a significant impact.

We are excited to announce that for our Holiday giving this year we will be making a Camp Runoia donation on behalf of our campers and staff to World of Change.  Every year for holiday gift giving we pick an organization that is aligned with our philosophy and which supports a community that is relevant to us.  We are thrilled this year to donate to World of Change and will continue our giving through the summer so start saving your change now!  There will be change collections at camp during drop off and pick up days and ongoing for our staff.

Did you know that: “There’s an estimated $10 billion in loose change sitting idle in American households – an average of $90 per household not being put to use. Another estimate calculates $62 million in spare change is discarded every year. World of Change® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which uses a series of ongoing matching challenges and grassroots fundraising efforts to mobilize and leverage this collective capacity.”  https://www.worldofchange.world/

If all of our families, alumnae and staff found just $50 in loose change around their homes and offices  we could potentially donate over $20,000!  A number of Maine Camp Experience summer camps are joining this cause and hoping that together we can collect a significant amount of money much of which stays right here in our local communities.

You truly can be the change that you want to see in the world.  Have a scavenger hunt around the house and see who comes up with the most loose change!

If you are inspired to be a change maker – donate directly to World of Change.