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Celebrating Runoia’s Camp Siblings

Posted on by Colleen O'Malley

Here at Runoia, we like to describe ourselves as a down-to-earth family camp – and what’s more family-oriented than attending camp with your sibling? This past Sunday was National Sibling Day here in the states, and it got me thinking of camp siblings – both the magic of attending camp with a blood relative, and making unrelated #summersiblings along the way.

I personally know the feeling of camp years spent with my sister and the fun and strength it brought to our relationship and friendship. Camp was formative for both of us, and experiencing it together only amplified that. To be honest, my sister and I barely got along when we were younger as two very different people – but camp gave us a common ground that I believe we stand on as adults and best friends now.

Runoia itself is no stranger to sibling pairs (including twins!), triples, and even quadruples each summer. Our daily structure allows siblings to connect at camp while remaining independent. Campers choose their own schedules to try new things and continue to build skills summer after summer, and in busy days, siblings may have spent their time in completely different activity areas. There is Runoia magic in the little moments when siblings can reconnect – staff member Emily Friedman reflects on this:

“I started coming to camp in 2014, and in 2016, my younger sister Izzy joined me. Coincidentally, 2016 happened to be my first year attending camp for all seven weeks, so Izzy and I both got to experience second session for the first time.

Having my sister at camp with me means having a little piece of familiarity in an otherwise new environment. It means leaning in for a quick hug before dinner, being able to help each other through homesickness, and of course, sharing some sibling rivalry when you accidentally tag up for an activity together! Izzy’s friends have all become my “camp little sisters”, and my Runoia friends have watched them all grow up. This summer will be our eighth and sixth summers respectively, and I will be returning as a staff member. Being able to watch her through a counselor’s eyes fills me with a sense of pride, and getting the rare chance to coach her in my activities is so incredibly rewarding. Both Friedman sisters are counting down the days until we will be back on Great Pond – together.”

Emily really said it all – but check out some benefits of attending camp with a sibling:

  • Familiarity in a new space
  • Having an additional support system
  • Building traditions together
  • Easing homesickness
  • Strengthening a sibling bond
  • Recollecting camp memories together during the year
  • Building independence in the same community

We can’t wait to have the Friedman sisters back at camp this summer! Until then, we’ll be counting down the days with them.

Braids, Bracelets and other “Just Camp Things”

Posted on by Colleen O'Malley

When you hear the phrase “just camp things!” what do you think of first? Have you ever had a moment when you realized a normal part of your life was actually not a regular thing for everyone else? There’s a good chance that “it’s a camp thing.”

Recently, I’ve been going to fitness classes where we spend 20 minutes biking, 20 minutes lifting, and 20 minutes doing yoga. I have short, thick hair so I have to get a little creative for it to stay put through three completely different activities. So, I’ve showed up to classes with every version of braids, french twists, and bobble ponies you can possibly imagine.

Normal, right? But it has shocked me how many adults have asked me how I know how to french braid – doesn’t everyone!? But I’ve realized that it was summers spent with “sisters” unrelated to me in braid trains by the lake that afforded me this skill – an experience not many people get to have, I’ve learned. Even as an adult at camp, two braids just can’t be beat for a long day on the waterfront!

The phrase “just camp things” reminds me of friendship bracelets on water bottles, weeks without a phone, singing nonsense songs, skits, footie pajamas, costumes galore, moo-offs!

 

But it’s not just the skills to braid hair or twist embroidery floss into patterned bracelets that are unique gains from camp. Without camp, my friend group wouldn’t have a go-to fire builder when we get together. Maybe you would have never stepped foot on a sailboat, or ridden a horse. Perhaps we would all have a harder time taking a step away from our phones and other technology without knowing we can actually do it for days and weeks on end.

As we get another day closer to camp 2022, I feel so much gratitude for the “just camp things” ahead of us. For all of us currently in the ‘real world’ patiently waiting for our ‘camp world’, the silly novelties of camp life can’t come soon enough. Where else can you rock your tropical shirt Mondays, tie-dye Tuesdays, pigtail Fridays, and footie PJ Sundays with pride?! Nowhere but Runoia!

 

Camp Runoia – built on the foundation laid by strong women

Posted on by Alex

This week as we celebrated International Women’s day, Runoia thoughts naturally turned to Miss Lucy Weiser and Miss Jessie Pond, our founders.  We obviously know that in 1907 the role of women in society was significantly different than it is today. If you add to that the challenges of travel and how slow information sharing  was, they made an incredible undertaking to even consider starting a camp for girls.

For many of us the images in our minds of Miss Weiser and Miss Pond are of old ladies, or of the portraits on the Lodge wall that capture them in one moment in time. These days their stories are somewhat steeped in legend as there are few folk at camp that actually remember them in person.  I so desperately want to know more about them as young women. How did they grow up as children? How did they spend their days? What was everyday life like? Did those around them support their decision to start a camp? There are so many questions.

Miss Weiser Miss Pond

I often wish that I could fly back in time and sit in on their conversations and decision making. I am so curious about how and why they decided to head up to Maine to start a girls camp. It is fairly easy to research the history of the times, the camp movement and the desperate desire  and search for solitude and nature outside of the rapidly developing cities.  Yet why did these two particular women connect together and start our camp? 

What triggered their choice to think about even considering starting a camp for girls? I doubt that they were just having tea and thought they should just pop off to Maine on a jaunt. As bright, intrepid women I am so curious about how they navigated their decisions, set out on the adventure to find a location and then built a camp. They then successfully encouraged parents to send their girls and young women off into the Maine wilderness for an unknown experience. Can you imagine all this without a webiste to promote the amazingness of Great Pond?!

It’s hard to imagine the remoteness of Maine and the lack of infrastructure that awaited those early campers. The Belgrade Historical Society has some great visuals and information about the area that was then primarily farming. In the early 1900’s Belgrade Lakes was rapidly becoming a popular area for vacations for those wealthy enough to take time away in the summer. Fine hotels on the shores of the lakes were built to accomodate a growing trend in more rural retreats. 

I wish we had a time machine so that we could watch those amazing women in action.

We are so grateful for the origional two strong women and all of the others that have followed in thier footsteps.

Camp Runoia stuff – keeping it simple

Posted on by Alex

We recently shared tips and tricks for packing with our camp families and reminded them that 2 large items is the limit for baggage. There is no doubt that three weeks at camp does require a substantial amount of belongings yet we really do want our campers to navigate the experience with just what they need, not an excess of ‘stuff’ that has little purpose other than clutter. With entire businesses and a library of books dedicated to decluttering your life it is always interesting to see what feels ‘essential’ for a few weeks at camp. Obviously we expect a favorite stuffie to make the trip but miscellaneous items that have no purpose at camp become a restriction for enjoying the camp experience.

Bringing a limited amount of belongings that are prescribed on the well thought out packing list provides a great opportunity to develop life skills and independence. If you only have 1 pair of sneakers or flip flops then it’s a good lesson to put them in a place where you can find them so you have them when you need them. Many of us live with such excess in our lives it truly becomes a burden. We spend so much time and effort organizing, searching for and replacing our stuff that we lose the pleasure in enjoying it.

 

With a nine day laundry cycle camp is a great opportunity for campers to manage their clothing in a way that is hygienic but also practical. The clothes you wore in the morning before swim lessons can go back on afterwards and a pair of jeans can last a couple of days if you are only wearing them in the chillier evenings. If you have run out of underwear by day 7 you need to navigate how to make that 10 pairs you brought last for the full cycle.

 

Space at camp is obviously limited and everyone is sharing so one roommate having excess has an impact on their bunk mates. It is also ‘rustic.’ While we certainly are building life skills for big away from home events in the future, we are not trying to replicate a mini college experience. Dorm rugs and throw pillows are unnecessary and soon become grubby. There is no cleaning service, campers who have been out playing in the woods and lake all day are in charge of maintaining their space. As they are busy developing those basic life skills the results can sometimes be marginal. A bedside rug is only best used for wiping off sandy feet after coming up from the beach. It needs moving when you have ‘sweeping’ on the chores chart and often ends up shoved under the bed with the dust bunnies. Check out this old blog about helping campers to figure out what to bring.

Over enthusiastic or perhaps anxious parents that pack 3 tubes of toothpaste can rest assured that if campers run out of necessities we have a stash of all of the basics and no one will need to go without.

We hope that our campers will have just what they need to be able to enjoy a simplified summer having a blast on Great Pond.

 

Is It Runoia? The Olympics? A Top Sporting Goods Company?

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Words like driven, persistent, visionary, powerful – we design for you, fight for you, connect with you, reflect on you and step up our game for you. “We are the change in sports to get more women to the top of their game. “

They sound like a commercial for Camp Runoia! But it is not actually Runoia.  If you’re familiar with this powerful campaign from Dick’s Sporting Goods, it is a media campaign designed by the strong women team created by Lauren Hobart. “Inside Moves” supports girls and women as leaders and competitors. Check out the campaign for some inspiration!

As we kick off the Winter Olympics in Beijing, seven new sports have been created for winter sports – most of them mixed gender. And yet one sport has been added just for women: the Monobob. Why? Men’s already has two and four-person bobsled and women’s’ just has two person – the addition of the Monobob levels the playing field. The idea? One person runs the icy track and tries to get the top speed without crashing. Pretty gutsy.

This reminds us of our own Runoia heroes who had the guts to start a girls’ camp on a lake in Maine, to run a girls camp for near 50 years.

Might we borrow the campaign and shout “Runoia is the change in camps to get more campers to the top of their game. “? We think so!

Love, Aionur

Cultural Exchange: Whatever Way We Can

Posted on by Colleen O'Malley

How lucky Camp Runoia is to host friends from near and far reaches – from the east to west coast of the United States, to England, Ireland, Mexico, France, and more. Our cultural exchange from campers and staff alike is one of the magical pieces of Camp Runoia.

 

At one point, driving 8 hours from Upstate New York felt like quite the trip – but now I’ve moved just shy of 2,000 more miles to the west of camp and suddenly that ‘long’ drive is shortened in my mind. As I was putting together my plans to arrive back in Maine early May, I first felt resolved to drive across the country – it wouldn’t be my first time – but realized that instead, this will probably be my first summer flying to camp, as many of our far-reaching friends do.

The theme of camp in 2020 and 2021 really was “whatever way we can”. Runoia had a deep resolve in the past two years to provide a widely needed experience of unplugged escape for both campers and staff. This meant sacrifices to our normal – including not being able to welcome international friends in 2020. In 2021, with some very creative problem-solving from leaders like Jen Dresdow – and some serious willpower from staff – we began to welcome some international friends once again.

Now, as we gear up for round three of camp affected by Covid, we are thrilled to see plenty of countries represented on both our staff and camper lists. Travel plans are coming together for all of us (hopefully!) and we are gearing up to once again hear different languages at camp, share our beautiful state and waterfront with new-comers, and learn all that we can from a summer-long cultural exchange.

From “how lucky we are to be here” in 2020, to “how lucky we are to have YOU here” in 2022!

 

The Power of Play – for ‘Kids’ of All Ages

Posted on by Colleen O'Malley

It’s the middle of the school year – our teachers and students have made their way out of winter break and back to school – although maybe just virtually – and camp feels both so close and too far away. Most of our campers have a full semester of school left before they make their way through the Runoia gates this summer.

During the school year, I tutor students in math. We learn so much together by practicing our multiplication tables, solving equations, and challenging ourselves – but each week when we’re together, we also play. I’ve seen games and play help anxious students open up, and even the best students to have fun and reinforce their skills. Play is often seen as the reward after the work, but play itself is a valuable tool for learning, de-stressing, and figuring out our world.

The power of play is clear to researchers, teachers, and camp professionals alike. Play is known to bust stress, foster imagination and creativity, increase physical activity, build confidence, resilience, and social skills, and much more.

But the power of play is not reserved for the youngest of our kids – you would have seen play often in my high-school classroom, too. Even my senior students – some as old as 18 – loved the simultaneous respite and excitement of the chance to play. It’s an honor as an adult to provide opportunities of play to the ‘too old’ kids, who may have learned that it’s embarrassing to play at their age. At Runoia, those walls come down and silliness reigns – and the best part is seeing our staff, CITs, and older campers set the example for our younger ones. Even our admin – especially our admin – can be some of the most enthusiastic partakers.

 

When I think of this, my mind goes immediately to some of our silliest EPs – evening programs – like Miss Tacky and Powder Faeries (if you know, you know!) In the case of Miss Tacky – perhaps the EP that our senior end campers get the most excited for – it’s amazing to see the creativity and imagination that our campers bring to the table with a simple prompt and the liberty to create.

 

 

While Runoia’s EP and program offerings provide more structured playtime, our schedule honors the all-important unstructured playtime as well. During sublime time, campers can be seen all over camp playing gaga, doing cartwheels on the grass, or making up games in the water. On trips, we often made up songs to get us through long paddles, played games while a meal was cooking, and built faerie houses.

In our current world – where we may fall in the trap of confusing screen time with playtime – it’s all the more vital to offer our kids, and ourselves, a space to unplug and safely play and explore. Here, I’m counting down the days until I can witness the power of play in our campers and tap into my own silliness and creativity once again.

 

Camp Grows Lifelong Learners

Posted on by Colleen O'Malley

With the first week of January behind us, we are all settling into a new year with ambitions and a peaceful, quiet month to work on them. In my house, we are working on a goal of reading more in 2022. We’ve set up a system to help us reach this goal – using the GoodReads app to track our reading, utilizing our library cards and the Libby app to get access to more books, and checking in with friends with similar goals. It has me thinking about how much I value my identity as a lifelong learner – a quality fostered by camp – someone open to new goals, learning new things, and always working on a growth mindset.

One of my favorite books, Mindset by Carol Dweck, delves deep into fixed vs. growth mindsets. A fixed mindset makes us believe that our talents and abilities are “carved in stone” – we only have a certain amount of intelligence, ability, a certain personality. But the growth mindset tells us that our efforts, passions, and help from others overtake our natural abilities. Dr. Dweck’s research shows us that while we can always retrain ourselves, our mindset is often formed very early in our lives. The people, the ideas, and the opportunities we surround ourselves with can make or break this mindset.

This is where camp comes in! Camp provides the opportunity to continually challenge ourselves – campers and staff alike – to try new things, build our skills, and learn from new perspectives. Our campers understand the value and thrill (and, in all honesty, nervousness) of trying something brand new, and the bravery of attempting the next level. Many of our activities at Runoia feature levels that encourage our campers to build skills and aspire to the highest achievement – maybe American archer, windsurfing queen, or advanced equestrian. Campers who return year after year often spend each summer building toward these goals with the help of a growth mindset, some serious tenacity, and an awesome support system.

Camp challenges our staff members – from first-year counselors to admin who have been here for decades – to grow, as well. What a challenge it was for me to show up to camp in June of 2018 not knowing a soul – and for our international counselors, add on the bravery of navigating a new country!

Our campers and staff benefit from this mindset even after passing through Runoia’s gates – back to the ‘real world’ – at summer’s end. One of our stellar staff members, Mackenzie, talked to me about learning to ski as an adult – something I’ve also been tackling in the past year. So excited to learn, she started slow “with pizza skis and falls every few hundred feet.” But a growth mindset tells Mackenzie that even after hard falls, she has the ability to learn and grow: “After big wipeouts that knocked the wind out of me I’d sit and catch my breath wishing I learned at the age of 3 like it seemed everyone else on the mountain had. After studying the way others moved, advice from friends who ski, and a beginners lesson, I learned new skills one at a time.” Mackenzie closed out our conversation with some serious growth-mindset attitude: “I continue to learn one step at a time and remind myself of the privilege it is to ski regardless of starting age. Now I know that there is truly no ‘mastering’ a skill because it can always get better from there.”

Here’s to new things, more books, and growth in 2022.

DEI The Work: Taking Action – Letter to a Publisher

Posted on by Pam Cobb

Last week there was a 40% off special from American Camp Association’s (ACA) bookstore. It was a book called 101 Bunk Activities – fun things to do with campers. How awesome. I clicked on the link and I saw this image.

Uh oh. I had this reaction: Oh my gosh, that makes me feel uncomfortable. With all the awareness of cultural appropriation and the DEI work Runoia has been doing to be fair, equitable, conscious of stereotypes, I kind of couldn’t believe what I was seeing: children with war paint on faces and paper head dresses.

With Alex’s prompt for me not to just click away from the page and move on with my day, I reached out to ACA for them to take a look instead of me saying “that’s not my problem”.  I wrote an email.

Hi! I appreciate your discount promotions. 

I looked at the book “101 Bunk Activities” and paused at the photo on the cover in relationship to microaggressions and stereotypes of Indigenous Americans. 

I just wanted to share that it is a bit out of touch with the work many of us are doing to be inclusive at our camps.

Screenshot attached. 

All my best, Pam

I found out that ACA contracts out its bookstore to a publisher in California. Here’s the response I got from the Publisher (not ACA).

Although I don’t agree with your comments about the cover, if/when we reprint the book, we’ll change the cover art, per your request. For my edification, I’d welcome you explaining why the current cover art entails 

micro-aggression. I have several close friends who are Native Americans, and they find no fault with the current cover art. 

James A. Peterson, PhD, FACSM

Publisher, Healthy Learning

Suddenly I doubted myself. I needed more support so I went to the Google. I found a blog “So your friend dressed up as an Indian, now what? “ This is a must read from almost ten years ago. Amazing. Just read it because it is written with conviction and humor and insight.

And a more recent blog “My Culture is not a Costume”. Also offering terrific insight and raises my own level of awareness.

Additionally, I reach out to Runoia’s  DEI consultant, Mary Franitza,  who has been doing DEI consulting work with us at Runoia.

She sent me an encouraging note and a few links including Pauline Turner Strong’s published paper on “The Mascot Slot” A glance at this academic opinion reminded me of the work of the former Chief of the Penobscot Nation, Chief Barry Dana. I spoke with him in spring of 2020 (honestly, I looked him up, called his number and I was leaving a message on his answering machine and he picked up – 45 minutes of heartfelt conversation ensued) about the name Runoia. Chief Dana has worked hard to get Stereotypical Native American Images for mascots out of Maine schools. Now his daughter Maulian Dana is also working on this effort and is the Penobscot Nation‘s Ambassador to the Maine State Government.

Mary also sent a couple of great links that is great for getting up to speed about Thanksgiving and schools and the common but inaccurate history of Thanksgiving and the activities in school:

And a great article to specific to headdresses written by a Métis woman and language instructor at the University of Alberta.

Recognizing that headdresses are specific to the Plains Nations and quite nuanced as only worn by native men of the Plains Nations who have earned the headdress. So, non native people dressing up in headdresses is disrespectful in the least and certainly cultural appropriation.

In response to why the cover art entails microaggression? It is disrespectful for campers to make headdresses and wear them as a costume. It is insulting to showcase campers doing an activity like dressing up in someone else’s culture.

It is hard to speak up. It is hard to be called out. I’d like to start over and “call-in” the publisher to help him to join all the camps making a difference in the lives of children from all over our world and meet a few of Native American friends.

 

Formative experiences – from single gender school to camp

Posted on by Alex

A few days ago an old classmate sent me a link to a podcast from my high school. I’m not one to keep up much with my old alma mater, living 3000 miles away makes reunions and the like fairly impossible. I was intrigued enough to engage as it was hosted by my former headmistress.  I grew up in England and attended a very traditional, all girls, grammar school. Admittance was via a rigorous examination and interview process and I was the only student from my primary school to head off there. I strode off into a whole new world of education and opportunities which definitely set me off along the path that I travel today. 

At the time I had little concept of the benefits of a single gender experience but the podcast reminded me just how fortunate I was to spend my formative years from 11-18, in an all girls and predominantly female managed institution. Miss Winfield now in her 80’s eloquently speaks on the podcast about the opportunities that were available to girls without constraint and how support and encouragement was given for developing a well rounded student ready to move forward in her life. Along with strong academics there was an extensive athletic and music program supported by arts and adventures on school trips.

Using words such as ‘self advocacy’, ‘independence’ and ‘confidence,’ it is impossible not to draw similarities from my old school to Runoia. To be strongly encouraged to make ‘independent choices’ ‘maximize your opportunities’ and get the ‘best out of your day’ are recurring themes. While there is no doubt that coed experiences have equitable value there is something very different about learning and growing in a single gender setting. There are no limitations visible or hidden and the presented opportunities are available to all. It is rare to see conflicts around funding, scheduling or opportunity.

I loved that my school had rigorous expectations, partnered with parents and was truly staffed by teachers who were passionate about their jobs and imparting their wisdom to the next generation. Again such strong similarities to camp, upholding traditions, negotiating new theories and providing continuity over time. Another similarity of the two experiences is that the opportunity was made available to many different  girls. Diversity and welcoming a broad spectrum of different people are valued at both places. Providing a rich environment in which to grow and learn in formative years and building skills for the future is something that I have great gratitude for and am committed to providing for our Runoia girls.

At school I certainly developed lifelong skills and am encouraged that girls have the opportunity to do the same in a fun and engaging summer experience at Runoia.